The News Wheel
No Comments

Nissan Discontinues X-Trail and 370Z in India

Decrease Font Size Increase Font Size Text Size Print This Page

Xtrail and 370Z

Last year, Nissan pulled the plug on the X-Trail SUV and 370Z Coupe in India in favor of pushing their locally manufactured models. The Nissan Micra, Sunny, Evalia, and Terrano are all manufactured in Oragadam, Chennai in India, and thus are tailored towards the unique needs of Indian drivers.

Car ownership in India presents unique needs that may seem otherworldly to American drivers. The streets are crowded with motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws, trucks, and even animals like cows and elephants. We may think our infrastructure is dated in the US, but Indian roads are plagued with potholes and debris. India is also the world leader in traffic deaths due to lax enforcement of traffic laws and limited safety features in vehicles.

Nissan Terrano India

Nissan Terrano

The Nissan Terrano is the latest model designed specifically for India, where the demand for compact SUVs is growing rapidly. Like most cars offered in India today, the Terrano is equipped with a diesel engine and a manual six-speed transmission. It’s not short on tech, however, with an available Bluetooth phone system and power sockets for phone charging. Nissan also puts a high standard on safety in the cars that they sell in India, so the Terrano features front airbags, anti-lock brakes, and a strong unibody construction that’s designed to protect occupants. We may take these for granted in the US now that they’ve been regulated since the 1990s, but these simple features save countless lives.

The Nissan 370Z is manufactured in Japan, so importing it to India to serve a relatively small percentage of the market seems prohibitively unsustainable. The X-Trail was assembled in Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia. As car ownership skyrockets in India, perhaps someday the 370Z will return to Indian roads.