A new compact car under the Datsun brand will be launched in the Indian market in the first quarter of FY17, Arun Malhotra, Managing Director of Nissan Motor India, said.

Codenamed i2, the car that has been designed for India, will be built at the Nissan plant in Chennai. It will also serve some key export markets, he added.

Admitting that the company was late in entering the Indian market, he said the curve was the same as its China entry.

Nissan is targeting a market share of 5 per cent in five years from 1.5 per cent currently. The growth strategy would be built around the pillars of products, network and better service.

It is also opening up a new spare parts distribution centre in Mumbai. It has similar centres in Delhi and Chennai.

To raise awareness about the brand, Nissan, which has announced a tie-up with ICC, will display the Nissan Trophy in eight Indian cities where the World Cup will be played.

At the Delhi Auto Expo, the Nissan pavilion displayed the hybrid X-Trail, the Nissan GTR and the Datsun Go-Cross.

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