Almost every year, around the same time, we usually get price hike announcements. But the year 2020 has spared no one. Courtesy of the COVID-19 outbreak, economies have suffered on a global level. India, too, is and has been facing the grunt. The automobile industry, which is one of the country’s biggest employers, is severely affected. And that’s why upward price revisions at the turn of the year were more than just expected.

The latest to join that bandwagon is Nissan Motor India. It has announced that from January 2021, all Nissan and Datsun models will receive a price hike by up to 5 per cent. The main reason for this decision is to counterbalance the impact of increased input costs. The revision will also see Nissan take away the Magnite’s introductory price list, starting at Rs 4.99 lakh. Other companies which have announced price hikes from next month include Maruti Suzuki, Ford, BMW and Audi.

Under the Nissan umbrella, we currently have the Kicks and Magnite SUVs. The former model, which has the most powerful petrol engine in the segment, competes directly with SUVs like Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and the Renault Duster. As for the Magnite, its incredibly competitive price list means it not only rivals other subcompact SUVs, such as the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and Mahindra XUV300, but also gives hatchbacks like the Toyota Glanza, Honda Jazz and Tata Altroz a run for their money.

With the Datsun badge, Nissan Motor India sells three models – the Redi-Go, Go and Go+. While the latter two come with a 1.2-litre petrol engine and a CVT option (Continuously Variable Transmission), the Redi-Go is a rival for its step-sibling – the Renault Kwid – and the Maruti Suzuki Alto. Nissan has withdrawn the Datsun brand from several markets. What holds for it in India? Only time will tell.