New-Gen Nissan Sunny To Debut Soon; Will It Come To India?

The new sedan will replace the current-gen Sunny, which is over 8 years old

• New Nissan Sunny to make its debut in the US on 12 April 2019.
• A camouflaged version was spotted testing overseas recently.
• Looks significantly different when compared to the outgoing model.
• Expected to be offered with both petrol and diesel engine options.
• If launched in India, expect it to undercut the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna and the Toyota Yaris.

The tenth-gen Nissan Sunny, which was unveiled in 2010 and launched in India in 2011, is getting a bit long in the tooth. Thankfully, Nissan is set to unveil the eleventh generation sedan this year. Set to be showcased on 12 April 2019, the new Nissan Sunny is likely to be launched in the US first, where it is sold as the Nissan Versa.

A heavily camouflaged test mule of the upcoming Sunny was spied recently. The spy images suggest that the new Sunny will continue to be a long compact sedan like the current model and offer generous legroom for rear passengers. In its current generation, the Sunny is 4455mm long, making it longer than all compact sedans barring the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (4490mm).

In terms of design, the new Sunny will look different from the current model and is likely to be more in line with the likes of the new-gen Micra and Altima, both of which are not available in India. Given its upswept headlamps and the coupe-ish roofline, the design appears to be modern at first glance, much like that of the current-gen Hyundai Verna. The rear also looks similar to the current Verna, especially with those pointy tail lamps.

From what is visible in the spy shots, the cabin layout of the new Sunny might just be similar to the global-spec Kicks and the Euro-spec Micra. It gets a touchscreen infotainment system that is housed inside the dash while the AC vents take the top spot in the central console. The India-spec Kicks, on the other hand, gets a floating touchscreen infotainment screen flanked by the central AC vents.

Pictured: Euro-spec Nissan Micra

Like before, the Sunny is expected to share its platform with the Euro-spec Micra, which is based on an updated version of Nissan’s V-platform. The current-gen India-spec Sunny and Micra are also based on the V-platform.

Under the bonnet, the new Sunny is likely to get Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance’s brand new 3-cylinder turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine - the 1.0-litre IG-T 100PS. The 1.0-litre 3-cyl turbo-petrol (1.0-litre DIG-T 117 PS) that was recently introduced on the Euro-spec Micra can’t be ruled out either. While IG-T can be had with a 5-speed manual or Nissan’s Xtronic CVT, the DIG-T is only available with a 6-speed manual for now.

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Given that the Sunny is a competitively-priced car in most of the markets where it is offered, expect the current engines to be on offer as well. So, as far as the diesel engine is concerned, it should get the updated 1.5-litre K9K engine that powers the new Micra. This engine is also expected to make its debut in India with the next-gen Duster.

Nissan India is yet to confirm if the new Sunny will be offered here. We expect the Japenese carmaker to bring the new sedan here eventually, especially since the current version is now one of the oldest sedans in its segment and has not been doing too well on the sales chart either. Where other compact sedans like the Ciaz, City and Verna have an average monthly sales of around 3,000 units, the Sunny’s average monthly sales are below 50 units. The current-gen Sunny is priced between Rs 6.99 lakh and Rs 9.93 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) in India.

Also Read: Maruti Ciaz 1.5 Diesel Launched; Priced From Rs 9.97 Lakh

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