Nissan launches three SUVs for India entry; X-Trail launch confirmed

Japanese car manufacturer Nissan on Tuesday unveiled three sports utility vehicles (SUVs) — the X-Trail, Juke and Qashqai — for the Indian market, announcing its big play in the UV segment, which has seen the strongest growth in the last few years.

The company said it is testing the X-Trail and Qashqai on Indian roads. The X-Trail will be the first to be launched, he said. In fact, this will be a relaunch of the X-Trail after eight years as its previous generations were sold in India till 2014.

The company currently sells two SUVs — Kicks and Magnite — in India. However, it is not among the top five players in the segment that has seen the most growth over the past few years. (see table)

Nissan As revealed this month, the company’s top engineers are testing the X-Trail and Qashqai on the roads surrounding the company’s manufacturing plant in Chennai. “The Indian market has limitless potential and it is imperative that we introduce the best vehicle lineup to meet the wants and needs of today’s Indian consumers,” said Frank Torres, President, Nissan India.

“Following the success of the Nissan Magnite in India, we plan to increase our focus and leverage our expertise for superior quality SUVs which have become synonymous with our reputation,” he noted.

The Juke, which was also showcased on Tuesday, is currently being evaluated for the Indian market.

India should consider taxing passenger vehicles based on emissions rather than vehicle length and engine capacity for a cleaner environment, Nissan India Managing Director Rakesh Srivastava told PTI on Tuesday.

“We can have different tax rates depending on the emission level,” Srivastava said, adding that the government already has a different tax structure for under four meters, above four meters, in terms of length and fuel.