Nissan-Ashok Leyland to launch NV200 MPV at the Auto Expo?

Japanese automaker Nissan has been working with Indian commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland, to bring the NV200 MPV to the Indian market. Our friends at OnCars report that Nissan-Ashok Leyland will launch this MPV at the upcoming 2012 Indian Auto Expo, marking another MPV in the Indian luxury MPV space, which currently plays host the best selling Toyota Innova, the Mahindra Xylo and the Tata Grande.

Nissan-Ashok Leyland NV200 MPV

The NV200 MPV will be able to seat 7 passengers is expected to be powered by the 1.5 Liter DCi engine that the Nissan Micra hatchback and Sunny sedan use. However, on the NV200, the engine will be in the more powerful state of tune, like on the Sunny, with 85 Bhp of peak power and 200 Nm of peak torque. This engine’s hallmark is its excellent driveability and the NV200 too could inherit this feature.

Nissan-Ashok Leyland NV200 MPV

That said, competitive pricing would be key as the NV200 MPV will take on some formidable competition, especially with the likes of the facelifted Innova and the upcoming Maruti Ertiga MPV all set to make a splash at the exposition. Also, General Motors is said to be bringing its Chinese MPV range into India in 2012. Notably, the NV200 MPV has been chosen to be the New York taxi of choice from 2013, replacing the aging but instantly recognizable and iconic fleet of Crown Victoria taxis that are plying the New York taxi route currently.

Nissan-Ashok Leyland NV200 MPV

Nissan and Ashok Leyland are targeting 20% of the total Indian production of the NV200 to be exported to neighboring countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. We’d be quite interested to see how Nissan and Ashok Leyland handle distribution duties of the NV200, given that the Dost Mini Pick Up Truck is being sold independently by Nissan and Ashok Leyland. So, the NV200 MPV could also take that route.