After Nissan shut the doors of Datsun in 1986, the company has again come up with their brand Datsun in March. Nissan plans to launch in several countries including India, Indonesia and Russia. Under the head of Datsun, Nissan Motor is aiming to introduce a new hatchback in the Indian auto market, which will deliver a stiff competition to Hyundai Eon and Maruti Suzuki Alto.
The base variant of small car yet to be launched from the platform of Nissan Datsun is likely to be priced slightly more than Rs. 2 lacs, whereas its top model will be tagged with a price of Rs. 4 lacs. Takayuki Ishida, MD and CEO, Nissan India, said that the company is required to produce those cars, which remains parallel with the demands of buyers. Owing to this, the company is planning to launch a hatchback in the Indian market, which will be placed in a competitive price range.
Ishida further said, "The Datsun cars will be launched around the second half of 2014, and we are targeting to showcase them at the Delhi Auto Expo at the beginning of the year. The pricing will be between Rs 2 lacs and Rs 4 lacs. This is the only way we can ensure that the cars are produced at a competitive price. While the development is being done by Nissan, we are seeking a lot of support from companies outside our fold for access to technology and keeping costs low. R&D in India is very competitive and the development of the vehicles will be done in Chennai, apart from Japan. While the platform development work will not happen at Chennai, some parts of the interiors and the exteriors will be done in India."
Datsun was initially introduced by DAT Motors in 1931. During 1933, Nissan Motors took the possession over Datsun, which was then known as Datson. During 1960's, Datsun was a reckoned brand, which was known for offering fast cars, which included Datsun Sports, also known as Datsun Fairlady.
