Nissan confirms Micra and Sunny automatic, rebadged Duster for India in 2013

Nissan is planning to launch five cars this year, some of which are variants, while a couple are all new cars. The launches will be strung out across this calendar year, with the big-ticket ones happening toward the end of the year.

Here’s the line up of cars to expect from Nissan this year:

Nissan Micra CVT

First up, is the Nissan Micra CVT automatic. This variant of the Nissan Micra will come in March, with an X-tronic CVT automatic transmission mated to the 1.2 litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that puts out 75 bhp of power and 104 Nm of torque. The CVT variant of the Micra is likely to be about Rs. 70,000 more expensive than the manual variant, which should put the top-end automatic variant at about Rs. 6.2 lakh, slightly lower than the Maruti Ritz, but slightly higher than the Honda Brio AT. It may offer an automatic option on a mid-trim variant as well. Also read: Upcoming diesel cars in India in 2013 

Nissan Sunny CVT automatic

Next, the Nissan Sunny will also get an automatic transmission. This will be the same X-tronic CVT automatic that is offered in the Renault Scala. In fact, Nissan had been testing the Sunny automatic long before Renault launched the Scala CVT, but Nissan will offer this only later in summer, to give Renault a headstart on sales with the Scala CVT. The Sunny CVT is likely to be priced cheaper than the Renault Scala CVT. Nissan may offer the CVT option on only a single variant. Also read: Renault Scala CVT automatic prices announced

Nissan’s compact SUV (badge-engineered Renault Duster)

The third launch from Nissan this year is something many buyers are looking forward to – Nissan’s badge-engineered version of the Renault Duster. This Nissan “Duster” compact SUV is likely to be launched in the festive season of 2013. Expect Nissan’s version of the Duster to have some cosmetic changes to the headlamps, bumper and grille, as well as tail-lamps and tailgate, but otherwise it is essentially going to be exactly the same as the Renault Duster – but may be priced slightly lower. Nissan may also offer a 4×4 version of this compact SUV. Also read: Five upcoming car trends for 2013

Datsun small cars (codenamed K2 and I2)

After these three products, come two all-new small cars – one priced under Rs. 4 lakh and another below Rs. 3 lakh. These two cars will come from Nissan’s low-cost car brand, Datsun, which is set to make a comeback in India. (Datsun Sunny is a car that was a popular import in India in the 1970s).

Datsun will be launching two cars – the announcements of which would be made by the end of the year, while rollouts will happen next year. One will be a sub-Rs. 4 lakh hatchback that will compete with the likes of the Maruti Wagon-R, with a 1-litre petrol engine. The second Datsun car will probably have an even smaller engine capacity, and is pegged to compete with the Maruti Alto at a sub-Rs. 3 lakh price point.

Nissan also denied plans of launching the Nissan Sylphy sedan in India this year, as was widely speculated earlier. Also read: Upcoming launches of February 2013

Share your thoughts on these upcoming launches from Nissan this year.