Nissan Philippines made a subtle change to its lineup last year when it ditched the Juke without any fanfare. The resulting vacancy in the local subcompact crossover category presents an opportunity for the automaker to bring one of its global models here, notably the Magnite.
The Big, Bold, Beautiful Nissan Magnite
Its 2020 launch in India was reportedly so successful, it resulted in a six-month wait list for customers, especially for the base variant. Starting this year, the Nissan Magnite will be exported to other markets such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia.
Closer to home, Nissan’s smallest crossover has also made its ASEAN debut in 2021 and is part of the automaker's lineup in Indonesia, with Brunei following soon. With the first-generation Juke now gone and the Toyota Raize making a formal entry into our market, there’s a slot wide open for the Magnite to occupy within Nissan Philippines’ stable.
The Magnite is marketed as a tech-savvy contender in its class
Despite the Magnite’s modest position in the Nissan hierarchy, it’s marketed as being technologically advanced compared to its rivals. Available features include LED headlamps, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and NissanConnect Services with smartwatch connectivity. The Nissan Around View Monitor’s 360-degree camera array is even offered on the top-spec variant, among other standard safety features that enabled the small crossover to score a respectable four out of five stars in ASEAN New Car Assessment Program (ASEAN NCAP) crash tests.
Propulsion comes in the form of two 1.0-liter gasoline engines, one of which offers turbocharging, with outputs ranging from 71 to 97 horsepower and up to 160 Nm of torque. Transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox and Nissan’s X-tronic CVT. While the numbers alone make it easy to underestimate the Magnite, it can lay claim to being tested at Nissan’s Tochigi proving grounds in Japan, the same facility where the GT-R and 2023 Nissan Z sports cars were forged.
An Around View Monitor is available as part of the Magnite's safety features
More importantly, the Magnite’s small size benefits from lower excise taxes imposed by the Indian government on cars, which could translate to an affordable price point in our market. This is an important consideration over the second-generation Juke, which is now exclusively assembled in the U.K. and will predictably entail a steeper price tag.
The base Magnite variant in India starts at INR 5.76 lakh (around Php 393,000), with the top-spec variant going for INR 1,015,000 (Php 692,000). What do you think? Should Nissan Philippines rejoin the subcompact crossover slugfest with the Magnite?
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Know more about Nissan Magnite 2024
The Magnite from Japanese automaker Nissan is a subcompact crossover that first debuted globally in October 2020. It was then introduced in the Indian market in late 2020. The Nissan Magnite has been received well by the Indian market as Nissan managed to acquire 5,000 orders within just five days after its launch. The Japanese automaker wants to replicate the Magnite’s positive sales performance in India to the ASEAN market as it launched the said subcompact car in Indonesia. Nissan said that the Magnite takes its name from the words “magnetic” and “ignite.”
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