Nissan has relaunched its Datsun brand with a supermini aimed at emerging markets. The Datsun Go is a small five-door, five-seat hatchback which will initially be sold in India costing “less than” 400,000 Indian rupees (£4400).
The Go is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. It is 3785mm long, 1635mm wide and 1485mm high, endowing it with roughly the same footprint as a Nissan Micra, although the Go is 40mm lower. Its wheelbase is identical to the Micra.
Datsun will offer equipment including an MP3 dock and air-conditioning. However, Indian media reports Datsun is considering introducing a cut-price, entry-level version which could cost as little as 240,000 rupees (£2645). Such a model would cost around £200 more than the most expensive Tata Nano.
The Go has been developed in India and will be locally produced. It is the first of "several" models which will launch in late 2014 in Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
The Go marks the return of Datsun after a 30-year absence and is designed to fill the gap at the lower end of the market, below the cheapest Nissan and Renault models. The relaunch follows Renault’s expansion of the budget Dacia brand.
