Mr. Kiminobu Tokuyama, the present Managing Director of Nissan Motor India Pvt. Limited, in his statement informed that the hike in prices were a result of “rising input costs and depreciating Rupee”. The MD also added that the company, in an effort to maintain the “business momentum”, however unwilling, ‘had’ to “revisit the prices”. Here the ‘price-revisited’ products, the ones in question are the Nissan Motor’s Micra and Sunny. The price of the company’s bestselling Micra, (both the Petrol and Diesel versions) has been increased and the increase is in the range of 0.56 percent to 2.09 percent. The same price hike goes for the September launched Sunny Petrol. The price hike will come into play from today, 20th January, 2012.Check on Road Price
The Petrol Micra would need you to shell out an extra Rs.3000 for all the three variants and as for the Micra’s diesel, its price (for both its variants) has shot up by Rs.12000. Petrol Nissan Sunny has been infected by the same price hike, with its Petrol version going up by Rs. 5000. The only Nissan product in discussion, not scathed by such hikes is the Diesel version of Nissan Sunny.
Mr. Kiminobu had stated that the company was forced to increase the prices as they would not comprise on the “global quality” of their products. He reassured that the price hike was marginal keeping in mind the customer interest.
Both the products, the Nissan Micra and the Nissan Sunny are powerhouses in their own right. Both have managed to bag awards as they rolled out from the factory line. ET-ZigWheels has awarded Nissan Sunny the ‘2011 Car of the Year’ award’ in ‘entry level compact sedan segment’ and, Nissan Micra was awarded in the premium compact segment category, as they had acquired a score of 857 from the JD Power Asia Pacific 2011 India Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL). In the study, it was reported that the car had done particularly well in six categories, out of the ten and with 25,000 cars sold already since its launch in July 2010, the car justifies its high 857 score!
The automotive industry keenly looks on, as another company succumbs to troubling times and enlists itself in the ‘price-hiked’ list.
The line-up of diesel sedans available under the Rs.10 lakh bracket in the Indian market has further been boosted by the launch of two new diesel sedan variants of Nissan Sunny and Skoda Rapid. The Skoda Rapid is a modification of the Volkswagen Vento even sharing a similar engine but coming at a lower price bracket. The Sunny shares the same dynamic V-platform that the Nissan Micra has been built on. The Rapid has the solidity associated with the European sedans whereas the Sunny reflects the Japanese capability of producing economic vehicles. A comparison has been carried out among these two cars to identify which car has been provided with the better capability of delivering.
The Looks Aspect:
While the Skoda Rapid highlights European design, the Nissan Sunny is a perfect example of Japanese craftsmanship. The Rapid has been provided with a grille having vertical bars, typical of Skoda. Its headlamps look similar to the Fabia. Its bonnet has been beautifully sculpted, and its fog lamps uniquely shaped. All these combine to give the Rapid a sporty look. Its side profile matches the Vento whereas its rear is a combination of the Vento and Skoda Laura. Its interiors have a strong match with the Vento as these vehicles share a lot of interior components.
Though the Nissan Sunny and Micra share a common platform, they have been blessed with completely different looks; thereby, it is going to appeal to Nissan car lovers, who prefer exclusivity of design. The uniqueness of the Sunny is its rear, which has been styled like a coupe. However, with respect to the interior, it strongly matches the Micra as they share similar designs.
It seems that the Skoda Rapid with its sportier looks will win greater appeal in this category over the Nissan Sunny.
Interior Space:
With a wider wheelbase of 2600mm, the Nissan Sunny offers greater space particularly for its rear-seat passengers compared to the Rapid that has a 2552mm wheelbase. The flat floor provided by the Sunny at its rear helps in increasing the legroom substantially. Although the Rapid is also comfortable to ride in, both at the front and the rear, it cannot match the legroom that the Sunny provides.
Driving and Vehicle Handling:
The Skoda Rapid scores over the Sunny as a better performing car. Its 1.6L diesel engine is capable of delivering a maximum power of 104Bhp and a peak torque of 250Nm. The 1.5L diesel engine of the Sunny, in turn, can generate a maximum power of only 80Bho with its peak torque restricted to 200Nm. The Rapid outscores the Sunny by 10Bhp in its ratio off its power to its weight, thereby clearly signifying the superior performance of its engine.
The steering wheel of the Rapid functions precisely and gives excellent response to user’s commands, even when the vehicle is moving at a high speed. Both cars enjoy great stability while traversing in straight line. However, you might notice vertical movements in the Sunny when changing lanes quickly or taking corners at very high speed.
