India to be base for Nissan's low-cost brand - Business Standard

The new budget brand that Japan-headquartered Nissan Motor Company is introducing in India to rival Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai will make the country home for developing all its future range. Nissan will revive the Datsun brand after a gap of 31 years when it unveils a compact hatchback during the middle of this month in India. Positioned below the Nissan brand Datsun-based models will be initially priced below Rs 4,00,000 to minimise the cannibalisation with Nissan models. Further, all of its future range of Datsun cars will be designed and developed within India at its technical center based in Chennai. The models will not only be sold in India but will be exported to emerging markets of similar nature. "The technical center in Chennai is one of the biggest in India. The range of activities they do presently and those planned for the future will enable them to develop India as the base for Datsun models for the future. While Nissan models for India will continue to be majorly developed in Japan, Datsun will be developed completely in India", said a senior executive at Nissan Motor India (NMIPL). The Renault Nissan Technology and Business Centre India presently has a headcount of almost 4,000 employees. The crew is specialised in new product development and modification to international models to suit Indian buyer's needs. Improving localisation content in vehicles is also amongst the various jobs executed by the technical center. Presently all models made in India carry a local content of as much as 90%. The upscale compact car Renault Pulse was designed at the Renault Design Center in Mumbai before it was merged with the joint technical center. "Japan is known for its precision but Indian engineers excel in passion. This is the reason why Datsun cars will have better understanding of the local taste as they will be developed here", said the executive. Datsun will be produced in India and also sold in Indonesia, South Africa and Russia with individual development for each country. Europe presently is not on the radar for the low-cost brand. Though the unveiling will happen this month the all-new Datsun hatchback is expected to be launched in India in 2014. Riding on incremental volumes from the Datsun brand Nissan is confident of capturing market share of 10% by 2016 in the domestic market. Nissan launched today a completely new version of the Micra (fourth generation) priced at Rs 4,79,900 (petrol) and Rs 599,900 (diesel). In addition the company also launched the step down version of the model christened as Micra Active Rs 350,000, all prices ex-showroom Delhi. According to Kenichiro Yomura, president of Nissan India Operations and managing director and CEO of NMIPL, the company is track to triple its domestic volumes this year to more than 1,00,000 units from 37,000 units sold last year. In addition to the launch of the new Micra Ni ssan will also launch a compact sport utility vehicle Terrano later in the year. The SUV will be based on the successful Duster SUV platform made by Renault. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFQspbVn0aCKT_f0cwoG6qwV4tnbQ&url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/india-to-be-base-for-nissan-s-low-cost-brand-113070300720_1.html

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