Ever since Nissan stepped onto Indian soil, it has been a roller coaster ride for them. It was not that they didn't have presence here in India, infact the X-Trail SUV, the Teana luxury sedan and the sportscar 370Z were on offer but they catered to a niche crowd. But it was when the Japanese company brought out the Micra hatchback and the Sunny sedan, did people start paying attention.
To be honest, both the Micra and Sunny haven't really packed in a punch for Nissan but it is work in progress and the company has grand plans for India. In fact, Guillaume Sicard, who has been appointed as the President- Nissan India Operations recently, said that Nissan needs to bring in new products to India and a growth in the product portfolio will help them cater to a larger audience and reflect on sales figures as well. Nissan has already set a target of opening 300 dealerships by 2016 which is a huge target and a bigger commitment.
Their commitment to doing well in India is also seen by the introduction of the Datsun brand last year and it already has one product - the GO hatchback under its belt. Sicard has been in India for 3 months now and knows the present scenario of the brand. "Datsun as a brand will grow in India and though it hasn't got the attention we thought it would get, it has done resonably well." He went on to say, how people in India needed to be educated about the brand and that is where his team will kick in.
The Datsun Go+ MPV will be launched soon and an SUV from the Nissan stable is in the works. So, the idea is to create a portfolio which caters to each and every individual's needs and that is the prime goal for India.