Therefore, the Rapid scores better in the performance and handling aspect compared to the Sunny.
Features provided:
Both the features have been provided common features, including power steering and windows, AC with rear vents and heater, central locking, speaker laden music systems as well as adjustable headrests for both the front and rear seats.
When comparing the base models, it is seen that the Sunny has been provided with additional features, including climate control, airbags for driver and passenger, electric mirrors, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist. Even the top-end Sunny model has been provided with additional features vis-à-vis the Skoda, including electrically folding mirrors along with a latest ignition system.
Hence, based on features provided, the Nissan Sunny is a clear winner.
Mileage and Pricing:
The diesel variant of the Rapid is expected to offer 20km/liter mileage whereas the Sunny is going to give a mileage of 21.6km/liter. This gives the Sunny a bit of an advantage compared to the Rapid as it is going to be a significantly economical vehicle, when both have been operated for a longer period of time.
The Rapid comes at a price range of Rs.7.95 lakh to Ras.9.19 lakh whereas the Sunny is being offered between Rs.7.98 lakh and Rs.8.78 lakh. Though the base variants of both the Sunny and the Rapid have been more or less similarly priced, the Sunny is packed with a lot of additional features that significantly give it an advantage. Furthermore, when the high-end variants of both these vehicles are compared, it is found that the Nissan Sunny XV at Rs.8.78 lakh has been priced significantly lesser than the Rapid Elegance, which has been priced at Rs.9.19 lakh. Even though the high-end Sunny is priced lesser than the Rapid Elegance, it still comes with additional features that include the push button ignition system as well as the electrically folding mirrors.
With its marginally better fuel efficiency along with it offering a lot of additional features at comparative lower prices makes the Nissan Sunny the more desirable car compared to the Rapid, in terms of better return on investment.
The Final Verdict:
Though the Skoda Rapid and the Nissan Sunny are both sedans, they are as much apart in characteristics as the two poles of the Earth. Hence, the preference of the better among the two cars will boil down to the expectations that the customers will have from the cars that they want to own. If features like sporty looks, excellent performance and superb handling are high on the agenda list of the buyer, Skoda Rapid is the perfect car for them. If the customer is, however, looking for a low-priced sedan that at the same time offers ample space and comfort, top-line features as well as greater fuel economy, Nissan Sunny is the ideal car for them.
The Mid-sized sedan segment in India is bustling with action, following the recent launch of the Skoda Rapid. It means that with its launch, the Skoda Rapid has become the 3rd major launch in this category of vehicles in India in the recent times – the other two being the Nissan Sunny and the Hyundai Verna. This has further intensified the battle for supremacy within this segment as other players like Honda City, Volkswagen Vento, Maruti Sx4 and Fiat Linea have already been slogging out for the top spot. In this article, we try to make a comparison between the three new entrants into the segment, on the basis of certain key parameters.
Pricing:-
Taking the base as the ex-showroom prices of the cars in Delhi, it is found that the middle variant of the Skoda Rapid car costs Rs.7.09 Lakh whereas the Nissan Sunny has a starting price of Rs.6.88 Lakh. The Hyundai Verna has a starting price of Rs.7.7 Lakh. However, one thing that has to be definitely mentioned here is that the Verna has 2 variants priced at greater than Rs.10 Lakh ex-showroom, hence with the added costs on taxes and other factors would enhance the on-road pricing substantially higher than that as well.
Options and Variants:-
The Rapid has been made available both in Diesel and Petrol variants and has been equipped with both Automatic and Manual transmission. The Hyundai Verna also has the same features incorporated. The Nissan Sunny, however, has been made available only in Petrol variant and automatic transmission has also not been provided on this vehicle.
Dimensions of the Vehicles:-
The Skoda Rapid has a length of 4386mm, width 1699mm and height 1466mm.
The Nissan Sunny has a length of 4425mm, width 1695mm and height 1505mm.
The Hyundai Verna has a length of 4370mm, width 1700mm and height 1475mm.
Engine specifications and Power Generated:-
The 1600cc Skoda Rapid engine delivers a peak power of 105Bhp.
The 1500cc Nissan Sunny engine delivers maximum power 99Bhp.
The Hyundai Verna rules in the power criteria with its 1600cc Petrol engine delivering maximum power of 123Bhp whereas its 1582cc Diesel engine has a peak power of 128Bhp.
Mileage:-
Mileage computed on the basis of ARAI standards show the Skoda Rapid trail behind at 15km/l, the Sunny is marginally ahead at 16.5km/l. Hyundai Verna rules this criterion as well at 17km/l for its petrol variant and 22.3km/l for its diesel one.
