Nissan Plans 8 New Models for India

Nissan Motor Co. says it will introduce eight all-new car models in the India market by 2021 in a bid to increase market share and more strongly differentiate itself from alliance partner Renault SA.

Until now, most Nissan models sold in India were rebadged Renault vehicles. “Maybe we have not differentiated enough in the past,” concedes Christian Mardrus, who heads Nissan operations in the region.

Mardrus tells Reuters the brand’s new strategy will generate more distinctive Nissan styling, even though its vehicles will share more than half their parts with Renault models. He says Nissan’s Datsun Redi-Go small car and Renault’s Kwid mini-crossover are examples of sharply differentiated products that use the same vehicle platform.

Reuters notes that Nissan currently controls only about 2% of the car market in India. The news service says the company's new models will comprise vehicles from Nissan’s existing global lineup along with Datsun-brand vehicles developed in India.