Micra sales recover as Nissan prepares sedan, MPV

Nissan Motor India Private Ltd (NMIPL) didn't have a groundbreaking month but registered better numbers compared to April with 1,588 vehicles in May 2011. It is not fair to compare sales YoY as the company did not have the services of Micra and operated purely with two CBUs and hence only 56 units were delivered.

The locally-manufactured Micra hatch has accelerated Nissan sales. The diesel variant launched in December has boosted sales considerably, but to penetrate the market deeper, Nissan needs a car under the Micra. The X-Trail, Teana and 370Z sports car put together clocked 22 units last month.

Additional numbers will come for Nissan through two channels - launch of two new products (V-Platform sedan and NV200 MPV) over the next 6-12 months and increase in footfalls at dealerships that provides more visibility to the slow-selling CBUs. Sooner or later Nissan will assemble the CBUs at Oragadam and this should bring down prices, making them an alternative to a Honda, Skoda or a VW vehicle.

Nissan began exports of the Micra last year. South Africa is the latest to join the list last month. Nissan has delivered 14,711 Micras in India since the launch in July 2010.