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Thursday, 18 March 2010
Tamil Nadu already boasts of being home to major automobile manufacturers that include BMW, Daimler, Ford, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, and now it has one more plant added to its ever increasing list. Yes, I am talking about the Renault Nissan car manufacturing plant that was inaugurated yesterday by the Tamil Nadu CM, M Karunanidhi. Mr. M Karunanidhi, speaking on the occasion said, “I have a dream to make Chennai as one of top 10 centres for automobile manufacturing in the world,” and added, “With the establishment of Renault- Nissan car project, Chennai has become the home for seven auto majors out of top 20 global automobile manufacturers.” Tamil Nadu has always been a fore-runner in investor friendly policies and no wonder Chennai appears as one of the most favourite among the car manufacturers for setting plants. But there is a glitch; Chennai does not have advance facilities for vehicle testing and this becomes an inconvenient factor as the manufacturers have to take the vehicles to Pune for testing and certification. Excited by the State government’s initiatives, the Union government is implementing the National Automotive Testing Research and Development Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) in Oragadam at a cost of about Rs. 450 crore. The State government has already granted 304 acres of land to this project. This project is aimed at facilitating the introduction of world class automotive safety, emission and performance standards in India and ensuring seamless integration of the Indian automotive industry with the global industry. Nissan's first made-in-India car-Micra or March will roll off the production line from the Nissan Renault plant at Oragadam. This plant will also serve as the sourcing hub for the global compact car for over 100 countries, including Europe and Middle East. Labels: Nissan, Nissan-Micra, Nissan-Renault, Nissan-Renault Oragadam-Plant, Renault
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
 The absolute show stopper at the Geneva Motor Show was none other but the much-awaited Nissan Micra (also knows as March in some countries). The car was unveiled by Carlos Ghosn, the Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Micra, which sports a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine, has been designed to be a very reliable, stylish and accessible compact car. And that’s not all, the environmental issues have been considered by Nissan and it is claimed that Micra's new engine will emit 115 grams of CO2. And in six months, a high-tech derivative will emit as low as 95 grams per km. Isn’t that simply great! The fourth generation of Micra has been designed with a very stylish face and compact dimensions. The new Nissan Micra is slightly longer and marginally lower, while its longer wheelbase enables a ‘wheels-at-each-corner’ stance. Micra is poised to attract car buyers across 160 countries, and no prizes for guessing that one of those countries is India. Nissan is trying to make a global presence of 94 per cent with its Micra launch. Nissan officials are not talking about the price range of Micra. However, it is expected to be placed in the B-segment near the Hyundai i20 and the Maruti Swift. With the 80 per cent production happening locally, Nissan will have to put a very competitive price tag on Micra. Micra will be manufactured across four global location including India. Earlier this year Chevrolet launched Beat and then Volkswagen launched its Beetle and Polo. Ford followed close behind and launched its Figo recently. The Indian small car segment is booming with most of the global car manufacturing trying their luck with small car launches. Soon to be joining the race are Hyundai’s new i30 and Fiat’s Bravo. Global auto manufacturers are flooding the Indian shores with their small car wonders but do we hear anyone complaining? I don’t think so. Labels: Micra, New-Car-Launch, Nissan, Nissan-Micra, Small-cars-in-India
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
The smaller cars are going to occupy bigger space at the Geneva Motor Show. Did you know that? Compact models are now the talk of the car makers’ towns. Fiat’s 500 to the 3.8 metre long, two seat-convertible the Renault Wind, are all going to steal the show. What’s the secret? Any idea? Growing urbanization, ageing population, demand from first-time buyers in emerging markets and the squeeze from carbon-cutting regulators around the world have made the smaller cars more beautiful. Emissions legislation has tightened and drivers look for greater fuel efficiency. So, the smaller cars are the ones that will stay firmly in focus. While economic fears and waning scrapping schemes are making forecasting sales trends difficult, the government has decided to support the car makers with incentive schemes to increase sales. At the Geneva Motor show, all of them are certainly going to focus on the green cars. So, the auto show is only going to be more interesting as plenty of new models will be showcased. The small green cars are going to be very important for a possible recovery in demand. The spotlight is going to be on zero-emission technology. Hybrids too are believed to switch from concept to reality at the Geneva auto show. Peugeot will be showcasing its diesel hybrid which will go into production in 2011. Hybrids are no longer niche, they are now mainstream. For car makers, the small cars do not actually mean ‘beautiful’ as they are less or least