Sunny = March sedan

[Admin]

Sunny = March sedan
Published: 24/12/2010 at 12:00 AM
Bangkok Post: Newspaper section: Motoring

New four-door saloon unveiled in China is coming to Thailand next year as the next Ecocar.



- Whoa, it looks quite big for an Ecocar...

Yes, but pictures can be deceiving. Rest assured, though, the pictures you see here are official handouts from Nissan. It is the Sunny saloon that was launched in China this week.

Nissan says it will be a global car and it would be called by different names in different countries. Since the Sunny uses the V platform of the March hatchback, it will most likely be called March Sedan when it goes on sale in Thailand next year.

- No wonder the interior looks familiar...

Uh-huh, elements like the circular panel on the centre console, round door handles and air-con vents, steering wheel and gear lever are all shared with the March hatchback.

The exterior looks strikingly different, though, and moves closer to appearance to Nissan's mid-sized saloon like the Teana.

No dimensions were disclosed by Nissan, but expect the March Sedan to be longer than its hatch sibling and rival B-segment cars like the Honda City and Toyota Vios.

- What's the Sunny's power like?

It has a 1.5-litre inline-four petrol engine, coded HR15DE, coming with direct-injection and twin injectors per cylinder. The gearbox is a CVT automatic transferring the 109hp and 148Nm outputs to the front wheels.

- But 1.3-litre is the maximum size for Ecocar?

Spot on. If Nissan Motor Thailand wants to use Ecocar privileges to price the sedan and hatchback variants alike, it has to find a smaller motor than the 1.5-litre.

Of course, there's the option of using the hatchback's 79hp/106Nm 1.2-litre three-cylinder HR12DE and automatic stop/go system to meet the 20kpl and 120g/km requirements set by Ecocar.

However, if the sedan is heavier than the hatchback (which is most likely), Nissan may have to bring forth its all-new HR12DDR to suit economy and carbon dioxide rules.

That's also a 1.2-litre inline-three motor, but it additionally comes with a supercharger and twin-injector technology to boost outputs to 97hp and 143Nm. Its performance should be close to the Sunny's 1.5-litre.

- What if the Thai Nissan boys opt for the 1.5?

Theoretically speaking, they could. But that means no Ecocar benefits and Nissan must be content to go head-to-head with the City and Vios in price terms.

True, Nissan hasn't got a B-sized saloon in Thailand yet. But if they position the March Sedan in the B550,000-700,000 range, it will be too close to the Tiida Latio model range _ unless Nissan will push the all-new replacement of the Tiida upmarket in order to become a proper C-segment car.

But as the March hatchback is designed to undercut other hatches like the Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris by some B100,000, Nissan shouldn't lose the opportunity to do the same with the March Sedan.

Thus, that supercharged 1.2-litre engine seems quite handy.

- Any news of the Tiida replacement?

We first heard that the Tiida won't be made in Thailand anymore. Its peculiar position _ somewhere between B- and C-segment cars _ as well as Nissan's pricing strategy has got buyers somewhat confused.

Then just recently, it came to our knowledge that the Tiida might still be in the reckoning for the Thai market, just that the succeeding model needs to be sized properly as a C-car to rival the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla more effectively.

Make it like this: whatever name the car will be carrying, the new Tiida must be a true C-segment contender. That's the official line from one of our moles.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/auto/autopreview/212912/sunny-march-sedan