Nissan Sunny / Almera to launch this Diwali

Expect this Diwali to be bright and…er, Sunny! Nissan India is planning to launch the much-in-news Sunny sedan during Diwali this year. Test mules of the Nissan Sunny (or Almera as it will be called in Thailand) have already been spotted in the Southeast Asian kingdom.

By the way, the Sunny is also sold as Tiida and Versa in other markets. Coming back to the Almera, it will be the second product to be built on the company’s V-platform (V-versatile), the first being the Nissan Micra hatchback. Also, the Almera is expected to be sold across 170 countries in the world. This might give you a sense of how important the model is for Nissan. Related: Nissan Sunny India launch in 2011

For the Indian market, speculations suggest the Nissan Sunny will likely be powered by the 1.5-litre diesel engine and a 1.6-litre petrol engine. Nissan also sells an automatic variant of the Sunny in China.

The car will be manufactured in India at Nissan’s Oragadam plant near Chennai.Sketches of the Sunny were first revealed by the company last October. Nissan had at that point said that though Micra and Sunny share the same V-platform, the Sunny is an altogether new model and should not be mistaken for a Micra with a boot.

Earlier, Kiminobu Tokuyama, managing director & CEO, Nissan Motor India reportedly said, “Following the success of our first locally made car, the Nissan Micra, we are happy to reveal the first visuals of the second car to be produced in India. We are confident that the “New Global Sedan,” which is also based on the versatile ‘V’ platform, will delight the discerning Indian customers. The Nissan Sunny will be launched during the second half of 2011.”

Nissan Sunny will compete with Volkswagen Vento, Honda City, Fiat Linea, Toyota Etios, Chevrolet Aveo and Maruti Suzuki SX4. Pricing could be around Rs. 7.5 lakh. And just like the Micra, Nissan will build and roll out the Sunny for both domestic and export markets. Also read: Nissan Micra diesel road test