Nissan has brought three of its popular international SUV models to India, with the new X-Trail to be launched soon. The latest versions of Juke and Qashqai have also been shown in New Delhi, with the latter being tested on Indian roads.
While the Japanese brand has said that it is showing all three, the X-Trail will be launched in India first. The SUV was sold here under its first and second generation guise, and though it never went on sale, the third generation model was showcased in the Indian market a few years back.
The Nissan X-Trail is a premium executive SUV, available in 5-seat or 7-seat guise, which rivals the likes of Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Kodiaq. The latest variant is built on Renault-Nissan’s CMF-C platform and when offered overseas with either a 2.5-litre petrol engine or a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol mild-hybrid powertrain, it will get a unique ace up its sleeve. have been found. 1.5 Variant of the e-Power option.
The e-Power is Nissan’s language for a range-extender hybrid, which will be a unique and interesting option in India where EVs are leading the way and strong hybrids are coming into the spotlight. Essentially an EV, it has a 1.5-litre petrol engine that only acts as a generator to charge the battery. The engine never drives the wheels and, as a result, is used sparingly, leading to potentially spectacular fuel savings, without the worry of range or the need to charge the vehicle from the plug.
The Nissan X-Trail E-Power is available in 2WD and AWD versions, with the former producing 204hp and 330Nm, the latter with 213hp and 500Nm, though which variant Nissan is considering remains to be seen. .
Nissan has specifically mentioned mild-hybrid and e-power variants in its showcase, and the latter could give the X-Trail a unique leg up on its rivals. Also, being a premium executive SUV, the price premium will be easier to digest and less aggressive than the more competitive segment of small SUVs.
Qashqai and Juke are also extremely popular in the international markets. The 5-seat Qashqai is slightly smaller than the X-Trail and rivals the Jeep Compass or the Hyundai Tucson globally. Using the same basic premise as the X-Trail, the third generation Qashqai also gets options of turbo-petrol mild-hybrid and e-power variants. The former uses a 156hp, 1.3-litre engine from the Nissan Kicks, which is aided by an electric motor and paired with a CVT or 6-speed manual. The latter is a less powerful version of the fuel-saving range-extender technology than the 190hp and 330Nm offered in the X-Trail.
The second generation Nissan Juke is the least likely to be launched in India, and Nissan says it is showing it only to pique interest. Its funky, curvy design may be polarizing, but it’s definitely turning heads, and that’s something that can work in its favor. This 1.6-litre turbo-petrol is powered by the robust hybrid system, which means it brings the promise of incredibly high fuel economy.
The Juke’s 4.2-metre length could technically make it into the hugely popular mid-size SUV segment in India, but it’s nowhere near as spacious as the Nissan Kicks, and in international markets, the situation is very different.
With no new mass-market model coming in the short term, CBU’s move to bring imported global models is a good one. This reflects the brand’s commitment to India, and it is not afraid to dig into its vast and robust portfolio of international models.
It is exciting to see a company showing off three brand-new international models with the intent of at least the Indian market valuation, and it will be interesting to see how competitive Nissan can price the X-Trail once it is launched.