Safety Features Incorporated:
The standard version of the Nissan Sunny is equipped with ABS and Airbags with Automatic Climate Control provided in its Middle version. The middle variant of the Skoda Rapid includes features like ABS and Airbags whereas its top end version comes with Automatic Climate Control. The Hyundai Verna however is equipped with latest features like Reverse Parking Camera and Sensors, 6 Airbags and many more compared to the other two vehicles. However, its top end model out-prices the other two vehicles by Rs.50, 000 minimum, a cost if additionally paid can get these features incorporated into the other two vehicles as well.
Networks in India: This is where Hyundai Verna triumphs again as it has access to a huge number of dealership networks in the Indian market, followed much behind by the Skoda Rapid with Nissan Sunny at the end.
Based on the above-mentioned criteria, the Hyundai Verna, though more pricey, seems the right vehicle to buy. However, this is not the end-all about these cars; you might be interested in having certain other features on your car that might not have been elaborated here.
Just ahead of the festive season that would be the cause of cheers and celebrations across India, Nissan India has given its customers another reason to rejoice. The 2011 Nissan Sunny, which would be the 10th generation vehicle world-wide, has been launched in India. Bookings for this mid-size sedan would start from 21st September 2011 and immediate deliveries are also being assured. There are three variants of this car namely XE, XL and XV. The base variant starts from Rs 5.78 lakhs while the top end variant goes for Rs 7.68 lakhs. All these prices are ex-show room, India.
Addressing the media, Mr Kiminobu Tokuyama, MD of NMIPL said that a young professional is what this car is targeted at. Supporting him was Mr. Giles Normand, the Corporate Vice President for Nissan Motor Company in Middle East, Africa and India. He iterated the fact that the Sunny would be a car which would have core values of Nissan as a company and at the same time cater to the average Indian car buyer. Currently the Sunny is being sold in over 170 countries around the world. The Nissan Sunny in India would be available in a shade of 7 colors including the likes of Blade Silver, Bronze Grey, Storm White, Onyx Blue, Sapphire Blue and Brick Red colors. The Sunny would be offered in a uniform ex-show room price all over India.
Currently the Sunny would be available only with a petrol engine. This 1.5 liter engine would produce 99 Ps of power and 134 Nm of torque. A 5 speed manual transmission would handle the cog shifting duties. The ARAI certified fuel efficiency for this sedan is 16.95 kmpl. Get complete Nissan Sunny Review here.
What happens when a big company like Nissan India Private Limited sends out invites to journalists currently ruling the roost in the Indian automotive scene, to test drive their new automobile? The invite was for no small thing and it was for the first drive of the Nissan Sunny in India, the company’s new sedan based on the V platform. The invite does mean that Nissan is pretty much serious about the Indian market as it gears up to fight with the C segment for some pie of the sales cake. A 180 kms approximate trip confirmed the Sunny’s credentials and needless to say, here we are with the entire driving impressions as also the specifications of the Sunny. Of course once it is launched, we would have a detailed comparison of this car with its competitors namely the Hyundai Verna, new Ford Fiesta, Honda City, Fiat Linea and the VW Vento. Of course, the lower variant of the Sunny would jostle for space with the likes of Toyota Etios, Mahindra Verito and also the Tata Manza.Check on Road Price
Looks
The Sunny comes into India in the same form as it is in USA. The good or the best thing is that unlike the policy adopted by many other manufacturers wherein which they just slap on a boot to their existing hatchbacks, Nissan have gone in for a complete new shape for the car. It is very hard to tell that this sedan uses the same V platform as the hatchback or is even derived from it. Mini Teana is the first expression which comes to mind after seeing this car. Viewed heads-on, the tear drop head lamps look great. The grille has a broad smiley attached to it. The front fogs have been provided on the top end XV model only. Like other typical Japanese manufacturers (Toyota), Nissan has adopted the safe policy and this styling should go down well with the intended clientele aged between 30-45. Nissan have persisted with body colored bumpers on even the base variant. The glass has a green tint to it. The base XE and the mid level XL variants get 185/70 R14 wheels while the top end XV model gets 185/65 R15 configuration. The first two come with steel wheels with wheel covers available on the XL version while XE comes with alloys. We initially had apprehensions about the sloping roofline cutting into the rear passenger head room, however those doubts were immediately dispelled once we were chauffer driven in this car. One strange thing that we noticed is that the rear wheel fender as also the wheel look like they would foul with each other. We did bring this to the notice of Nissan officials and they assured us that the wheels wouldn’t cut across. The images below would show this in detail. The rear of the car in the meanwhile is plain and except for the chrome badgings, there is no other design flourish here. The tail lamp is hidden from view and signals that the car doesn’t boast of any performance intentions.
