Nissan studying Duster based SUV, Sylphy D-segment sedan for the Indian car market

During the recent Nissan Evalia MPV first drive held at Bangalore, Team ICB caught up with the CEO of Nissan India, Mr Takayuki Ishida, over a spot of lunch after the drive. One of the many questions we asked Mr Ishida was whether the Japanese automaker would launch an SUV based on the Renault Duster, especially since the SUV segment is a fast growing sector of the Indian car market. To this, Mr Ishida replied that they(Nissan India) are studying the Duster based SUV for the Indian car market, and a decision on this matter would be taken shortly.

2012 Renault Duster SUV

However, a specific timeframe for the launch of a Duster based Nissan SUV is something that remains unknown at this point of time. Also, Mr Ishida informed us that the decision of brand engineering cars in the Renault-Nissan line up is taken by a joint meeting that happens twice a year, when the board members of the Renault-Nissan alliance meet to discuss the various car sharping and brand engineering possibilities that exist between the car brands for various markets across the world. Another question we posed to Mr Ishida was whether the Sylphy D-segment sedan is a possibility for launch in India.

To this question too, Mr Ishida replied the Sylphy is another product that is being studied for the Indian market and currently, no plans are firmed up yet for a launch. The Sylphy is sold by Nissan in China, and is a D-segment sedan that rivals the likes of the Toyota Corolla Altis and the Hyundai Elantra sedans. The Nissan Sylphy looks like a bigger version of the Sunny sedan and a smaller version of the Teana, thus retaining the family shape and face of the Nissan range of sedans. The car could prove to be a worthy alternate to the current crop of D-segmenters with a comfortable and spacious rear seat if it comes with a turbodiesel engine.

2012 Nissan Sylphy D-Segment Sedan

Renault-Nissan is a global alliance between French automaker Renault and Japanese automaker Nissan. This alliance jointly develops products, shares production facilities and also brand engineers various cars to sell in suitable markets. In India, Renault-Nissan have established a joint production facility at Oragadam, off Chennai, in which Renault holds a 30% stake with Nissan holding a 70% stake. Nissan set shop in India first, wth Renault following it later. Nissan cars sell at a price slightly lower than that of Renault, following a global branding strategy.