In what comes as a surprise, Nissan is planning to launch the X-Trail SUV in India by this Diwali to project itself as a manufacturer of potent SUVs.
One segment of cars most Indians love and aspire to own is SUV. The growing sale of compact SUVs shows how people are fulfilling that dream early on in life but it is the full size SUVs which are more desirable. Nissan is planning on launching its offering in the segment. The X-Trial, a car which marked the beginning of Nissan’s innings in India during 2004 will be re-launched close to the Diwali time in its third generation avatar. The model was discontinued last year due to dismal sales and the launch of the new model globally.
The third generation X-Trail is a step-up over its predecessor in all terms. The SUV now gets seven seats, an important trait that the previous one lacked, gets much more luxurious interiors with an option of beige and a newer engine which is more fuel efficient. It also has Active Ride Control which scans the road ahead and adjusts the suspension, similar to the Mercedes S-Class. As was the case with the older X-Trail, the SUV will be imported to India via the CBU route only as volumes are expected to be low which doesn’t make local assembly a viable option at the moment.
Powering the X-Trail would be a 2.0-litre dCi mated to a CVT gearbox which might prove to be a kill joy with its rubber-band effect. It will compete with the Hyundai Santa Fe which has got a decent response in the market and the Honda CR-V which hasn’t really gotten the sales numbers Honda wished for. The expected pricing for the SUV would be around Rs. 32-35 lakhs which makes it a costly proposition but those who are on the lookout for a bit more exclusivity and Nissan loyalists would be ready to pay the sum. CKD assembly would bring down the price considerably and would make it a much better proposition.
Source – AutocarIndia.com
