India Emerging as a Lucrative Export Destination for Nissan

India is emerging as one of the major global export hubs for Japanese auto maker Nissan, with the company beginning to ship the left-hand drive version of its compact SUV Magnite to new countries, according to a senior company official. The company, which has commenced shipping 10,000 units of the left-hand drive (LHD) Magnite across various global markets, is considering the introduction of hybrid and CNG vehicles and more models in India, in addition to its already announced lineup for the country, Nissan India Operations President Frank Torres told PTI in an interview.  

He also said the global development regarding Nissan and Honda exploring a possible merger would not affect the company's announced plans for new products, including two mid-size SUV models (one five-seater and one seven-seater) and one electric SUV, and the target of tripling its domestic and export volumes to 1 lakh each per annum by the end of FY26 in India.

"India is moving as one the global export hubs for Nissan...With the start of exports of the left-hand drive version of the Magnite, we will be exporting to a total of 65 countries now, thus becoming one of the highest hubs of export globally for Nissan," Torres said.

Nissan Motor India was exporting to 20 countries earlier, and it will now export to 45 more new countries with the commencement of shipments to left-hand drive countries.

This month, the company plans to export 2,000 units to the Middle East, North Africa and Asia Pacific regions, and over 5,100 units of LHD Magnite to select Latin American markets, including Mexico, with an overall shipment of over 10,000 units of the LHD Magnite by end of February 2025.