Japanese carmaker Nissan plans to launch 10 new models in India by mid-2017 to grab eight per cent share of the domestic passenger vehicle (PV) market.

With five models, the car company today has a two per cent share of the about three million unit PV market. The 10 new models will include three from the Datsun brand, which will be positioned below Nissan and launched in India starting 2014.

Nissan, which launched the Evalia multi-utility vehicle on Tuesday, hopes to triple its sales by the end of 2013-14. Last year, Nissan sold 33,268 units and this fiscal between April and August, sales amounted to 18,203 units.

Toru Hasegawa, Nissan’s Corporate Vice-President for Africa, West Asia and India, said: “We 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. We have to cover most of the segments, but will have to keep affordability in mind.”

The Evalia, a seven-seater, has been launched at a starting price of Rs 8.49 lakh in Delhi and the top-end variant is priced at Rs 9.99 lakh. The Evalia, which is expected to sell about 2,500 units a month, largely competes with the Toyota Innova. Another model based on the same platform is Ashok Leyland’s ‘Stile’ is expected to be launched next year, but will be positioned below it in price (Rs 6-8 lakh expected).

Its third most important local model after the Micra hatch and Sunny sedan, the Evalia will also be exported from the plant in Chennai. Nissan has invested Rs 4,500 crore jointly with French alliance partner Renault in the four-lakh capacity plant.

Nissan-Renault is also looking to expand production capacity, for which it is reportedly looking at new locations for a second plant. The target is to double output to 8 lakh units by 2016.

>roudra.b@thehindu.co.in

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