Nissan has revealed its upcoming compact SUV, Magnite. At present, the compact SUV segment in India is dominated by Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV 300, Vitara Brezza, and Ford Ecosport. The segment is already very competitive and the only way to survive in Indian markets is to add new and segment-first features at an affordable price.
Nissan Magnite Compact SUV
The Nissan Magnite is a part of the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ plan. It will be the company’s first-ever product under the Nissan NEXT strategy for the Indian market. Key spokespersons from Nissan’s leadership teams in Africa, Middle East, and India (AMI), presented the live-streamed event, with Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India, driving in the all-new Nissan Magnite. “The all-new Nissan Magnite plays a vital role in our Nissan NEXT strategy and represents Nissan’s undeniable commitment to the Indian market as a customer-centric organization. The car reiterates our brand philosophy of keeping customers at the heart of everything we do to deliver exciting products for enriching experiences. As we continue to prioritize and invest in the Indian consumer, who is aspirational and discerning with vehicles, we aim for the all-new Nissan Magnite to be the first product that will enable sustainable growth. Nissan will continue to be the primary brand in India,” said Sinan Ozkok, President, Nissan Motor India.
The Nissan Magnite retains a lot of design elements from its prototype. It will arrive with a large sculpted bonnet, with octagonal grille, LED headlamps, and L-shaped LED DRLs to name a few. To ace a muscular SUV look, the Magnite gets the wheel arches with beefy body cladding. Underneath those wheel arches, will be 16-inch all0y wheels.
Nissan Magnite Compact SUV Features
The all-new Nissan Magnite will feature the Nissan Intelligent Mobility (NIM), which is the company’s vision as to how vehicles are powered, driven, and integrated into society. As per Nissan, the Magnite is designed in Japan, keeping in mind the requirements and aspirations of the Indian customers. The Nissan Magnite comes with numerous first-in-class and best-in-segment features, that include- an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 360-degree camera, connected car tech, climate control, and a digital instrument cluster. On the safety front, Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Traction Control System (TCS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), speed-sensing door lock, central locking, and SRS dual airbag system with pretension and load limiter seatbelt for driver and passenger, will make their way on the production-spec model.
Beneath the hood will be a 1.0 litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.0 litre turbo petrol mill. The naturally aspirated petrol engine is borrowed from the Renault Kwid and Triber, which delivers 72bhp of max power and comes paired with either a manual or AMT gearbox. The other option is an all-new 3-cylinder HRA0 1.0-liter Turbo engine, which is the first of its kind in the country and is available with Manual 5 speed and X-TRONIC CVT gearbox. Nissan claims that the HRA0 1.0-liter Turbo engine adopts “mirror bore cylinder coating” technology from world-class sports cars such as the Nissan GT-R, which reduces resistance inside the engine, thus delivering smooth acceleration and efficient use of fuel. The turbocharged engine is expected to produce 100bhp of power and 150Nm of peak torque.
With Nissan’s signature X-TRONIC CVT gearbox, Cruise Control, and wider gear range, the all-new Nissan Magnite should be a practical daily driver, which delivers seamless performance even in peak city traffic. Nissan has also revealed that its D-step logic control computer software uses dynamic inputs like vehicle speed, accelerator pedal position, and application speed to determine the ideal gear ratio needed to deliver an exhilarating drive and smooth cruises on the highways.
We’ll be back with more information once the Magnite is launched. Expect it to be priced aggressively and our guess is that the carmaker will also bolster its dealership and service network prior to the Magnite’s introduction.