- Nissan EM2 styling to be inspired by Kicks and Juke.
- Nissan EM2 might also feature connected car tech.
- Nissan EM2 to get a new 1.0L turbo petrol motor; no diesel as of now.
Nissan has announced the launch of an all-new sub 4-meter SUV for the Indian market. It has released a teaser image of the future SUV with tentative launch timeline of September 2020. Being codenamed as EM2, it will take on the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon, and Mahindra XUV300. It was also confirmed that the Japanese automaker will phase out the Datsun brand completely from India by 2022 end or early 2023.
Going by the teaser image, it is confirmed that new Nissan sub 4-meter SUV will have identical design as the Kicks crossover. It won't feature a more upright styling like the Vitara Brezza or Venue. The teaser image reveals that it will have a floating roofline with contrasting paint options. The styling cues are inspired from the second-generation Nissan Juke which is sold in several international markets. Nissan EM2 will share platform with the upcoming Renault HBC which will also debut by end of 2020. Both the small SUVs are believed to be underpinning the CMF-A architecture, which already does duties to the Triber MPV.
The cabin is expected to be similar to the other company products with several latest features. However, Nissan might well also offer some sort of connected car technology too with the SUV. Mechanically, it will pack a new BS 6 compliant 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol powerplant which is codenamed as HR10. It will be available with either a 5-speed manual or an AMT gearbox while there is no buzz of a diesel powertrain with the new SUV. Earlier, the EM2 was supposed to be introduced under the Datsun brand but now the parent company Nissan is in process of pulling the plug on Datsun brand in a phased manner as it is nonperforming. Hence, all future products planned for Datsun would only be launched under Nissan moniker itself.
