Nissan Evaluating Hybrid And EVs For Indian Market; CEO Ivan Espinosa
For the longest time Nissan in India has been a one car OEM, with the Magnite holding fort. Rivals like Tata, Mahindra, Maruti and Hyundai and others have moved forward with a plethora of options across segments and powertrains. Nissan already confirmed that it is looking to launch three ICE cars in the next 18-24 months. But when asked about its EV and Hybrid plans in an exclusive interaction, Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa said that they are observing the hybrid and EV market in India closely and will decide on launching an electrified vehicle in the future.
Nissan Leaf is one of the EVs that the company has in its global portfolio
"We are revisiting our portfolio in the long term to see how we bring some exciting electrified vehicles to the Indian market later on. We have very good products in the global portfolio, but we could also be exploring what we could do with our partners in India (Renault) or by ourselves. So, we have several options that we could explore and consider. We are observing the market trends and there are several options, hybrid is one of the things we are observing very closely together with potentially battery electric vehicles, so we are looking at both", Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa said.
Nissan's short-term focus will be on the three new cars that will be launched in the next two years. The first will be a 7-seater B-segment MPV, a model that will be similar in positioning to the Renault Triber, a mass-market people mover. It is expected to hit the roads in early 2026. Next will be a C-segment SUV, that is based on the CMF-B platform, which is also expected to go on sale in India. The new C-SUV from Nissan will be launched in the middle of 2026 and there will be a 7-seater version of the same, going on sale in early 2027.
"For the moment, our focus is to launch these three cars in India, this is the focus that we have now, making sure we reinvigorate, revitalise our partners, our dealers and we make sure that we have a sustainable restart, rebrand of the Nissan brand in India. This is what we are dedicated to at the moment", Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa added.
Nissan also confirmed that despite its divestment in Renault Nissan Alliance plant in Chennai, the company's production plans and future capacity are all secured, thanks to a strong agreement between Renault and Nissan. The company aims to sell over 100,000 units in India and export 100,000 units from India by FY2027.
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