Chennai plant will stop European exports of the Micra when it moves to the next generation.
A press release issued by Nissan informs that the next generation Micra will roll out in late 2016 in Europe. As previously reported, the new Micra for Europe will be made at the Renault Flins plant located near the city of Paris, France. Currently, the Micra for Europe is exported from the Renault-Nissan Alliance plant in Chennai, India.
Nissan says that Renault's Le Mans plant will begin making chassis components for the new Micra in late 2016. The components will then be shipped to the Flins plant for assembly. As a result, Renault will be building the entire chassis, and assembling the car, in France. About 132,000 units of the new Micra will be built in the first year.
Read: Next gen Micra to be repositioned for wider coverage
Meanwhile for the Indian market, Nissan would be looking at introducing an Indianized version of the car once the current model's lifecycle comes to an end. Speaking to Indian Autos Blog at the Auto Expo this year, Shiro Nakamura, senior vice president and chief creative officer, design and brand management for Nissan Motor Company Ltd., said that certain "specification" changes could be seen.
Also read: Nissan Micra replacement for India could use a different name
The official highlighted that the B-Segment of the Micra is significantly different in India as compared to Europe, and hence local changes could be called for.
Competitors: Maruti Swift, Hyundai Elite i20, VW Polo, Fiat Punto Evo, Tata Bolt
Expected Price: INR 5 - 7 lakhs, ex-Showroom
Launch date: Late 2016 in Europe
Le Mans Plant to Make Chassis Components for New Micra - Press Release
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