Nissan plans to develop left-hand drive 'Magnite'; to step up exports

In a bid to cover the entire export market, Nissan is firming up plans to develop a left-hand drive 'Magnite'. Currently, the Japan-based automobile manufacturer exports the right-hand drive Magnite to about 15 countries including the SAARC and South Africa. 

“We are looking forward to bringing in the left-hand drive so that we can address the full global market – that’s a big opportunity,” said Rakesh Srivastava, managing director, Nissan Motor India.

The Magnite is manufactured only in India at the Chennai factory. More than 4,000 cars are produced every month and that includes exports as well. To what extent it will be ramped up going forward would depend on the business plan, which was expected to be finalized over the next 6-8 months.

“This is a classic example of a Made-in-India product that is made for the world,” Srivastava said.

Nissan launched the Magnite in December 2020 and since then has logged in bookings of about 100,000. 

“In the first month itself, we had bookings of 32,800, it was a game changer,” Srivastava said. About 80 per cent of Magnite cars are sold in the domestic market, the balance is exported.

Last month, the Nissan-Renault global alliance announced plans of investing Rs 5,300 crore in the country, which would bring in multiple products. The Magnite plan could also be a part of it, he said.

As part of the alliance, Nissan would bring in two C-segment SUVs and one electric vehicle (EV). However, new product development, Srivastava said, takes about 2-3 years.

“In addition to that, we are looking forward to introducing our global SUVs – X-Trail and Qashqai. These are being tested in the Indian market – the X-Trail is in the advanced stage of technical adaptability in terms of the testing that has been done,” he said.

The X-Trail is a premium SUV, available in 5 and 7-seater and would be the first model to be introduced in the market once the tests conclude successfully.

While these are CBUs, the new products – C-segment SUVs and electric vehicles – would be manufactured in India. Currently, apart from the Magnite, Sunny and Kicks were also manufactured at the Chennai factory.