In a country where compact hatchbacks have captured the centre stage, automakers are endeavouring to ramp up their Indian portfolio with greater presence in the small car segment. Even Nissan Motor India is seeking to bank upon this strategy to strengthen its poise in the versatile Indian auto market.
The Japan based car maker will be launching a trimmed down version of its petrol powered premium hatchback, Nissan Micra by April 2013. The base variant of the Micra is currently tagged at Rs 4.21 lakh and the new trimmed down version is expected to be priced lower by Rs. 50,000. The base variant, Micra XE is offered with features such as tilt steering, a driver airbag, an engine immobiliser and body-coloured bumpers.
However, this cut price version will restrain from embodying attributes like driver airbag, digital clock and steering tilt-adjust. Moreover, the adjustable head rests for the front seats will now be replaced with an economical and fixed-type design like the one equipped in Toyota Etios.
The new stripped down version of the petrol driven Micra hatchback will hit the market to render stiff rivalry to its immediate contender, Hyundai i10, which has been one of the bestselling small cars in India. Nissan Micra launch was intended for the mass market but for the Indian buyers, the company is introducing this trimmed down version at a highly competitive price boosting exponentially the sales of Micra, which will raise the 1500 unit average sales of the car in the Indian auto market.
