Nissan India is betting on the three new launches within one year — the Gravite, Tekton and a new seven-seater C-SUV — to revive its presence in the domestic market while strengthening its export footprint. Saurabh Vatsa, managing director, Nissan Motor India, speaks to Akbar Merchant about the company’s $800-million investment programme, product strategy, exports, alliance synergies, dealer expansion plans and the road ahead for Nissan in India. Excerpts:
Nissan is readying three new launches in less than 12 months for India. What investments have been made to support this resurgence?
Nissan has committed nearly $700 million towards new platforms and upcoming products, including the Gravite, Tekton and the new seven-seater C-SUV. In addition, we invested another $100 million in the Magnite facelift and its left-hand-drive programme, which has significantly expanded our export footprint. The Magnite is now exported to more than 65 countries and became India’s highest-exported passenger vehicle nameplate in December last year. Those investments are now translating into products, making 2026 a resurgence year for Nissan India. We ended last year with around 175 outlets and plan to expand to 230-250 outlets by March 2027. Around 85% of existing dealers are expanding with us, while 30-35 new investors have joined the network.
Following Nissan’s stake sale in the Chennai plant, what role does India play in Nissan’s global strategy?
India is one of Nissan’s key global focus markets and is expected to contribute significantly to future volumes. The stake sale has not altered operational priorities. Manufacturing capacity for both alliance partners remains secured and the Chennai facility continues to serve both domestic and export markets.
Nissan has relied heavily on alliance synergies. Will platform sharing with Renault continue?
Platform sharing is fundamental to the alliance and has been successfully implemented for years. While platforms may be shared, the design, styling and positioning of products remain unique to each brand. This approach allows both companies to benefit from scale while preserving brand identity.
How has the Gravite been received, and how do you balance pricing competitiveness with profitability?
The response has been extremely encouraging. Everything we produce is being sold and inventories remain tight across the network. We are increasing production to meet demand. The introductory pricing was committed for the first 5,000 bookings and we are approaching that milestone, which means the first price revision is being prepared while maintaining a healthy booking pipeline.
The Tekton will enter one of India’s most competitive SUV segments. What gives Nissan confidence?
While the platform is shared within the alliance, the Tekton’s design and styling are uniquely Nissan. It draws inspiration from the Patrol, Nissan’s flagship SUV. Our research indicates that buyers increasingly want products that stand apart from the crowd, and we believe the Tekton will deliver on that expectation.
What is the launch timeline for the Tekton and will it be exported?
The Tekton will be unveiled on July 9 and…will reach showrooms within weeks. It will be among the industry’s shortest launch-to-sales cycles, with customer deliveries beginning soon after the reveal.
The Tekton will also be exported to select international markets. We follow a ‘one car, one world’ philosophy. Export models are fundamentally identical to domestic vehicles, apart from left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive requirements.
Could flagship products like the Patrol SUV eventually arrive here?
We remain committed to three pillars in India, a strong domestic business, a strong export business and a completely built unit business. We restarted the CBU strategy in FY25 and remain focused on it. However, our immediate priority is executing the launch of the Gravite, Tekton and seven-seater C-SUV within a span of less than 12 months. The Patrol remains an important global product for Nissan and the latest right-hand-drive Y63 Patrol is expected to become available internationally towards the end of this year or early next year.
What is the future of the Magnite? Is a replacement under consideration?
The Magnite recently received a facelift and will continue in its current form. It has established a strong position in the market and continues to generate healthy domestic demand of around 1,800-2,300 units a month, alongside strong export demand.
Is Nissan still producing the Sunny in India?
Yes. The Sunny continues to be manufactured in Chennai and remains a popular export product in several African and West Asian markets. Production continues in significant volumes.