Nissan Motor India has tried to silence whispers about its future in the country. Nissan isn’t going anywhere — at least that’s what Managing Director Saurabh Vatsa made clear on May 29, stating that the company remains committed to the Indian market and is moving ahead with its plan to launch three new models between early 2026 and early 2027.
The announcement comes amid market chatter following Nissan's recent divestment in Renault Nissan Automotive India (RNAIPL). Vatsa called such exit rumours “troubling” for both customers and employees, and insisted they were unfounded.
Nissan is preparing to introduce a new multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in the first quarter of 2026, followed by a five-seater SUV by mid-2026 and a seven-seater SUV in early 2027. That’s the plan for now. The firm seems hopeful that this refreshed line-up will help revive its domestic momentum.
Vatsa noted that the Nissan brand carries “higher equity than its current market share”, implying that customer trust and recognition may be stronger than the sales figures suggest. The company appears to be counting on this brand stickiness to boost volumes when the new models hit the road.
Currently, Nissan has just one locally manufactured model in its domestic portfolio — the Magnite SUV. Despite that, it has been averaging close to 30,000 units in annual sales in India for the past five years. According to Vatsa, this shows a certain brand resilience, even if market share hasn’t seen a dramatic spike.
Still, domestic sales in 2024-25 dropped by 7.5% to 27,881 units. But exports seem to be doing the heavy lifting. Nissan’s shipments from India rose by a significant 65.9% year-on-year to 71,334 units in the same period.
Nissan now has its sights set on reaching 100,000 units annually for both domestic sales and exports by financial year 2026-27. Whether that target is realistic or not remains to be seen, especially considering the firm is banking on just three upcoming launches to make it happen.
The company’s focus on exports has grown noticeably stronger, likely as a way to balance out weak domestic figures. Vatsa did not go into too much detail about how Nissan plans to achieve these twin milestones but hinted that a wider product range and brand trust would be key.
