Nissan Terrano vs Honda Brio MPV : Battle of two upcoming SUVs
The buying trends in the Indian car market are pretty dynamic as
they keep changing from time to time. Although the demand structure remains the
same fundamentally, small changes keep taking place, giving rise to new
segments. The year 2013, till now, has been really poor for auto makers
operating in India due to the low demand and significant drop in sales.
Surprisingly, the compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment that has really
performed well in India. Till sometime ago, compact SUVs were not so popular in
India, which can be proven by the fact that the Premier Rio was unable to
succeed. However, the launch of the Renault Duster proved to be a game changer
in the Indian car market. Customers loved the Duster for its style, efficiency,
solidarity and suitability for city conditions. Seeing the success of the
Duster, Ford introduced the EcoSport compact SUV, which, literally, took the
market by storm, amassing around 30000 bookings in just 17 days. The success of
the Duster and EcoSport has propelled numerous other car makers to launch their
own compact SUVs. Two compact SUVs that are going to be launched soon in India
are Nissan Terrano and Honda Brio MPV.
Nissan Terrano vs Honda Brio MPV : Battle of two upcoming SUVs
Nissan Terrano, the sibling of the Renault Duster, is expected
to be introduced in India by the end of 2013. According to reports, the Terrano
compact SUV is going to be the last car from the Renault-Nissan badge
engineering alliance. Officials from the alliance have said that it would be
better for both firms this policy was discontinued. The Terrano was officially
unveiled by Nissan in the month of August and received good reviews from
experts and the media. Although no official statement has been released, strong
rumours suggest that the Terrano is going to hit Indian showrooms by October.
The Nissan Terrano has a stylish design that is much more sophisticated and
modern as compared to the Duster. Exteriors of this compact SUV come with
features like heritage grille, headlights surrounded by a sporty bezel, elegant
tail lights, diamond-cut machined alloy wheels. As far as the interiors are
concerned, this utility vehicle boasts of dual-tone beige interiors featuring
leather seats and a black dash for added style and comfort.
The Terrano is going to be available in two engine options
including one diesel and one petrol. Diesel version of the Terrano compact SUV
is going to be equipped with a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The diesel variant of
the Nissan Terrano will have two transmission options, namely 5-speed and
6-speed manual gearboxes. The 5-speed transmission version will produce a power
of around 83 bhp and the 6-speed variant will generate approximately 108 bhp.
In addition, a petrol guise of the Terrano is going to be launched, which will
be equipped with a 1.6-litre engine, churning out around 102 bhp. According to
sources, the Terrano is going to be priced above the Duster due to its added
premium features.
Nissan Terrano vs Honda Brio MPV : Battle of two upcoming SUVs
Honda, virtually, has redefined itself as a brand in the Indian
car market by launching the Amaze compact sedan, its first diesel vehicle.
Hoping to capitalise on the success of the Amaze, the Japanese car maker is
expected to launch the Brio Multi Purpose Vehicle in India, which will compete
against the Terrano. Till now, Honda has only released a sketch of its upcoming
compact SUV, which is expected to hit Indonesian showrooms first. Based on the
Brio platform, this car will have a design similar to the Amaze and according
to sources, could be called the Mobilio. The Japanese car maker has designed
the Brio MPV for developing nations, such as Indonesia, India and Malaysia.
Like India, the compact SUV segment is also rising in Indonesia as well.
This car from Honda is likely to come in both petrol and diesel
engine options along with several technologically advanced features. Industry
experts believe that the success of the Earth Dreams diesel technology is going
to boost the sales of the Brio based MPV. Earlier, it was said that Honda did
not manufacture products for mass buyers, something that the firm has sought to
change in the recent past. Some of the features expected to be included in this
car are power windows, rear wipers, chrome vents, dual interior lamps, central
locking and Anti-lock Braking System. Sources close to this development have
claimed that Honda is likely to adopt an aggressive pricing strategy for the
Brio MPV, just like it did for the Amaze. Honda has made no official statement
regarding the unveiling or the launching of the Brio MPV. However, there are
strong chances that the Honda Brio MPV will be unveiled at the 2014 Auto Expo
in Greater Noida. Though the Nissan Terrano will be launched earlier than the
Brio MPV, the latter is going to be a strong competitor for the former.
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