Saurabh Vatsa, answered some tough questions to answer about rumours surrounding Nissan India operations and provided some insight into the future as well.
Nissan are at the centre of a rumour-storm globally. From a new R36 GT-R, to whether they will sell and lease their US$ 700 million Japanese headquarters—much like McLaren did with their technology centre. However, rumours are just that. And they deserve to be put to rest. Here is what Nissan India Managing Director Saurabh Vatsa had to say in response to some pertinent questions:
On model updates:
Both of the Nissan Magnite’s 1.0-litre petrol engines are E20-compliant. That includes the naturally aspirated 72-hp “BR10” three-cylinder petrol as well as the 100-hp “HR10” turbo-petrol.
A Nissan Magnite CNG option is being introduced as well. It will be a dealer level kit for variants with the “BR10” naturally aspirated petrol engine and the manual transmission only. These kits with the 12-kg cylinder will be installed by Government-approved centres. The Nissan Magnite CNG will be available starting 1 June 2025. Nissan India have a target of 1 lakh units target for this year.
Specifics on models:
“Nissan India is here to stay”, vehemently declared Vatsa as he also reiterated Nissan’s “One World, One Car” philosophy. The Nissan Magnite sold here is the same build quality as export models. Only the left-hand-drive model has meant a significant change in development.
The Nissan Sunny sedan is still in production for export markets.
New Nissan SUV and new product launches:
The new B-MPV (based on the three-row Renault Triber) will be the first to arrive in Q1 of Calendar Year 2026. We wonder if it will potentially offer the more powerful turbo-petrol engine as well as turbo-CVT combination many are interested in.
The second new Nissan model will be the five-seater C-SUV. This SUV will measure above four metres (roughly 4.3 metres) in length and will be a Nissan Terrano successor. This new Nissan SUV with five seats will arrive in the middle of 2026.
The third new model will be a longer C-SUV with seven seats with styling inspired by the Nissan Patrol, the brand’s immensely popular premium SUV. Launch is slated for early Q1 in 2027.
Vatsa also clarified that these two new Nissan SUV models will not have a diesel powertrain but will feature new technology and modern equipment. “Can we sell diesel? Yes, but it will be a dent in the pocket for the customer”, he said. He also added that the cost of emission control and other carmakers dropping diesels in the compact segment has meant a 70:30 share of petrol to diesel, even 80:20 share in some markets.
On production capacity:
Nissan India have divested their stake in RNAIPL (Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd) but will share capacity with their partner (Renault India) with a total annual capacity pegged at 4.8 lakh units. Nissan India managed to move over 1 lakh units last year and have targets of 1 lakh domestic units as well as 1 lakh export units come FY 2026-27.
The mentioned third shift at Oragadam is something now under under partner jurisdiction, so Vatsa said he cannot comment. He mentioned that even their partner never had any challenges when Nissan India had 70 per cent hand. Either way, he reiterated that capacity and the future of Nissan India are secure.
On dealer network:
Nissan India started the Calendar Year 2024 with 155 dealer partners. A one-car portfolio, with one CBU (the Nissan X-Trail SUV) which received a lukewarm response at best, meant some partners moved on while others saw potential. Thus, they ended the year with 159 dealer partners. The plan is now to have less dealer partners but more outlets, expanding into new cities and towns with no outlets at present. Vatsa has a target of 180 dealer partners by the end of 2025.
On new model targets:
It is far too soon to comment on targets for models yet to be launched. Pre-production models are are already being manufactured, he mentioned. He also clarified that the new Nissan models will be competitively priced and that they will be “money for value” products.
Vatsa estimates 2,500-3,000 units for the new Magnite CNG model in the first month of sales and that’s just in the seven CNG-strong states it is being offered in.
He said that the electric vehicle (EV) models as well as Nissan hybrid models will come at the right time. Nissan are looking at multiple options and they will announce their plans in due course.
Also read: Nissan Magnite CNG Launched in India