From the moment Nissan announced that it will revive its dormant Datsun brand with the goal of conquering emerging markets, we knew that cars like the 240Z were out of the question.
At the time, one CarScoop commentator projected that the new generation of Datsun models “are going to be rebodied Dacias”, which as it turns out, isn’t too far from the truth.
Today, Nissan revealed that the new low-cost Datsun models will share their platform and other underpinnings with Russia’s Lada, which in mid-2014, will pass into the ownership of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
“Datsuns will be built off the new Lada Kalina platform,” Nissan executive vice president Colin Dodge told Autonews Europe.
Dodge (the man, not the brand…) said the cars from the two brands will use a common modular platform with shared components including braking and fuel systems as well as steering mechanicals, noting, however, that “the upper body and interior will be completely different, You won’t notice it as a Lada”.
Datsun will reveal its first two models towards the end of 2013 with sales to start in Russia, India and Indonesia the following year. A third model series will arrive in 2015, while Datsun has plans to expand in other emerging markets as well.
In a previous report, The Wall Street Journal cited several company sources including Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn as stating that Datsuns will have a starting price as low as $3,000 or about €2,300 at the current exchange rates.
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