Nissan may launch a cheaper version of the Micra in early 2013

Nissan Motors have had a fairly decent run in the Indian market, especially after the impressive performance put up by the hugely spacious and practical sedan, the Sunny. However, the overall sales numbers for Nissan have been sliding down for the last few months as sales of the company’s cheapest offering, the Micra, have taken a severe hit; the numbers are down from over 1,600 units in March to just 540 units in the month of May.

In spite, of boasting an impressive level of space and practicality and an economical diesel engine under the hood, the Micra hasn’t been selling as well as Nissan would have liked. Which is why the company is planning to launch a cut-price version of the car to boost its falling sales. 

The said no-frills version of the Micra will lose out on quite a few creature comforts, including driver side airbag, an engine immobilizer and tilt steering feature. Even the adjustable headrests for front seats will make way for basic, fixed ones that are found in cars like the Nano and the Etios. There might be other cost cutting measures too in order to bring the price down significantly.  

The cheaper version is expected to cost about Rs 50,000 less than the current base-spec XE petrol, which is priced at Rs 4.25 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) and is expected to go on sale by early 2013.