Reference Auto

Nissan Motor India Private Limited’s new multi-purpose vehicle or MPV comes with an impressive fuel efficiency of over 19 km per litre and this ‘Urban-Class MPV, with its commercial vehicle-type looks, many not impress city car buffs but the car (which is economically priced) may sell well only if there are more dealers across the country.

The Nissan Evalia, which is a seven-seater MPV, comes with a litany of consumer comforts and convenience features which are truly world class.

The ex-showroom price ranges from Rs 8.5 lakh to Rs 9.99 lakh, which is cheap compared to other MPVs.

So, Nissan is trying to play the price game to rev up the Evalia’s sales.

It comes with a 5-speed manual transmission and the front-wheel drive MPV is powered by a 1.5-litre dCi diesel engine that belts out 85 PS power and 200 Nm torque.

The Evalia can touch 60 km/hour in 12.7 seconds due to its monocoque construction that paves way for a lower kerb weight when compared to other MPVs in India.

The Evalia has a 5.2 metre turning radius, a massive windscreen, a rear view camera for easy parking in crowded zones, a multi-function display with the speedometer and an on-board computer that lets you know the fuel efficiency of your car.

The smooth sliding doors of the Evalia along with massive space (both for passengers and luggage) and the power make it a cynosure of all eyes but the design is somewhat a damp squib, especially the rear, which wears the look of an old-fashioned bus.

The Nissan Evalia will vie with the likes of Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga, Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo and may find it difficult to dislodge the trio in the short term although it will dent the market to a certain extent.

The Japanese car maker hopes to sell about 2,500 MPVs every month. The auto giant, which plans to launch 10 models in four years, is also looking to scale up its dealership network in the country, without which the prospects of its new MPV would remain bleak.

“To increase sales, we are planning to ramp up our dealership network to 300 in four years,” Nissan Motor India managing director and chief executive officer Takayuki Ishida said. Currently, the company has 75 dealers in India.

“Now, we are planning to create market awareness for the Evalia. We are now rolling cars which are India-specific,” averred Ishida.

Last year, Nissan sold 33,268 cars, and between April and August this year, sales stood at nearly 18,000 cars.

Nissan seriously needs to think about launching a compact hatchback in the Rs 3-3.5 lakh price range if it wants to see a phenomenal rise in sales volumes. Its Micra, which falls in the high-end hatch category, leads the sales tally for the company.

The Evalia, which has been priced judiciously, may not be great in terms of looks and it is unlikely to succeed unless Nissan ramps up its dealership on a war footing.