Brand New Datsuns!

[PranK]

Yeah man, brand new Datsuns!

This is slightly old news, but I only just found out about it.

July 15, 2013

Datsun is Back with All-New Datsun GO for the New Risers

Datsun is back; new Datsun GO unveiled in New Delhi, India.

Datsun GO is the first Datsun car for the 21st century.

Developed locally, Datsun GO will also be locally produced.

Datsun is the third Nissan Motor Company's brand.

Datsun stands for Dream, Access and Trust (D.A.T.).

Delhi, India (July 15, 2013) — Datsun today unveiled the first new Datsun car for the 21st century. The all-new Datsun GO will be on sale in India in early 2014.

Datsun GO

The Datsun GO is the realization of the commitment made by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in March 2012 to return the Datsun brand to the marketplace. Datsun is the third brand for the Nissan Motor Company along with the company's Nissan and Infiniti brands. Datsun will play an important role in the Nissan Power 88 mid-term business plan.

“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, when unveiling the car.

The five-door, front-wheel drive hatchback will come with a 1.2 liter engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission that offers optimal response time and agility in congested traffic.

With comparatively compact body dimensions (width – 1635mm; height – 1485mm; length– 3785mm), the car is spacious inside thanks to a wide stance and large wheelbase (2450mm), and offers ample headroom and an expanded front seating configuration. It will be a reliable partner for families, providing comfort to five occupants and agility in congested traffic.

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.

Datsun GO is expected to be “a category up" in its price range, attractively priced below INR 400,000.

This all-new car has been built to meet the needs of recent rising group of optimistic customers in high-growth markets who seek better value propositions. These are people who want transportation that supports their everyday needs, but that also fulfills their dreams and ambitions for a better tomorrow. They are literally “on the move." They want to GO further, so the name of the car reflects this aspiration.

The name of the new car is inspired by the first Datsun, the DAT-GO, launched almost a century ago in Japan. Back then the cars brought mobility to people who had never dreamed of car ownership before. The reignited Datsun brand and the Datsun GO will bring a similar combination of aspiration and trustworthiness.

Datsun GO is high-quality, stylish and modern, delivering an engaging driving experience. The overall Datsun customer offer will include a worry-free ownership experience, competitive total cost, accessible services, with transparent pricing, and dealership proximity.

“When a customer buys his first new car in countries like India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa, first he dreams about it. To realize the dream, customers need to have access, feel a sense of belonging towards the Brand. Also, as this purchase will represent a significant part of their disposal income, it is important for them to have full trust in the brand and the product. So Dream, Access and Trust are key values for which the Datsun brand stands now," said Vincent Cobee, who leads Datsun.

Datsun models will be individually developed for different markets, but the concept will follow a common inspiration. Datsun GO will be the first of several Datsun models that will be launched later in 2014 in Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.

While Nissan Motor's Global design center in Japan was responsible for the Datsun GO styling, R&D and engineering development for the project were entrusted to local engineering resources and suppliers to ensure the product would suit local market conditions, preferences, tastes and needs, and would be accessible in terms of price and supply. The project development was of course backed by the full assurance of the global Japanese car manufacturer's accumulated expertise and quality assurance.

Datsun GO will be produced at one of the newest Renault-Nissan Alliance factories at Oragadam, in Chennai.

More information will be available closer to the start of sales.

About Datsun

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced the return of the Datsun brand, Nissan's third global brand, alongside Nissan and Infiniti, in March 2012. Datsun will provide a sustainable motoring experience to optimistic up-and-coming customers in high-growth markets. Datsun represents 80 years of accumulated Japanese car-making expertise and is an important part of Nissan's DNA. Datsun vehicles will start sales in India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa from 2014.

Datsun History

Datsun originated in Japan as DAT-GO (the DAT-car) almost a century ago in 1914. The word DAT means ‘lightning-fast' in Japanese but is also a reference to the first letters of family names of the three financiers who supported the business at the time: Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi. Using the same logic, it was promoted as Durable, Attractive and Trustworthy, or DAT for short.

In 1933, Nissan's founding father Yoshisuke Aikawa took over the business with a vision of “mobility for all". The introduction of a light-weight, economical yet resilient car to meet the aspirations of young Japanese people in the early 1930s was named the ‘son of DAT' – Datson - which later changed to Datsun. Local engineering and mass-production made the founder's dream a reality.

I love the 'Datsun History' at the end.

Source

[Ants]

Sweet.

I love them ol school cars - although this would be new

Datto 1600 to make a return

Yeah, probably not.

