[Mr.Boss]

Entry level car from Nissan (with Datsun badge) is a welcome move and if it comes with a diesel heart, no doubt it will turn the market upside down (with proper pricing too)

OT: Are we about to see another Micra with Datsun badge after the launch of their new model?

[Mpower]

Not sure what the plan is for the brand!

If I had to guess, stripped out VFM versions of the Micra/Sunny in the mould of the Etios/Liva.

[HorsPwr]

It is always good to have competition within a segment. It eventually will benefit the consumers. If the target audience is the middle-class first-time car buyer, then I bet this wont be a bad move given the dominance of Maruti over years in India.

[ashutoshb]

Originally Posted by indivic

ACI reported a few months ago as part of the Confidential column that Nissan would use the Micra K11 as base for a low cost car.

File:Nissan Micra (K11) front.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
File:Nissan Micra (K11) back.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In a more recent article ACI says:

For India, two Datsun hatchbacks are planned, both of which will slot below the Nissan Micra. The first model is a Rs. 4 lakh hatchback (code: K2) which is based on the two-generation old K11 Nissan Micra. Believed to incredibly spacious for its size the K2 will feature an all-new ‘top hat’ and will come with a 1-litre petrol engine. A cheaper Rs 3 lakh model (code: I2) is also being developed to compete with the Maruti Alto. The I2 which is being developed by Ashok Leyland is likely to be shared with Renault as well.
Source: Revived Datsun coming to India - News - Autocar India

Don't really know if this is what Datsun lovers were hoping for.

What it looks like, the new Datsuns will be cheap budget hatchbacks, based on phased out but proven Renault / Nissan platforms. They aspire to offer Micra type build quality at Indica price.

[Monaro CV8]

Looks like they are going the VAG way. Similar to VW-Audi-Skoda group, now we have Renault-Nissan-Datsun. Group therapy at its best

Each brand caters to a specific market. It works here in the Indian market.

[~~h]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Not sure what the plan is for the brand!

If I had to guess, stripped out VFM versions of the Micra/Sunny in the mould of the Etios/Liva.

The logo says it all ; it's a Nissan with some stuff chopped off

[sgiitk]

How the mighty have fallen. Now Datsun (joculary called Zat Zoon) will be the el cheapo Nissan-Renault. I for one will be unhappy with this degradation of a very respectable moniker.

[~~h]

Looks like they don't own datsun.com either...
Some poor chap is going to court soon , For those who didn't know read GTO's story here

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

How the mighty have fallen.

I for one will be unhappy with this degradation of a very respectable moniker.

I don't think the cars will be necessarily bad

Even low cost cars can be FTD & have plenty of character. Take the example of Nano/Alto K10.

There are several 90s cars I would love to see being revived with some modern updates and touches. I would rather they revive a nice car from the 90s than create something new and cheap like Etios or Logan.

[designersf]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Entry level car from Nissan (with Datsun badge) is a welcome move and if it comes with a diesel heart, no doubt it will turn the market upside down (with proper pricing too)

OT: Are we about to see another Micra with Datsun badge after the launch of their new model?

With the proposed removal/reduction of diesel fuel subsidy in two years' time, I think petrol is a good option for low cost cars don't you think?

[Ashley2]

For India, two Datsun hatchbacks are planned, both of which will slot below the Nissan Micra. The first model is a Rs. 4 lakh hatchback (code: K2) which is based on the two-generation old K11 Nissan Micra. Believed to incredibly spacious for its size the K2 will feature an all-new ‘top hat’ and will come with a 1-litre petrol engine. A cheaper Rs 3 lakh model (code: I2) is also being developed to compete with the Maruti Alto. The I2 which is being developed by Ashok Leyland is likely to be shared with Renault as well.
Source: Revived Datsun coming to India - News - Autocar India

Datsun will have two products one developed by Nissan and other developed by Ashokleyland.
Of this the petrol variant competing with Alto,will be from Ashokleyland.
or will it be like this - A petrol one will be under Datsun and a diesel one will be under Ashokleyland. If that is the case why should AL design a petrol, which has not heard of word petrol in its history/geography?
I have only one question -why this Kolaveri di

[CARDEEP]

For a good start they can also try the A-Star identical Pixo (which is actually produced by Maruti at Gurgaon for Nissan UK). Probably sell more for the Nissan brand than the Suzuki brand.
But, wondering how or why Maruti will not stop Nissan do so...

[TaurusAl]

Yes, Datsun is the car from the childhood for the people born in 70s & 80s. It was a delight to spot them on the road among the Fiats & Ambys back then. I even had a miniature model which my grand father had gifted me on my one of the birthdays as a kid.

Somehow Nissan has not managed to make a mark like the Volkswagen in India. Lets wait and see what's the fate of Datsun in India.

[adg_andy]

There is also an article in today's TOI stating that Datsun is returning in India:


Datsun, the entry-level brand from Japanese carmaker Nissan, will launch a low-cost hatchback in India just over Rs 2 lakh and will take on models like Maruti Suzuki’s Alto and Hyundai’s Eon. Nissan manufactures cars at a factory near Chennai and is considering a new factory for manufacturing Datsun cars even as initial production starts from its existing location at Oragadam.
Takayuki Ishida, the new MD and CEO of Nissan’s Indian operations, said the company wants to produce “mass volume” vehicles under the Datsun stable which is a brand aimed at emerging economies. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn had announced the revival of the Datsun brand last month and said it will be launched in markets like India, Russia and Indonesia.
The Datsun nameplate was discontinued by the Japanese maker in 1981, and is now being revived for rapidlygrowing economies.
“The Datsun cars will be launched around the second half of 2014, and we are targeting to showcase them at the Delhi Auto Expo at the beginning of the year. The pricing will be between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh. This is the only way we can ensure that the cars are produced at a competitive price,” Ishida said. He said in line with the trend in the Indian market, the company is also looking at developing a small diesel engine to be fitted on its hatchback. “While the development is being done by Nissan, we are seeking a lot of support from companies outside our fold for access to technology and keeping costs low.”
“R&D in India is very competitive and the development of the vehicles will be done in Chennai, apart from Japan. While the platform development work will not happen at Chennai, some parts of the interiors and the exteriors will be done in India.”
Ishida said the investment for the Datsun brand will be “significant”, though refused to give specific numbers. Nissan has so far invested Rs 3,000 crore in India. Nissan has plans to launch a series of cars under the Datsun brand. “Once it’s launched, we want that half our volumes should come from Datsun and the other half from Nissan. We are very ambitious on the brand.”
The company is also studying whether to launch the Datsun cars from Nissan’s existing dealerships or set up a separate independent network. Nissan has a tie-up with Hover Automotive India for marketing, sales and service of its cars."

Here is wishing all the best to the iconic brand

[jiji89]

I remember seeing many Datsuns in Saudi Arabia especially during the 90's and most of them were pick-up trucks. I'm not very optimistic about Nissan's collaboration with AL to bring Datsun to India. Wondering if the I2 would turn out to be like Nissan-Renault-Bajaj small car.