Nissan Sunny sedan spotted in Chennai

Nissan is slowly and steadily making inroads as a mainstream automotive manufacturer in India. With just a handful of dealers in major cities, the company is constantly selling around 2000 units of its Micra hatchback every month. And here is proof that Nissan is not planning to stop with that and is getting ready for an assault in the mid-size sedan segment.

On a casual drive off the GST Road in Chennai yesterday evening, I spotted this all-new Nissan Sunny/Versa sedan parked with minimum camouflage. Fresh on the heels of global premiere at the New York Auto Show last week, Nissan is expected to launch this sedan in India by end of this year or early next with the 'Sunny' badge.

Though the taillights and boot lip look similar to those on Swift Dzire, Nissan has managed to do a much better job with the integration of boot unlike the former. The other attractive elements include alloy wheels and the chrome surround over the front grille. Overall, there is nothing catchy nor offensive about the car's design. But, compared to competitors like Fiat Linea and Hyundai Verna, the Sunny definitely has to play catch-up.

The interiors too were very similar to the American version with the slab-like center console taking prime place. Having equipped the Micra with a slew of segment-first features, we can expect Nissan to do the same with the Sunny too. But, will it be enough for Nissan to shake up the segment? Let's wait and see.