Nissan to sell LCV's In India and USA by 2010

So far the Indian LCV space has not seen real competition from the global automobile giants.So the LCV's have so far been vehicles meant for the third world with only a lucky few drivers enjoying the benefit of power steering even,Forget other creature comforts.

But all this could change by 2010 when Nissan enters the space traditionally dominated by Indian players.Nissan want to be the global leader as far as LCV's are concerned and for this they will launch 13 new LCV''s by 2012,some of which could be here in India as early as 2010.These no doubt would be the LCV"s targetted at the economy segment while the more luxurious ones and thereby more expensive are sold in the US markets[again expected in 2010].

The LCV's to be sold in India would be manufactured here in a JV with ashok leyland.Nissan has very ambitious plans for India and would be interesting to se how they are able to pull if off.

[source:economictimes]

The 8th generation Honda accord is here

Generally one does not tend to associate value for money with Honda but if you are shopping around in the premium sedan segment and have a petrol in mind you need to look no further than the latest genertion Honda accord which is available at a bargain if compared to its competition[Camry,teana].

Three variants have been launched the Accord 2.4,Accord 2.4 Elegance and Accord 2.4 Inspire with prices starting from Rs 16.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and going up to Rs 18.14 lakh for the top variant.

After success with paddle shifts in the Honda civic,Honda now are offering the accord with paddle shift five speed automatic transmission.What powers the car is a 2.4L ,180 ps @6500rpm and 222Nm @6500rpm, E10 petrol engine which is euro 4 compliant.Sadly we do not get the V6 with VCM[ Variable Cylinder Management ].The plus point is fuel efficiency has now improved by 8% compared its predecessor.


If there is one area of concern its the looks department although I am told in real life things are a lot better than what the pictures suggest.In terms of dimensions the overall length and width of the car has increased by 80 mm and 25 mm respectively.


Honda have thankfully not skimped on the safety equipment and the new accord comes with 6 airbags.When it comes to interiors its a Honda do I have to even write more.For the drivers comfort you get 8 way power adjustable seats with lumber support[lucky chauffeurs].The audio system comes with a USB slot.

All in all we have a winner once more with Honda raising the bar when it comes to luxury and performance but at the same time showing the way in terms of pricing[wow I never thought I would write that about a Honda].

[Source:Economictimes]

[image source:Hondacarindia]

Nissan's two pronged strategy for the Future

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has an aggressive plan for the future.Come 2010 and Nissan would be taking on competition with a mix of cheap and environment friendly vehicles.

Nissans cheap car built in a JV with Bajaj could possibly be the most frugal gasoline sipping car .Though details are not yet out the prototype has already been displayed at the auto expo 2008.Pricing wise it should be more pricier than the Tata Nano and more likely to be around the Rs.3 lakh tag.This car is expected to be soon on the Indian roads by 2011.

For the more developed markets[US and Japan],Nissan are planning electric vehicles given the high gasoline prices.These vehicles too should be out by 2011.No these vehicles are not intended for the economy segment.These vehicles should be sold globally by 2012.Nissan plan an entire lineup of electric vehicles which includes a hatchback a sedan and even a Light commercial vehicle[LCV].An electric sportscar too cannot be completely ruled out.

Hopefully Nissan do well and do not get a jolt literally.

Nissan to target mass market segment in India

Fortunately one of the big three Japanese manufacturers thinks differently,with most manufacturers wanting to target the premium segment,Nissan however have a different strategy and want to target the mainstream market.

Their small car scheduled for production by 2010 is going to take on Hyundai and Maruti on the pricing front as well.Nissan would be pricing the car between Rs.3-4 lakhs.This car is said to be based on the Micra platform.

Nissan also plan to export Maruti Suzuki's a-star for exports.By 2012 we would see around 8 vehicles in the Nissan range which would include commercial vehicles as well.Expect a c-segment sedan as well.

Nissan also plan to launch the Murano crossover in India by early 2009.Expected price range Rs. 30-40 lakhs.

Nissan have been the slowest off the blocks and have some catching up to do in the Indian market.

