Nissan started its India operations just four years ago, and is trying to increase market-share in the fiercely competitive Indian auto market. Arun Malhotra, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India Private Limited, talks about the newly launched variant and limited edition models of Micra, marketing initiatives around it and how the brand aims to catch the younger audience
By SALONI DUTTA
Nissan Motor India recently launched a new variant of its Micra CVT automatic hatchback as also a limited edition X-Shift model. The new XL variant, priced at Rs 6.4 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi) is positioned below the top-of-the-line XV variant. Talking about Micra and the new variant launch, Arun Malhotra, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd., says, “Micra is a very popular car internationally – last year, it was the number one exported car from India, and in the most competitive markets of Germany, France, England. A lot of people talk about AMT, but Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) technology packs in a lot of features and the ride is absolutely smooth with no jerks. Also there is a lot of pep and power to the car.”
The new variant Micra was launched by actor Kangana Ranaut recently. Commenting on the brand fit with the celebrity for the launch, Malhotra says, “Micra is all about treading your own path and no one else signifies the concept better than Kangana. Micra is a model made in India, but is the largest in the world in some of the most competitive markets. Kangana comes from a small town in Himachal and has not only made it nationally, but internationally too. Hence she is a perfect fit for us.”
Nissan has also launched a TVC to promote this proposition to the young generation. “The TVC will be rolled out in a big way when stocks reach our dealers. We are also using Digital to highlight some of the unique features of the product. Use of Print will be tactical, and will bring out the other unique features such as safety, airbags, performance, etc. of the car,” says Malhotra. By introducing the Micra base variant with a CVT gearbox, Nissan Motor India is hoping to attract customers who are solely looking for the convenience of an automatic gearbox without the frills of a higher-priced variant. Malhotra feels that the Indian market is now ready for automatic transmission-equipped cars. The Micra’s sales in the domestic market have not taken off as compared to its good performance in exports. But with the new introduction, Nissan expects to tap a large number of younger customers in India and change the Micra’s fortunes. “For us, it is an opportunity to bring the model up-front,” says Malhotra. Being a recent entrant, the company still does not command a significant market-share. “We are small players. Internationally, we are very strong but here, we just started four years ago and so our volumes are small. We believe that our growth can be much faster, aided by the CVT and attractive pricing,” says Malhotra, adding that Nissan aims to more than double its market-share in the Indian passenger car market over the next three years. “We have a market-share of around 2% currently and our target is to be 5% in the next three years.”
The brand is currently present across the top 20-30 cities which make up about 50-60% of its market. “Nissan has a large product range but it is important that we get the right product for this market. We have set up a world class plant in India along with an R&D facility. So we have very serious plans for India,” says Malhotra.
On speculation around the launch of the famous Nissan GTR in the Indian market and a lot of people actually looking forward to it, Malhotra says, “The GTR is an iconic product and redefines the entire passion and excitement of driving, so wait and watch this space.”
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