Nissan India is planning to launch a three-row version of Magnite, which won’t be structurally different from the current model
Nissan Magnite was first launched in the Indian market back in December 2020, and it quickly became the best-selling car in the brand’s range here. The manufacturer has been planning to expand its lineup further, to grab a bigger share of our market, and it has been considering adding a 7-seater model to its range.
As per a new report, this upcoming vehicle would be a three-row version of Nissan Magnite. The manufacturer was previously considering launching a rebadged version of Renault Triber in the Indian market, in a similar manner to Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano. However, Terrano never managed to be a success, so this strategy has been shelved.
Building an all-new vehicle would have resulted in massive RnD costs, which would’ve raised the prices high. Using an existing platform to build a new car is a much more efficient strategy in comparison. As Magnite is already quite a successful product, modifying it to be a three-row vehicle could be another potential success story.
It should be noted that Kia India manufactures a three-row version of Sonet, but only for exports. Nissan India might also be mainly eyeing international markets, with a portion of sales coming from domestic sales. Also, like the three-row Sonet, the upcoming three-row Magnite might not see any changes to its dimensions, as per the report.
Keeping the dimensions unaltered would keep the three-row Magnite under four metres in length, qualifying it for a tax break. However, this would also mean that the interior space would be a little compromised. The new model will reportedly get a sliding bench in the second row, which can be moved forwards or backwards to alter legroom in the second and third rows.
The powertrain options will likely be the same as the existing two-row Magnite, consisting of a 1.0-litre NA petrol engine and a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine. Both manual and automatic transmission options will be available. It should be noted that Renault Triber only gets the 1.0L NA petrol mill at the moment, with speculations suggesting that the launch of its 1.0L turbo-petrol version could happen soon.