Nissan launched its low cost brand Datsun in Russia yesterday with the induction of Datsun on-DO sedan. This would be the first stint of Datsun in Russia, the brand has been introduced in Russia precisely 100 years after first DAT vehicle was manufactured in Japan. Besides Nissan and Datsun, company’s yet another sub-brand Infiniti is also present in Russian automotive industry.
Datsun on-DO sedan will be proffered in four door body style with a capacity to seat five adults comfortably inside. This 4337 mm long, 1700 mm wide and 1500 mm tall sedan will come with a trunk capacity of 530 litres, offering best-in class storage space for luggage.
Datsun will house a sturdy 1.6 litre, petrol engine that generates a maximum power output of 87 Hp. On-Do is expected to be priced below 400,000 Roubles, exact pricing will be revealed at the time of launch. Company has proclaimed that launch will take place during summers; the vehicle will initially be sold at 25 fully-branded dealerships located in vital locations and upheld by Nissan dealer investors. Later the company will inaugurate 75 more outlets by 2016.
Russia is a significant market for Nissan, the company eyes doubling its market share in the country by tripling sales within next three years. Nissan expects Datsun to contribute majorly towards its objective of tripling sales by 2017. Nissan and its alliance partner AVTOVAZ plan to develop an exquisite line-up of Datsun cars which will be not just compatible with driving conditions in Russia but will also possess a modish semblance.
‘On’ in Russian means ‘he’, reflecting the masculine nature of the sedan, on the other hand in Japanese, ‘DO’ means ‘way’ or can also be related to ‘moving’.
Nissan has styled on-DO sedan at its advanced Global Design Center in Japan. Development and engineering was done in Russia by a team of international engineers at AVTOVAZ. The sedan will be manufactured at the company’s AVTOVAZ facility located in Russia.
“In markets where Datsun has been introduced so far, the brand represents modern, attractive, practical and reliable new cars as symbols of freedom and of a newly-found status. The Datsun models are new, no-compromise designs that bring modern levels of engineering, styling and ability within the reach of a new generation of car buyers,” said Vincent Cobee, Corporate vice president and Global Head of Datsun.
“We have thoroughly researched our customers’ needs and aspirations and worked hard to develop cars that are well adapted to the local environment in each market where they will be offered. The result is Datsun models which will bring a refreshing combination of accessible, reliable and enjoyable car ownership attributes to a new generation of up-and-coming customers, whom we call ‘risers,” continued Cobee.
