Nissan’s upcoming mid-size SUV borrows cues from the Patrol and shares its platform with the new Renault Duster.
Nissan has shared teaser photos of the Tekton ahead of its scheduled debut on July 9th next month. Although the global premiere of this Renault Duster-derived SUV was originally planned for February, the company decided to postpone the launch until the middle of the year. Positioned within the intense mid-size SUV market, the Nissan Tekton is set to challenge prominent competitors such as the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Kia Seltos, and Hyundai Creta. Not to mention, it will also go up against the Renault Duster, an SUV the Tekton shares its underpinnings with.
Design
As we have seen in previous and current teasers, the Tekton is heavily inspired by Nissan’s flagship SUV, the Nissan Patrol. The linked LED headlamps, alongside prominent ‘TEKTON’ branding across the hood and rear hatch, have been teased before. What’s new in the latest teaser is the red accent stretching across the entire front grille. Things that are similar to the Duster are the pull-type door handles up front and C-pillar-mounted door handles in the rear. Multi-spoke alloy wheels and the black cladding around the wheel arches complete the SUV look.
Drivetrain
The Nissan Tekton will get the Renault-sourced naturally aspirated 1.0-litre, 100 bhp, and 163 bhp 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine options, sending power to the front wheels. Similar to the Renault Duster’s configuration, a 6-speed manual transmission is available for both engines on sale, while the 7-speed DCT automatic remains exclusive to the turbo-petrol variant. Hybrid powertrains might be introduced later in the year once Nissan can get an idea of the product mix.
Pricing and Competition
Nissan will price the Tekton in the INR 10 lakh – INR 18 lakh range. This will squarely put it up against the Renault Duster, which operates in this range. Apart from the Duster, the competition list in the mid-sized SUV segment is long and includes the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Tata Sierra, Skoda Kushaq, and Volkswagen Taigun. Nissan will be entering a highly competitive segment, and the Tekton is a promising product, but will it be able to change the fortunes of Nissan in India? Watch this space.
