Nissan releases official sketch of Terrano, it's Duster-based SUV

Without an iota of doubt, compact Sports Utility Vehicles are the flavour of the season in India. Manufacturers who have a model or two competing in that segment are enjoying all-time high popularity while those who don't are battling against time to bring one out at the earliest. One manufacturer who seems to be having it easy at the moment is Nissan, the Japanese brand that is operating in India through a joint-venture with Renault. We need not have to tell you that it was Renault and its Duster that has renewed the interest we Indians had in Sports Utility Vehicles. It is quite obvious, as the Duster has turned out to be a stupendous success and has single-handedly transformed Renault's fortunes in India. Now, Nissan is looking for a share of that pie too!

Confirming reports that has been circulating in the media for some time now, Nissan has officially announced that the new Duster-based SUV would be called the 'Terrano'.  By doing so, Nissan is resurrecting a nameplate that was once popular in it's portfolio but discontinued later. That makes us think that Nissan might be looking beyond India for the Terrano, but let's put those speculations on the back-burner for now. An official sketch of the Terrano was also revealed, indicating a significantly-redesigned front end that brings the model in line with other Nissan SUVs around the world. We are delighted to know that as the Terrano is not just going to be a 'Renault-logo replaced with Nissan-logo' model atleast from the outside. To save costs, the interiors and power-train are expected to be carried over from the Duster.

Nissan has also indicated that the Terrano would be launched later this year and would be positioned at a premium compared to the Duster, its donor model. That's understandable, as Renault would not want the 'better-looking' Terrano to overshadow Duster's popularity. When Renault launched the 're-badged and slightly redesigned' Sunny and Micra from the Nissan stable as Pulse and Scala, they priced them at a premium over the Nissan models for the same reason. Doing so helped Renault gain foothold in India and helped them fill the showrooms until the Duster was launched. Now, its time for Renault to return the favour to Nissan.

Under the leadership of Mr. Carlos Ghosn, Nissan and Renault have been good partners internationally that extended to India when the duo stepped into the country. The Renault-Nissan Alliance plant in Chennai currently churns out models for both brands for the domestic and international markets. Beyond facility-sharing, the relationship between the two brands also extends into product-sharing, which is quite evident from the Micra-Pulse, Sunny-Scala and Duster-Terrano stories.

With the Micra and Sunny doing just moderate numbers and the Evalia failing miserably, Nissan would be itching to make a meal out of the Terrano in India. But, will the Terrano be that one big hit that Nissan is desperately looking for in India?  That and many other things are going to depend on how Nissan prices and positions the Terrano. We are keeping our fingers crossed.