Nissan India has launched the multi-purpose vehicle Evalia at a starting price of Rs. 8.49 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. To be available in four variants, the van will be powered by Renault’s 1.5-litre K9K dCi engine, which can churn out 85bhp of power along with maximum torque of 200 Nm. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission gearbox. To be rolled out from the Japanese carmaker’s Chennai facility, the seven-seater will compete with the Toyota Innova, Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga, Chevrolet Tavera and Mahindra Xylo. The MUV is available only in a diesel option with four variants i.e. XE, XE+, XL and XV and delivers a mileage of 19.3 Kmpl (as per ARAI). Evalia will be sold in 7 colours i.e. Brick Red, Aqua Green, Blade Silver, Twilight Grey, Onyx Black, Storm White and Pearl White.
Introducing the vehicle to the media, Takayuki Ishida, Managing Director & CEO, Nissan Motor India Pvt. Ltd, said, "The introduction of Evalia demonstrates that Nissan has once again challenged convention to offer our customers something different and completely in-tune with their needs. Evalia is a fully-fledged, highly versatile car packed with practical features & technology built to Nissan’s world-class quality standards." Hasegawa said Nissan is aiming to sell 2,000 to 2,500 Evalia vehicles each month in India.
The family car, which can seat seven adults with a 2+3+2 layout, comes with sliding doors with entry step and grab handles. A turning radius of 5.2m to ensures easy maneuverability and convenient parking into tight city spaces. Features like power steering, power mirrors, music system with AUX input are being offered as standard. Other useful bits include fold-down tables with built-in cup holders, wide frontal visibility and high driving position, a 12V electrical outlet, Intelligent Key and flexible, , a gear shift indicator, ABS-EBD-BA, Dual Airbags, Engine Immobiliser and multi-folding seat options.The XE Plus variant gets a driver and passenger airbags, while the XL variant also gets the Keyless Entry feature, rear air conditioning and a double DIN music system. The top-end variant XV gets fog lamps, push button start as well as a reversing camera
Speaking at the launch, Nissan Motor Co Corporate vice president, Africa, Middle East and India, Toru Hasegawa, noted that the company will launch 10 new models in India by 2015-16, including the Datsun brand. "As part of our global Nissan Power 88 plan, we will be launching 10 new models by FY'16, which is introducing two new models every year," he said, adding, "Emerging markets will play an important role in meeting our global target.. There will be two products each from Datsun for India, Indonesia and Russia by FY16," he added. We firmly believe that the Indian car market is going to be a four-million unit by 2015 and we want to be a part of this growth, To become a major player in this market, we have to cover most of the segments, but we will have to keep in mind the affordability of the Indian customers.” He said the company will introduce its small car Datsun in India in 2014. “There will be two models for emerging markets in 2014 and one more will follow in 2015.” Toru Hasegawa, Nissan's corporate vice president for Africa, Middle East and India, said the company is aiming to double its vehicle sales in India in the current financial year through March 2013, from last year's about 33,000 vehicles. The company has said earlier that it is aiming to sell up to 350,000 cars in India by the end of the financial year through March 2016, more than ten times its sales last year.
"The India market has a very big opportunity and at this moment. The car population in India is less than 20 per 1,000 people, compared with 200 in Malaysia and 150 in Thailand," Hasegawa said