Datsun Go revealed

Nissan's reborn budget brand Datsun has taken the covers off its first new vehicle in more three decades, the Go.

Nissan-Renault supremo Carlos Ghosn unveiled the new compact five-door hatchback at a special event at the ritzy Kingdom of Dreams resort in New Delhi, ahead of the production model's launch in India early 2014.

"We've created a distinctive new look and feel," said Ghosn of the Datsun Go. "Like the original Dat-Go car, it allows drivers to go anywhere with comfort and peace of mind. It's strong and durable".

The Nissan chief said the new model will bring "worry free car ownership" to motorists in emerging markets.

First teased in sketches in early July, the new Datsun Go shows off an angular, modern look that belies its budget positioning.

The production-ready Datsun Go is expected to make its public debut at the Delhi Auto Expo in February 2014.

Only a handful of features were confirmed at the car's Bollywood-inspired launch, but Carlos Ghosn did confirm the Datsun Go would be offered with a "mobile docking station" that would let owners connect smartphones and devices to car's audio system.

Generally speaking the car is expected to be a utilitarian affair, with only rudimentary safety and convenience features to keep costs down. For example there's no glovebox.

To be priced from below $7300 (400,000 rupees) to compete directly with the Tata Nano in its debut market of India, the Datsun Go will also rival vehicles such as the Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai i10.

Between them Suzuki and Hyundai control around two-thirds of all passenger car sales in India. Datsun wants a slice of the pie, and it sees the new Go as its meal ticket.

The affordable new model is powered by the same 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine as the Nissan Micra and sits on the same platform, and will be paired to a manual gearbox. The sharing of hardware is one of the ways in which Datsun is keeping manufacturing -- and retail -- costs down.

The new Datsun Go will also be sold in growth markets such as India, South Africa, Indonesia and Russia.

Reflecting the importance of these markets to Datsun, Ghosn confirmed three new models be revealed in due course.

"Other Datsun models will be unveiled later this year in Indonesia and Russia, and next year in South Africa," he said. "Our forthcoming Datsun products will pay tribute to the brands heritage."

The new models will be designed and developed to appeal to growth demographics in emerging markets, such as burgeoning middle-class India and Indonesia.

However, Nissan Australia's General Manager of Corporate Communications, Peter Fedayev, said that the Datsun brand won't return to Australia.

"There are no plans to launch Datsun in Australia," said Fedayev, who pointed out that Nissan's growth in Australia was double that of the market average.

The local Nissan PR chief said a budget brand such as Datsun was not necessary because "Nissan's current and future model catalogues are well suited to meet the needs of local buyers".

There is the possibility of badge-engineering in the future, however, with Nissan badges replacing Datsun, since Nissan doesn't want to dilute its brand in established markets by introducing what will be bare-bones vehicles.

The Datsun badge was originally axed in 1981, replaced globally by Nissan badges.

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