Renault-Nissan is pulling out all stops as it gets ready to launch the Nissan Evalia Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) in a bid to take on the wildly successful Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) in a few months. Reportedly, the Japanese partner of the alliance will launch the upcoming car in the domestic market in August 2012, though there has been no official announcement regarding this. The manufacturer has already raised the production potential of its Oragadam manufacturing unit to 2.5 lac units.
Nissan Evalia is a huge MUV whose USP is the spacious interiors that can easily seat 7 to 9 passengers, though its plain looks may be a deterrent to sales. It is all set to make its debut as a taxi car in New York City under the name NV 200 Taxi and is set to replace the fleet of iconic Ford Crown Victoria. The model was first showcased in India at the 2012 New Delhi Auto Expo in January 2012.
In India, the car will come only in diesel variants that will be powered by the 1.5 L K9K common rail turbo engine that delivers 85 bhp of maximum power and 200 Nm of torque. However, the company may even tune the engine in order to deliver peak power of 105 bhp and maximum torque of 240 Nm. It is anticipated that the car will be able to deliver fuel efficiency of 13 to 17 kmpl as compared to the fuel efficiency of 16.02 kmpl of Ertiga Petrol and 20.77 kmpl of Ertiga Diesel.
However, Evalia's sales may suffer due to the lack of a petrol engine, while Maruti Suzuki's MPV comes with petrol as well as diesel engines. Notably, Indian consumers are swiftly migrating towards diesel cars due to high petrol prices, so the loss may not be too much. Nevertheless, it is anticipated that if the Japanese car maker feels the need of a petrol engine, it will probably use the 1.6 HR16DE, 4 cylinder engine that generates 106 bhp of power and 153 Nm of torque.
The recently launched Ertiga has emerged as a winner in the MPV segment, with over 25,000 bookings since it was launch on April 11, 2012. Its introductory prices range from Rs. 5.89 lacs to Rs. 8.45 lacs, whereas the Evalia is expected to be positioned between Rs. 7 lacs and 9 lacs. The latter will be larger in size as compared to the Ertiga, and measure 4400 mm in length, 1695 mm in width and 1880 mm in height, with ground clearance of 158 mm and wheelbase of 2.73 m.
Ertiga has been received quite warmly in the country due to a host of comfort and convenience features placed within a small frame, though the small seats in the third row have come under criticism. Evalia, on the other hand, will boast of ample space that will provide sufficient headroom, leg room and knee room to all occupants. The car will come with features like power steering, bottle holder, foldable seats, air conditioning, music system, intelligent key and rear view camera, among others.
As compared to the standard 5 door configuration of the Ertiga, Nissan Evalia will feature rear sliding doors that will facilitate ingress and egress. The car is also expected to have safety features like Antilock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and brake assist that will keep the passengers safe even under adverse driving conditions.
In the domestic market, it will compete not only against Maruti Suzuki Ertiga but also against the likes of Mahindra Xylo, Toyota Innova and the upcoming Chevrolet Enjoy. Nissan is also expected to launch a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), called Duster, in the domestic market in coming times.
