Datsun’s Sub-4m SUV To Be Called The Magnite?

It will be the first SUV from Datsun for the Indian market

• Datsun’s sub-4m SUV is expected to be based on the Renault HBC.

• It is likely to be powered by the Renault-Nissan’s upcoming 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine.

• There will be no diesel on offer. 

• The SUV could debut by late-2020.

• Expect it to be priced between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 9 lakh.

The sub-4m SUV segment is dominated by the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the Hyundai Venue. As Datsun is expected to enter this space, it has filed a trademark application for ‘Magnite’, which makes us think that it could be the name of its new sub-compact SUV. The alliance partner Renault will debut its first-ever sub-4m SUV at the 2020 Auto Expo in February followed by its launch in the second half of 2020. We believe Datsun could debut its SUV by late-2020 as well.

The Datsun SUV should utilise the Triber’s platform just like the Renault sub-4m SUV (codenamed HBC). Datsun is expected to offer its sub-4m SUV with the Triber’s 1.0-litre petrol unit that is good for 72PS of power and 96Nm of torque. At present, this unit comes coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission option. Datsun’s SUV could also be offered with a turbocharged version of the said engine like HBC. Following Renault India’s decision to stop selling diesel vehicles in the BS6 era, Datsun’s sub-4m SUV will not come with a diesel unit.

We expect Datsun to price its SUV between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 9 lakh. Once launched, it will take on the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300 and TUV300, Ford EcoSport, and the upcoming Renault HBC and Kia QYI.

Datsun Cross’ images have been used for representative purposes