Nissan India has announced that it will globally unveil the Magnite SUV in the country on October 21. This announcement comes after the production spec model has been spotted testing umpteen times on public roads in India. Official launch of the Nissan Magnite will likely take place in the early months of 2021.
The Magnite was earlier unveiled in concept form a few months back. However, Nissan had not commented on how much of the design will come down to the production model. We have been seeing a lot of spy shots of the production-spec Magnite testing on Indian roads. Hence, we do have a slight idea about how the end result will look like.
Broadly, production model of the Magnite is quite similar to the previously unveiled concept. It gets sharp looking headlights, a broad grille, dual tone bumper, and L-shaped fog lamps. The bonnet gets some pronounced sculpting.
The side profile shows beefy squared wheel arches, black plastic cladding, diamond cut alloy wheels, blacked out pillars, and silver roof rails. From the rear, the Magnite is probably the most well designed vehicle in the compact SUV space. It gets LED taillights, a well-creased tailgate, a roof mounted spoiler, and a dual tone bumper.
The Nissan Magnite will likely be available with four engine-gearbox options. Entry-level models will be powered by a 72 PS 1.0-litre, three cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine. It will be available with a manual or an AMT automatic gearbox. Meanwhile, the higher variants will get a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol unit rated at around 95 PS. This more powerful block will be available with a manual or CVT automatic transmission.
As opposed to popular belief, the Nissan Magnite will not compete against the current crop of compact SUVs like the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Vitara Brezza or Tata Nexon. Instead, it will be a more affordable option that will be priced under these compact SUVs.
As per reports, the top spec trim of the Magnite will be priced in close proximity to the mid variants of the Vitara Brezza. We thus expect prices of the Nissan Magnite in India to range from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh. Post launch, the Magnite will compete against the upcoming Renault Kiger and Tata HBX.