Spied - Indian Autos Blog reader spots the Nissan Sylphy testing in Thailand

Our sharp eyed reader Mr. Karan Thaker spotted two Nissan Sylphys with trade plates being tested on the highway connecting Bangkok to Pattaya in Thailand.

The Nissan Sylphy is a D Segment sedan which debuted in China this year, first as a concept and then as a production model. It is sold in the US as a replacement to the Sentra.

The car is already available in Thailand dealerships but the trade plates on the cars spotted by our reader led us to suspect that they might be undisguised test mules.

Nissan has announced that the Sylphy will be sold in over 100 countries, similar to the Sunny sedan.

The trade plates are used only by test mules and local dealers. Karan told us that the cars were being driven as if they were on a test. While those two cars could be nothing more than pre-registered dealer vehicles, we also can't rule out the possibility of an ongoing test. The cars spotted have nothing unusual about them otherwise.

Nissan India's Marketing Head Mr. Sanjay. G had told IndianAutosBlog.com last month that the company is definitely considering the Nissan Sylphy for India and will look at launching the car when the time is right.

The Sylphy's current powertrain range includes 1.6 litre and 1.8 litre petrol engines which are mated to a X-CVT (X stands for Xtronic). The 1.6 litre also comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Mr. Sanjay said that the Sylphy will need a diesel engine to survive in the Indian market. The 1.5 dCi in its 110 bhp avatar, powering the Fluence and Duster, is a viable candidate, but Nissan India hasn't confirmed a time frame for launch or the availability of diesel technology in that segment yet.