Lol at DAT = lightning fast

[PranK]

Sweet.

I love them ol school cars - although this would be new

Datto 1600 to make a return

Yeah, probably not.

Lol at DAT = lightning fast

I love dattos, but yeah this one is new and I think Nissan are aware it wouldnt sell here. Its going to India and South Africa instead.

While I don't want to make any assumptions ... "The five-door, front-wheel drive hatchback will come with a 1.2 liter engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission that offers optimal response time and agility in congested traffic." does not sound "Lightening Fast".

[Yo-Yo]

at least I'll have some new gen datsun badges to slap on my s30z

[mad082]

I'm always amused when people get excited about the return of a brand or model name. And pretty much everytime a name is brought back people get upset that it isn't just a new version of the old version. Or that get upset that a name gets scrapped, despite the fact that there is still essentially the same car being made. When Nissan scrapped the pulsar name for the tida name is a prime example. The pulsar fanboys got upset. Then they got all excited when it was announced that it was coming back (despite the fact that the platform was always there, just with a different name). And then got more excited when the sss was announced, and then were disappointed when it wasn't something super sporty, or didn't have the now massively outdated sr20.

Sure datsun may make a return, but they will never be like the iconic cars of old. Emissions standards, safety standards and general consumer expectations of spec (aircon, air bags, cruise control, abs, efficiency, comfort, etc) all mean that the car will always mean that new cars are nothing like their relatively prehistoric predecessors.

[Cowboy1600]

This better carry a Datsun badge:

http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/nissan-idx-is-return-of-the-datsun-1600-video-23131#.U5hGE_mSx8E

I literally buy one tomorrow if I could. Instead I will likely be purchasing a new SSS Pulsar sometime in the next fortnight...

[niZmO_Man]

This better carry a Datsun badge:

http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/nissan-idx-is-return-of-the-datsun-1600-video-23131#.U5hGE_mSx8E

I literally buy one tomorrow if I could.

This!

Nissan are taking a bit too long for this.

[djr81]

I'm always amused when people get excited about the return of a brand or model name. And pretty much everytime a name is brought back people get upset that it isn't just a new version of the old version. Or that get upset that a name gets scrapped, despite the fact that there is still essentially the same car being made. When Nissan scrapped the pulsar name for the tida name is a prime example. The pulsar fanboys got upset. Then they got all excited when it was announced that it was coming back (despite the fact that the platform was always there, just with a different name). And then got more excited when the sss was announced, and then were disappointed when it wasn't something super sporty, or didn't have the now massively outdated sr20.

Sure datsun may make a return, but they will never be like the iconic cars of old. Emissions standards, safety standards and general consumer expectations of spec (aircon, air bags, cruise control, abs, efficiency, comfort, etc) all mean that the car will always mean that new cars are nothing like their relatively prehistoric predecessors.

I dont understand. Datsun was a shit brand. Their cars were awful. Why the nostalgia? I mean maybe the Z, but that lives anyway and maybe the 1600 but everything else was rubbish. 120Y, 180B, 200B, Bluebird, the list goes on. All shite. The brand died because it was a joke. For years people would take the piss out of a Nissan by calling it a Datsun. Still do, in fact.

[PranK]

I'm not a Datsun fan. I like a few cars like the 1200 ute and the Z's, but they dont make my knees wobble like a lot of other cars.

What I find interesting about this is that they are returning to a brand that died roughly 25 years ago (88 ish?) rather than create something new. In the last 25 years, all Japanese manufacturers have created 'luxury' brands; Infiniti, Lexus, Eunos. But none of them have created a budget brand. Now, Nissan (or, Renault) is reviving a name that has been dead and that doesn't really stand with its head high. Datsuns were Datsuns. I appreciate that creating a new brand has marketing and gov't registration connotations, but maybe it would have been the better option?

VW has Audi for the luxury and Skoda for the budget.

[GTR-N1]

Even on my new Datsun 1600, it still carried a Nissan Motor Corp. plate.

It was Prince that was separate wasn't it, until taken over by Nissan? I might be wrong.

[Cowboy1600]

I dont understand. Datsun was a shit brand. Their cars were awful. Why the nostalgia? I mean maybe the Z, but that lives anyway and maybe the 1600 but everything else was rubbish. 120Y, 180B, 200B, Bluebird, the list goes on. All shite. The brand died because it was a joke. For years people would take the piss out of a Nissan by calling it a Datsun. Still do, in fact.

Have you owned a Datsun?

Edited June 16, 2014 by Cowboy1600