Refreshed Evalia promises plenty

Mumbai, October 15, 2013: Nissan Motor India launched a refreshed Evalia in Mumbai with a host of new updates including captain seats, sliding Euro windows on the rear doors, a new audio system and a roof-mounted second row AC blower among other features.

The refresh comes a year after the launch of the Evalia, which has not really taken off with just about 2,000 units sold. Nissan Motor India has however, tweaked its marketing and communication strategy and will focus on the ‘joy of space’ theme in its communications for the vehicle, said Nitish Tipnis, director, sales and marketing, Hover Automotive India, which is the sales company for Nissan.

Ih his remarks, Kenichiro Yomura, president, Nissan India operations, said the new features in the vehicle are the result of customer feedback and said this has been done in a short period of time.

He seemed to suggest that Nissan had not fully explained the benefits of the Evalia to its target audience and it would now endeavour to do so. Under the hood is a 1.5- litre, four-cylinder engine with intercooler and a five-speed gearbox.

The Evalia comes with ABS and EBD and follow-me lamps as standard on all variants. Its other features include a reverse parking camera, a turning radius of 5.2 metres and flexible seating options.

The Evalia is built on the NV 200 platform that underpins the Stile, the MPV launched by the Ashok Leyland-Nissan joint venture a week ago. According to Tipnis, the Evalia’s fuel efficiency credentials had helped it make an impact with corporate and fleet buyers with the latter accounting for 65 percent of sales. With the refresh, Nissan hopes to have a 50:50 ratio between the fleet and individual buyers. The vehicle is primarily targeted at the Mahindra Xylo and Chevy Enjoy but Nissan hopes to grab some share from the Toyota Innova as well.

The Evalia’s pricing begins at Rs 8.78 lakh for the entry-level XE variant. The XE+ will cost Rs 9.22 lakh and the XL, 9.80 lakh. The XL with options will cost Rs 10.05, the XV, Rs 10.47 and the XV with options Rs 10.72 lakh (all prices ex-showroom, Mumbai).

Nissan hopes to launch seven new models between 2014 and 2017. Among its key launches in 2014 is the Datsun Go, unveiled last July in New Delhi.

BRIAN DE SOUZA