Launched on December 2, 2020, the Nissan Magnite shocked the automobile world with an aggressive price list. That, as announced by the carmaker back then, would hold until the end of the month. The good news is that Nissan has decided to offer the Magnite at introductory prices until further notice. The only variant which has received a price hike is the entry-level XE. That, at Rs 5.49 lakh, now costs Rs 50,000 more than before.

Nissan says that it has received more than 32,800 bookings for the Magnite and over 1.8 lakh enquiries since the car’s launch. To bring down the waiting period, which stretches up to three months, the carmaker has onboarded 1,000 plus workforce. The added employees will help start the third shift of production and bolster the frontline team that handles customer requests and enquiries.

Rounding off the Magnite’s first-month performance is a report from ASEAN NCAP. That’s the New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian Countries. The guys crash-tested the subcompact SUV in question and awarded it a four-star safety rating. Sure, it isn’t the best-in-class. But, if you rope in the price factor, you can’t ask for more.

With all those achievements in its report card, the Magnite is bound to gain even more attention than before. Thanks to the price list, which tops out at Rs 9.59 lakh, the Magnite competes with other sub-4 metre SUVs, hatchbacks and sedans. The only real chink in Magnite’s armour is the unavailability of a diesel engine. And going by Nissan India’s tactics, no one expects that to change. Renault, which is in alliance with Nissan, will adopt the same strategy to enter the subcompact SUV space with the Kiger. Expect that to hit the showrooms by the end of the 2021’s first quarter. Are you looking forward to that? Or, would you rather have something else from the same segment?