profitable, so to say. Small cars are now coming in with so many luxury features and an extra list of optional features as well. The prices too seem to be going higher with the features. The Audi A1, for example, will include a navigation system with a high-resolution display and interior trim offered in a range of colours. It’s most basic version itself comes with a price tag of a luxury car. Nissan will produce its Micra in India, Thailand, China, and Mexico and sell it in 160 countries. This again is far away from being called a cheap car. It also plans to make another sedan and compact van based on the same “V” platform. Will Nissan be able to sell 1 million cars of the three models by 2013? The company dreams of doing so. Nissan makes the current Micra at its plants in Oppama, Japan and Sunderland, north-east England. It is using the freed-up capacity to produce higher-value-added compact SUVs like the Qashqai and new Juke. BMW was the mastermind behind creating smaller packages filled with luxury and including price tags that matched. The revamped BMW 5 series is one of the most profitable models and the company’s largest revenue contributor too. Other small cars, including Ford Motor’s Fiesta, Fiat’s 500, and Hyundai’s i10, are now offering standard and optional features ranging from state-of-the-art telematics to custom paint trim and parking assistance. By 2016, more than half the global market will be dominated by A, B and midsized C cars. Audi’s earlier smallest car, the peculiar A2 had received very good reviews since its debut in 2000. It was only the aluminum body that made it a bit costly and Audi discontinued its production after selling over 176,000 units in five years. BMW and Daimler are trying hard to make small high-tech cars and price them competitively. So, which car segment will win at the Geneva motor show? Will the small green cars really make it to the top? We need to wait and watch. Labels: Audi-A1, BMW-5-Series, Fiat-500, Geneva-Auto-Show, Green-Car, Nissan-Micra, Small-Car, Small-Luxury-Car
Monday, 2 November 2009
Japanese car giant Nissan will roll out the Murano in India by the first half of the next year.
The Murano is a premium Sports utility Vehicle (SUV) that was first manufactured by Nissan in December 2002 and sold as a 2003 model and was launched in the United States as a crossover vehicle to complement the Pathfinder.
The Murano was initially scheduled for a rollout this year. It will be imported as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) from Japan.
The SUV is likely to be priced between Rs 35 Lakh and Rs 40 Lakh and will stand against the Toyota Prado, BMW X3, Mitsubishi Montero and Mercedes Benz M-Class.
The Nissan Murano is likely to come in three variants, namely, the base S, the mid-grade SL and the top of the line LE. This all-wheel drive (AWD) SUV is expected to carry a 3.5-litre petrol V6 engine under its bonnet.
The Nissan Murano is likely to have aluminium interior accents, leather seats, rain sensing wipers, memory seats and mood lighting. The Murano will also boast an 11-speaker Bose unit along with a 9.3GB hard disk storage device.
It was been revealed that Nissan will first assess its prospects in the competitive SUV segment in India before getting into small cars. Nissan is expected to launch the small car Micra by March 2010. The small car will be manufactured at the Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai. The Micra will be manufactured in five countries including India, China and Thailand.
After launching the hatchback in 2010, Nissan plans to unveil a sedan in 2011 and a compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV).
The name 'Murano' comes from a region of Venice, Italy which is known for the hand blown glass produced there. Labels: Nissan-Cars, Nissan-Micra, Nissan-SUVs, Premium-SUVs, SUVs-India
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Nissan is in the path of fulfilling its promise of launching more cars in India within the next three years. Colin Dodge, Nissan's executive vice-president for Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, has now given the Indian car lovers a pleasant news. Dodge was on an official tour to India and it was then he announced this new plan of the company. Nissan is in the process of developing a brand new platform. And the new platform the company is working on is codenamed ‘V’. ‘V’ stands for versatile.
The company will use this new concept for its new small car, which the company has planned to launch in China, Thailand, and India. Nissan had conceptualized this new platform four years back in 2005 at its R&D centre in Japan. This new platform is assigned for the new generation cars from Nissan. The company is working on this new platform so that it will meet the demands of the global market.
We are not yet sure as to which variant the company will launch in India, petrol or diesel. But we know that Nissan will produce three cars on this platform. But Indian market will get to see only two of them. We will witness the launch of the first model sometime in May 2010, two months after it will be launched in Thailand. This first car will be produced in five countries and India will be one among them. And cars manufactured in India will be exported to African countries, Europe, and some countries in the Middle East. The new V cars will have 18 per cent fewer parts, when compared to a normal compact car from Nissan. For example, when a normal small car from Nissan has 85 front seat pieces, the cars based on this new platform will have only 50.
