Just launched with the facelift avatar, the new Nissan Evalia was the official light commercial vehicle partner to the fourth-time world champion Formula One Team – Infiniti Red Bull Racing at the Indian Grand Prix 2013. Outfitted with Infiniti Red Bull Racing Team logos, the Nissan Evalia played a vital role in supporting the team by transporting equipment and staff at the annual event.
Infiniti Red Bull Racing, which is based in UK, had concluded an official global supplier contract for light commercial vehicles with Nissan in 2012. Under this contract, Nissan’s Light Commercial Vehicle Business Unit supplies the team with a fleet of more than 70 vehicles including the NV200 and NV400 at the team’s headquarters (Milton Keynes, U.K.), and at Formula One venues around the world.
The vehicles that are supplied provide support for all transportation needs, including the movement of staff, guests, and equipment for the team. For the Indian Grand Prix this year, the highly versatile, multi-purpose NV200 or the Evalia as it is known in India has been selected once again for the second consecutive year to support the race team.
Since September 2012, Nissan Evalia has been a valuable addition to the urban class utility vehicle segment in India. This month, the company introduced the new 2013 model to the Indian auto market with add-on features that are incorporated based on customer input. The add-on features are captain seats in the middle row, sliding windows on rear doors, 15-inch alloy wheels, 2-DIN audio system with USB connectivity, rear wiper, defogger, anti-glare internal rearview mirror, front row assist grip and glove-box lid. These features combine to provide customers with a new dimension to multi-purpose usage developed and built exclusively for the Indian market and now for the race team too.
Mr. Kenichiro Yomura, MD & CEO of Nissan Motor India commented: “It gives us great pleasure to have been the Official Supplier of Light Commercial Vehicles to the Infiniti Red Bull Racing F1 team having provided our class leading range of light commercial vehicles. The Evalia was the chosen vehicle for the second consecutive year for this year’s Indian Grand Prix. With add-on features in the new Evalia, we anticipate that it will continue to derive and highlight its characteristic of an urban class utility vehicle quite vividly to the team and our Indian customers too.”
“Christian Horner, Team Principal, of Infiniti Red Bull Racing, commented: “It’s the second year of our partnership with Nissan Motor Co. and we can only say that their support during the challenging times we face during the Formula One season is irreplaceable and a big contribution in executing the team’s plans with utmost efficiency. The Evalia has been our backbone for the majority of the logistics operations and we are sure that the new Evalia will only help us enhance our experience during our short but yet memorable tenure in India.”
Mr. Nitish Tipnis, Director – Sales & Marketing, Hover Automotive India (NSC for Nissan) commented: “We are pleased to have been associated once again with the Formula One World Champions, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, for the India Grand Prix. The new Nissan Evalia provided excellent support to the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team. Constant innovation and product enhancement has been an integral part of our strategy at Nissan and the new Evalia reflects that seamlessly. The newly added features, based on customer feedback made the new Nissan Evalia a lot more comfortable for the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team.”
The all new Nissan Evalia is powered by the globally-proven 1.5 dci inline-4 turbocharged diesel from Renault Nissan’s engine family, which churns out 85PS of power at 3750rpm and a maximum torque of 200Nm at 2000rpm. With a smooth-shifting five speed manual transmission, the Evalia delivers a fuel efficiency of 19.3kmpl of diesel (ARAI certified).
The new Evalia’s layout gives maximum cargo space with enhanced drive stability. The dramatic front end design with a three-dimensional, imposing angled strut grille and the character line on the body side add to the dynamic view of the vehicle.
