After the successful commercial debut of the petrol version of its first 'Made In India' compact hatchback- Nissan Micra, Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd (NMIPL) today announced the launch of the 'Diesel' variant starting at Rs 5,58,500 (Ex-showroom Delhi).

''The success of the petrol powered Micra in the domestic market has given us huge confidence to introduce the diesel powered Micra within six months,'' NMIPL Vice President (Product Development and Program Management Office) Satoshi Matsutomi told reporters here.

Positioned in the B+ car segment, the Micra Diesel is powered by a 1.5 litre common rail direct injection K9K diesel engine and comes with a 5 speed manual gearbox.

The diesel version will be available in two variants XV and XV (Premium). While the XV variant is priced at Rs 5,58,500, the XV Premium comes at Rs 6,04,500.

According to the company, the car which will deliver a mileage of 23.08 km/l will be available in 6 different colours.

The company said that it has received more than 8,000 bookings of Micra which includes both the petrol and the diesel variants.

''We have so far received more than 8,000 bookings of Micra which includes both the petrol and the diesel variants,'' said Hover Automotive India Pvt Ltd (HAI) CEO Dinesh Jain.

Nissan India also plans to export the Diesel version to Africa.

Asked whether the company was contemplating a price hike in its products, Mr Jain said that ''there is pressure on the company due to rising input cost and it will make a call soon''.

The company which plans to expand its offerings in the Indian market to 9 products by 2012 has also revamped production at its Chennai facility and has commenced double shift operations to clear the backlogs