Nissan has started the production of the upcoming Magnite compact SUV at the brand’s Oragadam plant, the Magnite could see a market launch in India by the end of 2020. NissanMagnite SUV, and as mentioned before is the most important model for the brand in India. Nissan’s plant in India will not just build the Magnite for the local market but the made-in-India SUV will be exported and sold in markets like Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and South Africa. The company is expected to have the Magnite in its Indian showrooms by mid-December and a price announcement could take place around the same time period.

The Nissan Magnite is based on the company’s CMF-A+ platform, an evolution of what you would find underpinning the Renault Kwid and Triber. Styled with the same edgy creases and bold lines as the Nissan Kicks,  the Magnite has a crossover-like stance. At the front, the new Nissan Magnite gets a trapezoid-shaped grille, which is surrounded by a silver; finished bezel and large L-shaped DRLs that look very Datsun. Below the grille, you get a one-piece black plastic panel and a faux skid plate right below that.

The sides have been designed to accentuate the Magnite’s sporty character. There is a floating-type roof effect, blacked-out ORVMs, gloss back cladding over the wheel arches, chrome handlebars, blacked-out side skirts with silver inserts, a ground clearance of 204mm, and 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels. The Magnite gets extremely pronounced tail lamps with LED lighting that are designed to extend all the way to the rear quarter panels. There is also a blacked-out spoiler, a pronounced lip, blacked-out bumpers with silver inserts, and a silver-plated faux skid plate.

The Magnite will be getting the roomiest of cabin spaces with features like an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in voice recognition, 360-degree cameras, Nissan Connect that offers 50+ features (geofence, roadside assistance, smartwatch connectivity, etc.), and cruise control being part of the package.  You get a dual-tone theme with stitched-fabric seats, wide hexagonal air condition vents that sits right on the top of the dashboard, and an all-digital 7-inch TFT instrument cluster for the driver.

Nissan says the Magnite will get a plethora of safety features which include dual airbags, Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) for safer manoeuvering in tight spaces, Hill Start Assist (HAS), Traction Control, Anti-Roll bar, and ABS with EBD. Magnite also claims to have the best-in-class turning radius of 5.0m.

The Nissan Magnite will be powered by a choice of two engine-and-gearbox options. There will be a 72 bhp, 1.0-litre naturally aspirated, three-cylinder petrol engine available with manual, and there’ll also be a 95 bhp 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo petrol unit that’ll get manual and a segment-first CVT automatic transmission options.  There won’t be any diesel engine on offer. The upcoming Nissan Magnite will rival the likes of Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Ford Ecosport, Suzuki Vitara Brezza, and Tata Nexon