Before – After
The badging on the cars looks like those of the Jaguar cars with the different trims called as XE, XL and XV. Overall a nicely balanced car which wouldn’t offend anyone.
Interiors
Just like in the Micra, Nissan have put in a keyless entry system on the XV model. This one requires that probable owners just put in the key in their pocket and touch the request sensor on the doors. Viola! The door is now open. Same story is repeated with the boot. The overall build quality is something which we found to our liking. The panel gaps were all even and the glove compartment and other switches work very well. The switchgear infact feels very chunky to operate. Just like in the Micra, Nissan have persisted with the use of light grey plastics inside the cabin. The meter dials look like they do a good imitation of the ones in the Toyota Corolla Altis, and that isn’t a bad thing either. There is a multi-information display which displays the instantaneous fuel efficiency amongst the other things. Special mention must be made of the seats, both front and rear. They have excellent bolstering and even after the 86 kms one way drive, we never felt any sort of discomfort. Both the driver and front passenger get manual adjust for the seats. The top end version has got the Push Button Ignition, like in the Micra XV. The steering wheel gets audio controls on it only for the XL and XV variants. Electrically adjustable outside rear view mirrors are available on the top two variants whereas manual adjustment is present in the lower variant. The placement of the electrical adjustment is a bit quirky and is to the bottom right hand side of the steering wheel. Once on the move, its very hard to adjust the mirrors without taking eyes off the road. We also found that once the car has been shut off, the mirrors don’t close on their own. The automatic climate control system as also the AC in the lower variants have been borrowed from the Micra. Unfortunately, Nissan haven’t upgraded the compressor and hence on a sufficiently humid day with temperatures hovering around 32 degree Celsius, we often had to resort to the manual mode to keep the blower speeds up. Towards the rear, Nissan have built in an indigenous system for keeping the passengers cool. They have put in a mock rear AC controller thing which controls only the fan speed. This system in turn doesn’t require any ducts and sucks in air from the front vents, hence is a cost effective thing. It has got a two speed variable ratio. Turning up the blower to its highest position reveals the noise that comes as a package with it. That saying, we had experienced more of this noise in the new Hyundai Verna. The rear seat could do with a bit more underthigh support, however, not all passengers would be 6ft 4 inches, like our tester. There are not many storage spaces and this is something wherein Nissan could have understood the Indian mentality of carrying their home with them wherever they go. There is a glovebox which can take in a manual and some more small items while there is a hollow slot just above it which can hold some papers. That saying, the boot space is very good, though not on the same lines as the Etios. It stands at 490 liters and the rear seats don’t have any split seat arrangement to them.
The leg space in both the front and rear seats is enormous and dare we say that this one is going to be a favorite for the chauffer driven customer in this segment. The rear passenger, in this case our 6 foot plus tester had his hairstyle fouled by the sloping roof line. However this happened only when he had to sit upright. The front seats also have an enormous travel to them. Three can sit in reasonable comfort at the rear, ignoring the small middle hump. The middle passenger also gets a dedicated seat belt. The front seats belts aren’t height adjustable. The audio system just about makes the cut with its 4 speaker configuration. It does have an AUX input but surprisingly no USB connection.
Handling and ride quality
The wheelbase of this car stands at 2600 mm. Noticeably, this isn’t a Swift and Dzire job and there is plenty of space inside the cabin. The V platform stands for versatility and this shows in the way Nissan could alter the vehicle’s dimensions without seriously affecting its maneuverability. The Sunny offers a good all around view, even at the rear. The light traffic that we encountered on the drive showed hints of the visibility factor. However, the stability factor is very good and even though the Sunny is just 100 kgs more than the Micra, it was rock solid for speeds upto 140 kmph. The steering wheel is a light 3 spoke unit taken up from the Micra and even though its electrically assisted, it had a nice feel to it once the speeds rose. Part of the maneuverability of the Nissan Sunny in India stems from this steering wheel. Since the East Coast Road is pretty much smooth and there were few ripples to take care of, we couldn’t check out the ride quality perfectly. However, considering the long suspension travel and also the way the car has been setup to be on the softer side, we expect it to be pliant enough. When fully loaded, the Sunny, like other Japanese cars tends to squat on its suspension. As for the handling, this car has got a hint of body roll, however it does settle well after the initial bend of the road has been completed. It just handles flat and to put it into polite words, it is a soft handler. We did notice the absence of any type of foam or insulating materials under the hood and this actually became a cause of concern since this car can get noisy at the top of the rev range. Even the NVH at idle, outside the car, was pretty much high for a petrol car. Just before the launch, Nissan can put in some sound insulation material under the hood and it should work wonders for the car as an overall package.
