Nissan small cars to launch under Datsun nameplate

Nissan’s Datsun car brand is set for a comeback, more than 30 years after it was phased out. The Datsun nameplate will now be used to sell low-cost small cars in India, Indonesia and Russia from 2014. Update 25/04/2013: Datsun reveals new face for entry-level cars in India

The Datsun cars for India will be manufactured locally and tailored to suit local tastes and conditions. Nissan hasn’t divulged details regarding specific models it plans to launch here under the Datsun badge but the pricing is expected to be under Rs 5 lakh which would give Maruti and Hyundai a serious run for their money in the entry-level hatchback segment.

“Datsun is an important part of the heritage of Nissan,” said Ashwani Gupta, program director of Nissan’s newly-created Datsun Business Unit. “We will offer our customers in India modern and spirited cars that they will be happy and proud to own—at an affordable price.”

Nissan’s plan of launching affordable hatchbacks in India is nothing new. In September 2011, ZigWheels carried a report stating Nissan’s intentions of rolling out sub-Rs 5 lakh small cars in the country in the next three years. Announcing Datsun’s revival has cleared the air regarding how Nissan plans to go about achieving that.

L-R: Kiminobu Tokuyama, MD & CEO, Nissan Motor India, Ashwani Gupta,Program Director, Control Corporate Plan Group, Datsun Business Unit and Dinesh Jain, Hover Automotive India (Nissan’s Sales, After sales, Marketing & Dealer Development Partner) at the unveiling of the Datsun brand in India

The Datsun brand traces its roots to 1918 when it was named Kaishinsha Motor Car Works in Tokyo, Japan. With demand for passenger cars scarce, its initial years were spent making trucks (for the military mostly). Over the years, it underwent a series of name changes before the name Datsun was finally adopted in 1931.

Datsun went on to make a big name for itself in Japan during the pre-World War II era. But in America, it was only during the late Sixties that it entered the Ivy League of automotive manufacturers with the Datsun 240Z (or Fairlady Z) sports coupe. The 240Z became a rage in the U.S. when it was launched in 1969. It was fast, fun and extremely affordable.

In India, too, Datsun is not an entirely unheard of name. One used to see plenty of Datsun subcompact sedans (and coupes as well) on city roads way back in the Eighties. Of course, the new crop of Datsun cars headed for India will be nothing like its predecessors. They will be more modern, compact and, as promised, easy on your wallet. Did someone say, good things come in small package? We sure hope so.