Nissan Magnite sub-4m SUV global unveiling on October 21, will rival Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet and Vitara Brezza

Aditya Chatterjee Published: October 12, 2020, 02:39 PM IST

Nissan India has announced October 21 as the unveiling date for its upcoming sub-4m SUV, called the Magnite. The company is describing the SUV as a feature-rich premium offering for the future, with stylish design and strong, dynamic road presence. To be manufactured at the company's Chennai plant, the Magnite will rival the likes of the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the Mahindra XUV300

"The Nissan Magnite has been specially designed in Japan, keeping in mind the requirements of our Indian customers. It is a bold offering in the sub-four-meter category, and we are confident that the Nissan Magnite will redefine the B-SUV segment by breaking boundaries. We are very excited to bring this game-changing product to India," said Rakesh Srivastava, Managing Director, Nissan Motor India

In terms of design, the Nissan Magnite features a large hexagonal grille and L-shaped DRLs much like the new-age Datsun cars. The slim headlamps, flared bonnet and the noticeable haunches in the bodywork however are reminiscent of the Kicks and other international Nissan models. At the rear, there are few neat touches like the 3D-effect rectangular taillamps and the concave bootlid section. As expected of a concept, there are striking oversized wheels and chunky body cladding all around.

Even though the Nissan Magnite SUV will be positioned below the Kicks, the cabin looks plusher and premium, at least in the concept stage. The dual red-black shade on the trims lends a youthful touch, paired with the contrasting aluminium finished bits on the door trims, flat-bottom steering wheel and also around the gear shifter. The flat-bottom steering wheel comes with controls for the central infotainment system and also Bluetooth telephony. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment unit will offer the essentials of modern connectivity in terms of CarPlay and Android Auto. The instrumentation too will be all-digital. We like the textured design on the dashboard with hexagonal elements. The AC vents too sport a hexagonal design. Positioned below the infotainment screen are the AC controls to adjust fan speed, temperature and mode of AC flow. As seen in the images, the cabin will feature rear AC vents too.

The new SUV will be based on the CMF-A platform. These are underpinnings that will be shared with the Renault HBC SUV slated for a debut soon. The CMF-A platform is derived from the Kwid's underpinnings and also finds its way under the Renault Triber MPV. The Nissan SUV is set to debut by the first half of 2021 and should come with a similar set of engines as the Triber. These include a 1.0-litre three-cylinder Naturally aspirated petrol with 72PS and 96 Nm. The new 1.0-litre turbo-petrol revealed at the Auto Expo by Renault is also expected to make its way into the Magnite, with 100PS and 160Nm.