[source:TimesofIndia]

Coming soon next generation Nissan X-trail

Just spotted a dozen odd next generation x-trail's from Nissan indicating a possible launch soon in the Indian markets.The battle in this premium softroader segment is just heating up with Honda Crv[diesel coming soon],Chevrolet Captiva,Mitsubishi Outlander[expected soon] and the Hyundai Santa Fe[also expected soon],Maruti grand vitara[Maruti desperately needs a diesel grand vitara if it does not want the vitara to only remain in the showrooms] .


The new xtrail is slightly longer than the older version and is based on the renault/nissan C platform.

Nissan would do well to launch a sensibly priced car since right now its more of a Hotel Leela car in India and if the present pricing structure continues given the fact that the nissan network in India is almost non-existant it would be hard to imagine a customer walking into a nissan showroom given the number of choices.

It would be real interesting to see who emerges the winner since all except Maruti would be offering a diesel and are almost equally matched in specs and luxury.If you ask me,I feel the Honda badge may just have that extra edge especially after the addition of the diesel in its line-up

If anything one gets a feeling toyota seems to have missed out in this segment and they have more than a few vehicles which could batlle it out in this segment.

Nissan to launch small car in India by 2010

Nissan has been the last amongst the major japanese automobile manufacturers in India and have some catching up to do to establish themselves in the Indian market.

By 2012 Nissan plan to sell eight models in India ofcourse not all would be manufactured here and cater to the mainstream market.Some models would target the luxury/premium segment and these cars would be imported to India[probably assembled here].Nissan also plan to export car manufactured in India to some countries.

As for the mainstream market,nissan plan to launch a cheap hatchback based on the Micra platform while there are also plans to cater to the b+ segment[hatchbacks] and probably the c-segment as well.Unlike Honda,Nissan are looking at playing the value for money card and their cars would most likely be cheaper than the offerings from Honda.Nissan has already identified vendors for its small car project in India codenamed W02A AND W02B.

Nissan's plant in chennai would only be ready by 2010 and that's the date by which we should look forward to these cars.

[Source:Livemint]

Next generation Nissan Teana

Thanks to the internet once again a car is out in the public domain well before its launch date.The internet is full of scanned pictures from a car dealers brochure of the next generation Nissan Teana.


The Teana would have an official launch at the Bangkok motor show[2008] and is based on the Nissan Intima concept car.Its an either you love it or hate it kind of design and you certainly cannot say it looks like they have taken bits from their rivals design.Clearly the teana has once again established a distinct identity for itself amongst itself.Inspite being a car for the middle class[ok not in out markets] it gives you that premium car feeling.Take the wood for instance,toyota have come under severe criticism for the wood they use in their cars which has too much of a cheap feel to it with the teana however you certainly feel that its straight from the forests.


The interior looks well appointed once again,the centre console requires special mention with a laptop like flat keypad.


When will it be in India,probably not atleast till second quarter of 2009.Its competition the accord is all set for a makeover and the new accord comes to our market this june[2008].The hyundai sonata is due for a small facelift and the new model should be out in India by next year[2009].As for the camry after the new corolla launch it would lose its distinct identity.


[source,image source:bkkautos]

Ps:In case you are interested in the new sonata[which would be known globally as the i40] here is a link you could look at
2009 Facelifted Sonata[i40]

Buying a second hand car- Prefer a Japanese one

One more reason as to why Japanese cars should be on top of the list if you are hunting for a second hand car.Warranty direct UK conducted a survey and as expected its the Japanese vehicles which top the list.

The Toyota Avensis Verso has topped the list as the most preferred used car in britain.Unfortunately this car is not available in India.The closest we have is the Toyota Innova.Next is the nissan x-trail and the Honda jazz.Again the jazz is not yet available in India but its sibling[same platform] the Honda city is available and we know its popularity in the seconds market.

Honda had most number of cars in the list and overall all japanese manufacturers did well.The germans were not very far away either.So whats the conclusion looking out for a second hand car preferably stay away from the american manufacturers.