Nissan Magnite SUV has fetched over 15,000 bookings in 17 days. However, the carmaker is producing around 5,000 units, resulting in a waiting period of 2-3 months.
Nissan Magnite compact SUV that has been launched in India just a few weeks ago has already fetched more than 15,000 bookings in just 17 days. The Japanese car brand that is known globally for its SUV lineup including Patrol, Qashqai, June, X-Trail has introduced the same DNA to the new Nissan Magnite, claimed Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd.
He also indicates that the Nissan Magnite has been developed keeping an eye for the new-age Indian customers’ preference towards the big and bold SUVs that are packed with a host of features and technology. And all of that at an attractive and affordable price point, which is another key to be successful in a still highly price-sensitive Indian market.
Nissan India has launched the Magnite SUV at a limited-time introductory starting pricing of Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom), which has grabbed everyone’s attention in the domestic market. In fact, according to several industry analysts, the Nissan Magnite could prove to be the game-changer for the brand that currently has an abysmal 0.3% market share that aims to be the third-largest auto market in the world by the middle of next decade.
According to Nissan India MD, the Nissan Magnite B-SUV has been designed and developed with a strategy to deliver more value to the customers by blending Nissan’s SUV DNA, modern technology and impressive performance together. And this product would help the brand to up the market share, as he hopes. He also said that Nissan India’s focus is sustainable growth in such a key market, and towards this, the company will rationalize, prioritize, and look at its product portfolio.
Nissan India has been manufacturing the Magnite SUV at the Renault-Nissan alliance plant in Chennai that can roll out around 5,000 units per month, which seems much less than the demand for the model. This lag is leading to a waiting period of around 2-3 months for the customers, which could lead to loss of business, as many times, customers prefer to buy a vehicle that is available quickly.
Talking about this, Nissan India MD says that the automaker is gearing up for more production. The company is emphasizing capacity enhancement from its channel partners to minimize the timing. Also, the automaker is trying to figure out how to increase the production capacity for the Nissan Magnite SUV.
Nissan India claims to have invested around Rs 6.000 crore in manufacturing, R&D, supply chain, finance, sales, and channel partners for the Magnite project. The Nissan Magnite SUV is claimed to have 90% localization with components being provided by the Indian suppliers. The SUV will be exported to several countries, as revealed by the automaker previously. As it claims, the Magnite will play a significant role in the brand’s export strategy in the coming days. The all-new Nissan Magnite plays a very strategic role in the ‘Nissan Next’ transformation plan as well, claims the car brand.
Renault Kiger vs Nissan Magnite: Another Duster vs Terrano?
Interestingly, Nissan Magnite’s platform will underpin the upcoming Renault Kiger as well, which has been already revealed and likely to hit showrooms within the next two-three months. It is to be seen how the two products perform, as both of them would be carrying similar features, powertrains, and most importantly, would be available at similar price points.
Despite the initial success, will Nissan Magnite be able to retain the attention after Renault Kiger’s arrival? Previously, we have seen Nissan Terrano and Renault Duster were introduced to the Indian market with similar design, features, and powertrains and only one of them tasted success.
Datsun’s fate in India
Datsun, the more affordable car brand under Nissan’s umbrella has not been performing well. The carmaker is selling a limited number of products in the Indian market. Also, there are no new products coming as well.
Hence, there is speculation that the Japanese car brand can discontinue in the Indian market. However, Nissan India MD has cleared that both Nissan and Datsun will co-exist in the country. He also indicated that new automotive technologies will play a key role in new-age products under both these two car brands.
Also Read: Breaking myths: Is Nissan Magnite doing it Maruti Suzuki way?
