Nissan’s much waited Micra based sedan, what’s known as the Sunny in China will be unveiled to the media by Nissan on the 3rd of August 2011 in Mumbai. Nissan’s new sedan has been caught testing several times around the company’s plant in Chennai. The unveiling and naming ceremony has come to us a bit earlier than expected. However, the unveiling, in all porobability will not amount to the launch of the new car. The launch will happen at a later date, probably in a month or two. The unveiling ceremony will happen in the presence of Mr. Kiminobu Tokuyama, Managing Director & CEO, NMIPL and Mr. Dinesh Jain, CEO, Hover Automotive India.
The new sedan is Nissan’s contender to take on the likes of the Swift Dzire, Indigo Manza and the Etios Liva. Known on the blogosphere as the Micra sedan, the V-platform sedan or the Sunny, the car will sport a brand new name for the Indian market. There has been some buzz on the internet that the new sedan may well be called the Almera. Almera was a brand used for a series of family sedan built from 1995 to 2006.
The new Nissan sedan will be powered by the 1.5-liter dCi diesel engine employed by the Nissan Micra as well as the much bigger Renault Fluence. The huge difference in applications of the engine points at the versatility of the powerplant. Apart from this, a new 1.6-liter 4 cylinder petrol engine may also make its debut with the new sedan. From the inside, the new sedan will be reasonably more spacious than the Micra hatch. The car will share quite a few of its panels from the smaller Micra.
The new Nissan sedan which made its debut at the 8th China International Auto Show will be sold in 170 different countries, and with different names.
The Micra has been doing reasonably well for Nissan, but the brand may have done better with a more aggressive pricing for the hatchback. Similarly, the pricing of the new sedan too would be crucial for Nissan. Most premium mid-size segment sedans such as the Honda City and VW Vento are currently available at discounted prices, making their base models extremely lucrative for those hunting in the Dzire / Liva territory. Hope Nissan India prices the new sedan well.
Count on us to get you the latest updates from the unveiling ceremony. How much, by the way, would you pay for this kind of a sedan from Nissan with a diesel engine if it is fairly equipped?