According to media reports Nissan will end production of the Teana in Japan this year due to low demand in the Japanese market. Due to the stronger Yen, margins on export models have also dropped. Nissan will move production of the D-Segment sedan out of Japan into the US while continuing sales in the domestic market through imported vehicles.
Instead of the Teana, Nissan will produce the Note, a compact MPV that enjoys strong demand in Japan. The next generation Teana is a couple of years away while a cosmetically revamped Teana is rumored to reach Indian shores shortly.
AutoinCar reports Nissan’ next generation Teana will be launched by the end of 2013. Codenamed W42L, the Honda Accord rivaling Teana was rendered recently by a Japanese magazine. It carried design idioms from the 370Z and other smaller cars in the Nissan portfolio.
The new Teana will serve as the Altima in certain markets with minor changes to body panels and interior trim. The front fascia will be different but realistically, both models will be one and the same. Right now both these are independent D-Segment cars and blending them is similar to the Nissan Sunny-Nissan Versa plan (one model serves with two nameplates)
We haven’t heard anything from Nissan India on CKD plans for the Teana. We heard that the company is interested in assembling both CBU models X-Trail and Teana now that they have the provision in Oragadam. Will Nissan continue using the CBU channel and switch over to CKD when the next gen models are available?
While India waits for news on the CKD/SKD operation of the Teana facelift, blogs overseas have begun speculating on the next generation model. The new Teana (J32) is based on the D Platform (shifted base from the previous model) and was launched in 2009.
There is no chance of the next generation model appearing before late 2014 or early 2015. But that won’t stop Nissan and Teana aficionados from speculating and launching renderings into the internet.
Sooner or later, Nissan will begin local assembly of the cosmetically revamped Teana at Oragadam, Chennai. The rendering of the next generation Teana seen here is heavily inspired by the 370Z. Even if Nissan is working on the next generation model in Japan, it will be at the drawing board level.
The Nissan Teana never really captured the fancy of IAB. Partly because it was too expensive and partly because it was quite dull to look at. It is quite evident that the Teana hasn’t even captured the fancy of the Indian buyers because it averagely manages double digit monthly sales. On the other hand, the rivals easily manage a triple digit sales figure. But that may be about to change [ Read More ]
There is no official word on the 2011 Teana for Indian market but we’re told that the model you see here could be assembled at the Oragadam facility in Chennai by the end of next year. Following the Teana, the facelifted X-Trail would also be assembled, bringing down their price tag to sub 20 lakh levels thanks to lower excise duties.
For 2011, Nissan has made minor changes to Teana’s grille and bumper. The border thickness of the grille is fatter. The fog light design has been changed and at the back, tail lamps get a generous dose of LEDs. The alloy wheel now has additional spokes.
Meanwhile inside the cabin, minor changes to the central console comes in the form of new dials.
The new Teana should go on sale in China by the end of this year.
Nissan Teana could go from CBU to CKD in India very soon
Nissan India, which sells Teana (sedan) and X-Trail (sports utility vehicle) as completely built units (CBU) is considering local assembly of these vehicles to bring down the price and gain market share.
Nissan had sold only 200-300 cars last year and during the joint venture press conference in Chennai a couple of weeks back, Carlos Ghosn, CEO Renault-Nissan said he was not surprised as these cars were not locally sourced or manufactured. He also said the high duties levied on imported models did not help one bit.
Gilles Normand, corporate vice-president, Nissan Motor Company (India, Africa and Middle East Region) -
We are considering the possibility of producing or locally assembling Teana and X-Trail in India soon. If we want to increase our share in the market we will have to reduce the price of our products and gain volumes.
DNA Money reports the cost of Teana will come down from Rs 25 lakh at present to Rs 18 lakh if Nissan adopts the CBU route. The X-Trail’s price would come down by up to 28%, the report adds.
click through to view image slideshows of Teana and X-Trail
Sources in Nissan inform us that the revamped X-Trail and Teana are arriving in Indian shores on the second week of September. The company would have a beautiful launch ceremony to welcome the cars into our country.
The second generation X-Trail was displayed at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, while the redesigned Teana was shown at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show.
Nissan hopes these cars would propel the company forward till they start selling the Micra/March next year.
