ASCI Requests Nissan To Update or Remove Advertisements for Nissan Magnite

Nissan Magnite is one of the most attractive offerings in the sub-four-meter SUV segment. It is launched as the most affordable vehicle in its class. Apart from the attractive pricing, Nissan’s effective marketing strategy is also instrumental in the success of the Nissan Magnite. However, Nissan’s marketing plan has met with disapproving reactions from the audience. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has asked Nissan to give a proper response to Mr Kumal Prakash who accused Nissan of falsely advertising the Magnite.

Previously, Nissan has claimed that Nissan Magnite offers the “Best-in-class Wireless Connectivity” for Android Auto and Apple Carplay support, “Best-in-class Fuel Economy”, “Best-in-class Rear Knee Room” and “Best-in-class LED headlights, DRLs and Foglights”. However, according to Mr Kumal Prakash, these claims are false. After receiving this complaint, Nissan issued a detailed official response addressing each and every point of the accusation.

With regards to the Wireless Connectivity system’s claim, Nissan clarified that the Magnite’s system has an upper hand over other competitors as it is the only model in the segment to offer a proper wireless connectivity system. All other rivals, except for the Kia Sonet, are providing Android Auto and Apple Carplay via USB connectivity only.

In defence of the claim of “Best-in-class Fuel Economy”, Nissan assured that the fuel efficiency of 20 kmpl is official result certified by ARAI, and is only applicable for the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol manual variants.

To justify its claim of “Best-in-class Rear Knee Room”, the Japanese carmaker said that they are referring to the B-SUV segment where Nissan Magnite is competing. To back up its claim, Nissan also refers to the specs of other rivals within this segment for comparison.

Nissan Magnite 

In the case of “Best-in-class LED headlights, DRLs and Foglights”, Nissan supported its claim, explaining that the Magnite is equipped with a B-Projector LED Headlamps and a separate L-shaped LED DRLs as well as LED foglights. Nissan Magnite is the only model in its class to offer this combination.

After viewing the printed brochure and advertisement, the Consumer Complains Council (CCC) noted that Nissan had collected data of other models in the segment and compared to their product’s specs without referring to an independent third-party verification. Moreover, while the claims are only true for certain variants, the advertisement only refers to all Nissan Magnite variants in general and does not specify the difference between variants, hence, misleading the customers. As a result, The Consumer Complains Council has concluded that these claims by Nissan are not justified. Accordingly, Nissan has infringed Chapter 1.1 and 1.4 of the ASCI Code. For this reason, ASCI has requested Nissan Motor to made modifications or remove the advertisement. Nissan was given a deadline of February 11, 2021, to do the needful.