Nissan to launch 10 new cars by 2016

Since its debut in 2005, Nissan hasn't quite been able to blaze a trail on Indian roads - completely-built units of the X-Trail and the Teana launched in the first two years are high-end vehicles priced above 20 lakh, and targeting just a thin sliver of car buyers.

The Japanese car maker did follow up with the more affordable Sunny sedan and the Micra in the compact segment, but after seven years in India Nissan has still very little to show in terms of mind and market share.

Over the next four years, Nissan hopes to change that scenario - it is aiming to prop up share from 1.5% to 8% by 2016 with the help of 10 new products; this will include the Datsun range, which will be positioned below the Nissan models.

In the nearer term, however, the Japanese carmaker is counting on an ace that's currently being held by Renault, its global alliance partner since 2000.

The high card that Nissan wants to share with Renault is the Duster, the affordable sports-utility vehicle Renault launched in July, and which has found close to 8,600 buyers in the first half of the current fiscal year. Both producers share a factory in Chennai and follow a strategy of cross-badging, or sharing the same car with minor cosmetic changes.

For instance, Renault has the Pulse compact and the Scala sedan, which are essentially re-badged versions of Nissan's Micra and Sunny, respectively.

Now, it may be time for Renault to return the favour. Takayuki Ishida, managing director & CEO of Nissan is hopeful that the French carmaker will allow his company to re-badge the Duster. "Although we don't have a concrete plan at this moment, we are looking at an opportunity to introduce the product. A Renault spokesperson did not wish to comment on the matter.

If Renault is reluctant to share a piece of its best-selling SUV, it may be because the cross-badging endeavour hasn't quite worked in its favour so far. The Pulse, for instance, averages monthly sales of 700 units, as against the 1,500 units of the Nissan Micra. The Sunny too outsells Renault's Scala, although the latter was launched only a month back.

"Why would Renault be keen to share what is easily its biggest success in India so far," asks a senior executive at a rival carmaker who did not want to be named. In September, Renault sold 4,211 Dusters, making it a higher-volume model than even its compact; it sold 524 Pulse compacts last month.

To catch up with the leaders in India, Nissan needs to roll out a full-fledged portfolio in quick time. In a year, the Datsun range will be flagged off, with local production beginning by 2014, by when two models each will be launched in India, Indonesia and Russia. A fresh line-up is expected a year later, by which time the plan is to heavily localise the Datsun models, which will help price the brand as an affordable alternative to Nissan.

Along with the Datsun fleet, Nissan will fill gaps in its portfolio by launching models like one at the entry-level (below Micra), a sedan between the Micra and the Sunny and another between Sunny and Teana.

Nissan currently exports about 80% out of its total production of 200,000. The proportion of domestic sales will increase once domestic production picks up - in a year, wants 30% of production to be sold locally. The two carmakers have invested close to 4,500 crore in the Chennai plant with a capacity to manufacture 400,000 units; currently just half of that capacity is being utilised. Early this year, Nissan launched a new production line that doubled production capacity to 400,000 units per annum, points out Ishida.

Nissan currently has 75 dealers that cover 68% of the market. The plan is to take that number up to over 300 by 2016.

"Nissan clearly plans to challenge the top five manufacturers with its plan to bring in a huge line-up of products," says V G Ramakrishnan, MD, Frost & Sullivan. Adds Hormazd Sorabjee, editor, Autocar India: "Nissan could be the dark horse in the Indian car market as they have a relevant pipeline of affordable products."

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