Datsun Relaunched as Dacia of the East with New GO Supermini [w/Videos]

Datsun is back some three decades after Nissan came to the decision that it would be to its best interest to kill the name in the early 1980s. Now, Datsun is starting afresh as the third Nissan Motor Company’s brand after Nissan and Infiniti as a maker of low-cost vehicles – think of it as the Japanese equivalent of the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s Dacia brand.

The first new Datsun is the Go supermini that was unveiled today in the flesh in New Delhi, India. Developed and manufactured locally, the new Datsun hatch will first go on sale in India early next year priced below INR 400,000 (US$6,700 / €5,100) with more markets to follow later in the year, including Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.

Nissan pointed out that Datsun models will be “individually developed for different markets, but the concept will follow a common inspiration”.

“This is an historic day for Nissan Motor Company and for our customers and partners in some of the world’s fastest-growing markets. It’s also an exciting moment for many women and men here in India who – today – come one step closer to realizing the dream of purchasing a car,” said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor President and CEO.
Although not mentioned in the release, the Go is structurally based on the Nissan Micra, which is also built in India. The two cars share the same wheelbase length at 2,450mm, with the Go being 3,785mm long, 1,635mm wide and 1,485mm tall. The five door hatch will come with a 1.2 liter petrol engine paired to a five-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels.

We’ll end our quick tour of the car with a funny quote from Datsun’s release, one that sums up what the Go is all about: “For those customers never wanting to part with their favorite music and pictures Datsun GO will offer a very practical solution – Mobile Docking Station to connect with their smartphones.”

Live Datsun GO Photos courtesy of MotorBeam (thanks to Faisal Kahn!)

PHOTO GALLERY