Nissan Sunny Photo Gallery
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Engine, performance and fuel efficiency
Surprisingly, Nissan officials did say that they have studied the Indian market very well. If they actually did, then the company officials would have definitely brought in a diesel engine first. As of now, there is no diesel engine coming in with the Sunny. But knowing Nissan well enough, they would definitely bring in the diesel just months after the launch of the Sunny petrol. The current 1.5 liter petrol engine is a new unit and doesn’t share its architecture with the 1.2 liter 3 cylinder engine of the Micra. This all new 4 cylinder engine belongs to the HR15DE series and has got 16 valves to it. 97 Bhp of power at 6600 rpm and 134 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm is what this engine promises. The stick shift provided is a 5 speed unit. The gearbox is a notchy unit and we would have preferred the slick shifts of the Honda City. The gearing has been tuned to be on the lower side and hence without even a hint of the accelerator, the Nissan Sunny smartly climbs up inclines and the likes. Even in the light traffic that we encountered, the Sunny could easily potter around in 3rd gear. However give it the beans and the engine registers a leisure trip across the rev band. Even with the accelerator pinned to the mat, the Sunny seemed to crawl. Some ECU tuning would definitely help the company in sharpening the throttle response for this one. The Sunny’s engine doesn’t like being hustled around and is best kept at moderate speeds. A safe estimate to the 0-100 kmph dash is 14 seconds with top speeds in the region of 160 kmph. ARAI fuel efficiency is pegged at 16.95 kmpl. This figure should make the average Indian very much happy. The MID regularly threw figures of 12 kmpl and 30 kmpl. The former was achieved when we were gunning the car and the latter when things were taken pretty sedately. Needless to say, all these figures were achieved with the AC on.
Nissan is one of the manufacturers who tend for safety more than the other parameters. They have kitted even the base variant with ABS, EBD and Brake Assist. The XE variant gets a driver airbag whereas twin airbags are available on both the XL and XV variants. The doors also autolock for both the latter variants. A door ajar warning as also an engine immobilizer are available as part of the standard equipment on all the variants. Brakes of the Sunny were pretty much spot on and we had a particular section wherein we could put the EBD function of the car to test. Needless to say, it performed flawlessly.
Verdict
The 2011 Nissan Sunny in India does tick all the right boxes when it comes to the needs of the average buyer. Infact, it would exceed expectations. After all, who wouldn’t like some bun maska free with a cutting chai? If you are looking for a chauffer driven car in the C segment, then it cannot get better than this. The plastic seem just about of a decent quality and though there is no cost cutting pieces, it still could have been better. The NVH is surprisingly high for a car in this segment and that too coming from a petrol engine is even more non-understandable. Nissan in conjunction with Hover Automotive Limited are planning to expand the dealership network to 72 from the current 50 that they have. It has been a sizeable number of dealerships since when the Micra was launched, the number of dealerships was approximately 22. The company plans to sell more units than the Micra with the Sunny. Nissan haven’t yet revealed the date for launching this car, however, we believe that they would be doing it by the 20th of September 2011. The Nissan Sunny price in India was said to be between that of the Toyota Etios and the Hyundai Verna. We peg it at an estimated Rs 5.99 lakhs for the XE variant. What’s your take on it? Do fill those in the comments section below.
Though the 
Currently the Sunny would be available only with a petrol engine. This 1.5 liter engine would produce 99 Ps of power and 134 Nm of torque. A 5 speed manual transmission would handle the cog shifting duties. The ARAI certified fuel efficiency for this sedan is 16.95 kmpl. Get complete 
The leg space in both the front and rear seats is enormous and dare we say that this one is going to be a favorite for the chauffer driven customer in this segment. The rear passenger, in this case our 6 foot plus tester had his hairstyle fouled by the sloping roof line. However this happened only when he had to sit upright. The front seats also have an enormous travel to them. Three can sit in reasonable comfort at the rear, ignoring the small middle hump. The middle passenger also gets a dedicated seat belt. The front seats belts aren’t height adjustable. The audio system just about makes the cut with its 4 speaker configuration. It does have an AUX input but surprisingly no USB connection.