Seeing the potential of the small car market in India, the Japanese carmaker Nissan is planning to launch its next generation small car, Nissan March, in India. Nissan March is expected to be launched in India in early 2010. It would be pitted against Hyundai Santo, Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai i10. With a tagline of “to make driving fun again’, Nissan March, with a spacious and plush interiors, sports a cacao hue for the interiors. It also has hordes of safety features like ABS (anti-lock braking system), EBD (electronic brake-force distribution), airbags, reinforced cabins and crushable zones, and BA (brake assist). Nissan March will be available in India in two variants, namely 14E and 14C, in 1.3 liters.

Nissan is particularly proud of the lightweight platform. In the base spec that CAR tried, the March (Micra) weighed in at just 915kg – the lightest Seat Ibiza is 974kg. Thank dietary tweaks like the 27% lighter exhaust, 19% lighter fuel tank and 15% lighter suspension.

Another top technical highlight is the new 1.2-litre engine.

The Nissan March is one of the nine cars that Nissan plans to launch in the Indian market – the company already sells the Nissan X-Trail SUV  in India. Renault Nissan will invest Rs.40 billion ($833 million) in the plant, that would have a capacity to manufacture 4,00,000 cars every year for local and overseas markets.

Kimura also said that the Nissan March would be included in the 110,000 units that would be exported by the second half of 2010, following the signing of an MOU with Ennore Port Ltd.

Nissan plans to scale up the number of units for export to 1,80,000, over the next few years.

Most of the exports of the passenger vehicles and LVCs would be aimed at the European markets.

Nissan March 1.4 C (A) Specifications

Engine

• Engine capacity     1,386 cc
• Engine type     4-cylinder in-line DOHC water cooled
• Compression ratio     9.8
• Bore x Stroke     (73.0 x 82.8) mm
• Power     97 bhp
• Torque     137 NmPerformance
• Fuel consumption     14.7 km\
• LTransmission     4-speed (A)
• Drive type     FWDMeasurements
• Body type     Hatchback
• Dimensions (L x W x H)     (3725 x 1660 x 1525)mm
• Wheelbase     2,430mm
• Min turning radius     4,400mm
• Kerb weight     969kg
• Fuel tank capacity     41LBrakes
• Brakes (Front)     Ventilated discsBrakes (Rear)
• DrumsSuspension      Suspension (Front)
• Independent macpherson strut
• Suspension (Rear)     Torsion beam