It seems that Nissan, the renowned automobile manufacturer, is keen to improve its position and image in India. It has decided to take a number of actions as a part of its India strategy. It will launch its premium brand Infiniti, build a compact SUV and launch the sports car GTR. Apart from that, it will also look forward to strengthen the position of Datsun in the Indian market.
Takashi Hata, Nissan’s chairman for West Asia, Africa and India, said “At the very high end, we will have to go to this area of Infiniti and GT-R and I am sure Indian market is going to grow in this segment. If I am convinced that it is going to drive up the value of the brand, we are going to bring in the cars.” However, he did not mention whether both GTR and Infiniti will make it to the nation. However, those who have become way too excited about this news, it will still take approximately three to four years for all if this to happen. To make it competitive, the Infiniti cannot be manufactured in India. It is expected that a completely knocked down version will make it to the subcontinent. Hata admitted that Nissan had previously overlooked the possibility of India being a ground full of promises. However, Nissan has paid the price for this and is looking to make amends as soon as possible.
Going by the success story of Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster, Nissan has also understood the necessity of having a SUV to its name. Despite having higher numbers for Terrano, the manufacturer could not make the most of it. Hata said that it will come with a solution in the SUV segment, as well. “We have to start with a smaller SUV. I would like to be a leader in that segment. We have started working on a product internally. If not next year, then immediately after that. If Nissan is a global leader in SUVs, then there is a clear message. In India market, SUVs are very acceptable and I am sure it is going to happen.”
When asked about Datsun, he said that though there were high expectations, everything was not up to the mark for this car. “Every kind of new brands and new models has some history to go. I know what to do and I am going to improve the situation. You can say that there are a lot of things which should have been better, but still it is within our expectations. It is too early to judge. We inherited the old setup of at least 128 dealers, covering this big country, which I am very sure is not enough and that I am going to improve, not only quantitatively but quality-wise. So, we have many things to do. So, it’s not only Datsun, but Nissan as a whole that needs an improvement and we are in the middle of that process.”