V platform would be produced in three different sections globally. And in this the production of two models has been finalized. The first model will be a next-generation Micra, and the production of the car will begin in May next year and the sedan in 2011. It is not sure whether the company will launch its third model in India. This will be a compact multi utility vehicle.
V-platform has been principally engineered for India and China. The Western versions of the V-cars will have extra importance on more refinement and body control. The V-platform will be spacious, compact and light weight. It will have a 3-cylinder, small engine and a small fuel tank of 41 litres. Labels: Nissan, Nissan-Cars, Nissan-India, Nissan-Micra, small-cars-India, v-platform
Monday, 5 October 2009
 Nissan Micra, the small car of which the car company is very proud of, has finally showcased its initial sketches to the world. This next-generation car will be sold in over 150 countries across the globe and as the pundits in the automotive field put it, Nissan’s Micra is a car which will sky-rocket the car company’s reputation and sales in an unexpected way. These sketches that we have posted in this blog show a Micra looking rather toned and rakish, a stark contrast to the current car's cute-as-a-button design ethic. The result is rather attractive, and still somewhat quirky. Nissan plans on launching the Micra in Thailand next March, and will eventually do the same in Europe in the fall of 2010. Although the car has long been built in England for European consumption, it will now be henceforth built in India, allowing the British facility to assemble the Nissan Leaf EV. We may see the new Micra in person later this month at the 2009 Tokyo motor show. If so, we'll bring you live photographs of the car. Stay tuned to Carazoo.com for all the latest news from the Tokyo show. Labels: Nissan, Nissan-Leaf-EV, Nissan-Micra, Small-Car
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
 Now Indian sports car fans have another reason to rejoice. Japanese car honcho Nissan Motors has announced that the company is all set to drive in its new Z370 in India. The sports car will be introduced in 2010 as a part of its strategy to offer more variants to the Indian customers. The launch of the Nissan Z370 is scheduled to happen in January 2010 probably at New Delhi Auto Show. The Nissan Z370 will be coming to India through Complete Built Unit (CBU) route. That obviously means that the car will be pricey and can be estimated to be around Rs 40 Lakh. The Z370 will boast of a 3.7 L V6 engine mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts. The engine can give out a power of 332 bhp. The sports car from Nissan Motor come with a rear-wheel-drive and will deliver an outstanding performance and superior handling. The exterior of the Z370 comes with sleek curves that are crafted to cut through the air for an exhilarating performance. The design of the headlights is the most striking feature on the fascia as they are shaped like a “boomerang” for better visibility and style. The rear spoiler will provide improved aerodynamics to the car. The sports car will run on 5 spoke 18-inch light-weight aluminium alloy wheels. At present the demand for sports car in the Indian car market is very low. But over a period of time, this will definitely change considering the recent market scenario. Nissan will unveil its small car Micra in 2010 in the Indian market and this hatchback will come in three variants of petrol and diesel. Nissan has recently launched the facelifted versions of the Teana and the X-Trail in India. Labels: Nissan- Z370, Nissan-Micra, Nissan-Teana, Nissan-X-Trail, Sports-Car, Z370, Z370-Sports-Car
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
 Nissan, the Japanese car manufacturer, is preparing itself to compete against the biggies in the Indian Car Market. Nissan knows the capability, capacity and potentiality of the growing Indian Economy. Nissan like any other auto manufacturer has a feeling that growing Indian car market can revive its sales and boost its coffers in the longer run. The Japanese car manufacturer has a strong faith in the developing Indian economy and the growing demand of the Indian customers has left no signs of hesitation among the carmakers. More importantly, Nissan which has a bearing in the Indian market for about the seven years now with its popular models like Nissan X-Trail and Nissan Teana, has been researching the Indian car market and has understood the small car fanaticism of the Indians and wants to be in the thick of the action by launching a small car here. Nissan gearing to grab that big chunk of the small car market in India, has plans to launch a list of compact cars for the Indian car lovers and the most special among them would be the small car from Nissan, Micra also named as March abroad. The company is putting in hard efforts preparing itself for this cause. Though the company has plans to open a manufacturing unit in Chennai, the fact still has not been confirmed yet. With a little bit of help from Renault, Nissan would probably be able to make a steady march into the Indian car market. The next generation Nissan Micra that is expected to be launched in India will be built on the new ‘A’ platform. The Micra will not be the only car that will be built based on the platform A, but there will be two other models that will share the platform with Micra. It will be again quite long wait as the company has plans to launch the next-generation Micra only by March 2010 and the car will not be available in the Indian market soon after it has been launched globally but will take another two or three months before it hits the Indian roads. Labels: Nissan, Nissan-Micra, Small-Car
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