Japanese auto giant Nissan is all set to introduce the automatic variants of its Micra and Sunny cars to India.
Announcing its plan for the coming years, Nissan said it hopes to achieve 10 percent market share in India by the end of 2016 financial year and would roll out a series of car models during this period.
"Nissan has set a target of 10 per cent market share in India by the end of fiscal 2016. To achieve this target, the company is planning to launch 10 models till 2016 and planning to expand its dealership network to 300 from the current 95. At present, the company's market share in India's passenger vehicle segment is around 1.5-1.6 per cent," said Toshiyuki Shiga, chief operating officer, Nissan Motor Company, told Business Standard.
The continuous variable transmission (CVT) model of Micra and Sunny would be the first to hit the road in 2013. This will be followed by a compact SUV and Datsun model in the same year. The new SUV, codenamed NH87, is expected to be an improved version of Renault Duster.
"The continuous variable transmission (CVT) model will give 10 per cent better fuel efficiency than the current models. It will also give out lesser emissions. Globally, we have sold 12 million CVT units and our target is 20 million by 2016," said Shiga.
For the year 2014, the company is planning to launch a low-cost Datsun car in India. He said "The car will be sold at a cost of Rs. 4 lakhs and the aim is to attract those who want to buy their first car".
The company is also looking at the possibility of a separate dealership for the Datsun brand in the country. It is yet to be clarified whether the dealership will fall under Nissan India or Hoover Automotive India.
