The all-new Datsun GO will be on sale in India in early 2014. The Datsun GO is the realisation of the commitment made by Nissan in March 2012 to return the Datsun brand to the marketplace. Datsun is the third brand for the Nissan Motor Company along with the company's Nissan and Infiniti brands.
Datsun will play an important role in the Nissan Power 88 midterm business plan.
"This is an historic day for Nissan Motor Company and for our customers and partners in some of the world’s fastest-growing markets," said Carlos Ghosn, president and chief executive officer of Nissan Motor. "It’s also an exciting moment for many women and men here in India who come one step closer to realising the dream of purchasing a car."
The five-door, front-wheel drive hatchback will come with a 1,2 litre engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission. With comparatively compact body dimensions the car is spacious inside thanks to a wide stance and large wheelbase and offers ample headroom and an expanded front seating configuration.
For those customers never wanting to part with their favourite music and pictures Datsun GO will offer a very practical solution - a Mobile Docking Station to connect with their smartphones. Datsun GO is expected to be "a category up" in its price range, attractively priced below R66 500.
The name of the new car is inspired by the first Datsun, the DATGO, launched almost a century ago in Japan. Back then the cars brought mobility to people who had never dreamed of car ownership before.
The re-ignited Datsun brand and the Datsun GO will bring a similar combination of aspiration and trustworthiness.
"When a customer buys his first new car in countries like India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa, first he dreams about it," said Datsun head Vincent Cobee.
"To realise the dream, customers need to have access, feel a sense of belonging towards the Brand.
"Also, as this purchase will represent a significant part of their disposable income, it is important for them to have full trust in the brand and the product. So dream, access and trust are key values for which the Datsun brand stands."
Datsun models will be individually developed for different markets, but the concept will follow a common inspiration. Datsun GO will be the first of several Datsun models that will be launched later in 2014 in Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
While Nissan Motor’s global design centre in Japan was responsible for the Datsun GO styling, R & D and engineering development for the project were entrusted to local engineering resources and suppliers to ensure the product would suit local market conditions, preferences, tastes and needs, and would be accessible in terms of price and supply.
The project development was backed by the full assurance of the global Japanese car manufacturer's accumulated expertise and quality assurance.
Datsun GO will be produced at one of the newest Renault-Nissan Alliance factories at Oragadam, in Chennai. More information will be available closer to the start of sales.
The Datsun is spacious inside and offers ample headroom and an expanded front seating configuration.
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