According to rumours and speculation, Nissan, the well known Japanese auto maker, is planning to launch its first compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Terrano in the Indian auto market by the end of this year. Sources close to the process stated that the Terrano will be Nissan's equivalent for the Renault Duster. Renault and Nissan have a pact that involves product sharing, which means that one manufacturer will launch the same kind of vehicle as the other has. Renault Scala and Nissan Sunny, Renault Pulse and Nissan Micra are some examples of the product sharing between the French and Japanese auto giant.
Following the huge success of the Renault Duster, Nissan is set to launch the Terrano in the Indian car market. As per few sources, the Terrano was spotted doing test rounds in Chennai, which strongly supports the company's plan to launch it by this year. Top officials of the company have been hinting about the launch of the Terrano since a long time. A few days back, Sunil Maddala, who is the Vice President, Sales and Customer Relations, at Hoover India, elaborated on the company's plans to launch a series of new vehicles in the Indian car market. With regards to the Terrano, the company plans to launch it in the festive season, which is considered to be an auspicious period to buy a car in India.
The Nissan Terrano will be manufactured at the company's facility in Oragadam. Nissan recently released the sketch of the Terrano, which revealed that it would look quite different from the Renault Duster. Explaining the styling of the Terrano, Kenichiro Yomura, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd, said, “You can see from the sketch that Terrano has a bold and distinctive design that I am confident will appeal to our growing customer base in India, as will its driving performance and range of other features that will be revealed at a later date.”
Industry experts feel that the Nissan Terrano is likely to be priced slightly higher than its twin, the Renault Duster. It is being said that the Terrano, in all likelihood, will be a more premium car than Duster with improved exteriors. According to a few sources, the price of the Nissan Terrano will be about Rs. 50000 – Rs. 75000 more than its Renault equivalent.
It must be noted that the sketches of Terrano were quite similar to the car that was spotted in Chennai. There are a few changes in the Terrano, as compared to the Duster, such as the rectangular air con vents (circular in the Duster), alloy wheels and the difference in the shape of instrument console.
