Nissan Sunny facelift to be launched in India on July 3

Nissan has announced that the facelifted Sunny will be launched in India on July 3. The car was unveiled earlier this year at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo and gets a host of cosmetic updates inspired by the other cars in the Nissan line-up making it look more modern and contemporary than its predecessor.

The new Sunny’s front fascia gets visual updates like a chrome garnished trapezoid grille, massive boomerang-shaped headlamps and new bumpers. The rear bootlid has been reworked and now features a small bootlid spoiler with a stoplight. 

The new Sunny will be offered in no less than eight variants. Nissan hasn’t skimped on safety features either. There’s front and side airbags, ABS with EBD, brake assist and immobiliser on the top-spec variant. Even the entry-level variants get driver airbag and ABS with EBD as standard.

The new Sunny will be powered by two engine and transmission options. While the petrol powered variants will feature a 1.5-litre engine producing 98bhp of power, the diesel variants will get a 1.5-litre dCi unit which is currently found in a variety of models from Nissan and Renault. The petrol powered Sunny will be available with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT gearbox. The diesel model, however, only gets the 5-speed manual unit.

The previous Nissan Sunny was highly acclaimed for its spacious cabin and an efficient engine but this never translated into good sales figures. The car was too conservatively styled and was never considered as a serious contender in the C-Segment. With the new facelifted car though, Nissan has added the extra flair that its predecessor lacked. We expect the new car to demand an extra premium of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 over the current car. It will compete with other C-Segment sedans like the Honda City, Volkswagen Vento, Hyundai Verna, Renault Scala, Ford Fiesta, Fiat Linea and the Maruti Suzuki SX4.