[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by arighna.dutta

I work on the very same thing, trust me, my interest in cars fading away... though some of it is very interesting.

Wow that is interesting, do share what you can

Originally Posted by mac187

Wasn't Infiniti covered as part of the trip?

Unfortunately not, though Infiniti is also under the same larger banner.

Originally Posted by alpha1

What a fantastic thread!
*Drool*

Hey, did you folks ever get a change to ask a question to the blokes at Nissan/Datsun/Any other manufacturer that why do they showcase such stunning good looking concept cars, but when the project hits the roads - it is so drab and dull looking?

Mostly it is cost and practicality being the reason, and yes we did indeed ask.

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Very interesting.

Surprising for me to see that Datsun with such a great legacy introducing cars like Go in India.

Yes not many people would know, as a mallu i knew thanks to the middle east exports that used to land once in a while in Kerala. People who wanted to convert their old fiat cars would be other bunch who would have heard and used datsun diesel engines.

[amvj]

I have lot of respect for Nissan. However the Datsun is a big no-no.
I don't want India to be home for cheap brands.

Nissan wants to increase the brand awareness in India through this ?

[DicKy]

Just love the visits to museums and factories in Japan.
(Am a sucker for old jap cars)

And wonderful pics too, a track day would have perfectly rounded off the visit.

[SteveSR1]

Awesome post Jaggu! And great pictures as well. That blue R-34 made me stop and stare slack-jawed at my screen for a minute. It is just overwhelmingly beautiful.

Also I remember watching videos of people getting rides in the 2000 GT-R at one of the factories. Did you get any rides like that as part of the tour? Other than the EV ride.

[MHG]

Did the safety, crash worthiness or NCAP ratings of the current generation Datsun cars ever come up during discussions ? It would obviously be a very sensitive/touchy topic for them to talk about but were you able to tactfully slide in the subject at some point ?

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by amvj

I have lot of respect for Nissan. However the Datsun is a big no-no.
I don't want India to be home for cheap brands.

I wouldn't term Datsun a cheap brand, infact they have put lot more refinement and features into the overall product in comparison to other entry level cars. It is a brand focusing on aspiration of middle class, don't see anything wrong or cheap in it. Infact i wish i had such an option when i first bought a car, instead of a second hand i could have bought a brand new vehicle.

Originally Posted by SteveSR1

Did you get any rides like that as part of the tour? Other than the EV ride.

Apart from the touring bus and EV, we did not even sit in any other vehicle during this trip.

Originally Posted by MHG

Did the safety, crash worthiness or NCAP ratings of the current generation Datsun cars ever come up during discussions ? It would obviously be a very sensitive/touchy topic for them to talk about but were you able to tactfully slide in the subject at some point ?

Yes it did come up, and to address the issue airbag options are brought in according to Datsun. Hopefully they would listen closer to the market and make it standard 2 airbags across models and offer ABS as an option in the future.

Indian roads are becoming better, faster and dangerous. Safety should indeed be the focus point for ALL automobile manufactures. Big, small and irrespective of number of wheels!

[mobike008]

Jaggu, fantastic report and some real drool worthy cars

Datsun with its first offering in India didn't fair too well. Would be looking forward to what they plan to offer to us in future

Btw, I heard from a cousin of mine currently in Bangladesh that its a dumping ground for all phased out Japanese vehicles especially Datsun. Not sure how much truth is there to this matter

[RWD]

Thanks, Jaggu for sharing this informative write up and great pictures. It is always interesting to see the human side of these big conglomerates. Jonga revived some childhood memories as well. What a beast it was!

Originally Posted by Jaggu

The loo wall has cams!

Had me flummoxed for a moment, until I looked at the image. Turns out to be a different kind of cams, thankfully.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Btw, I heard from a cousin of mine currently in Bangladesh that its a dumping ground for all phased out Japanese vehicles especially Datsun. Not sure how much truth is there to this matter

Old models as in from 80's etc?

Originally Posted by RWD

Had me flummoxed for a moment, until I looked at the image. Turns out to be a different kind of cams, thankfully.

Lol sorry for misrepresenting, it is cam shafts!

[famman33]

Hi Jaggu!


Post Kollaam Ketto!

In fact I was fascinated by how car brands with a history have a knack for showcasing their hoary past, present and future.

I refer to my experience at the Autostadt (auto-city) - Wolfsburg visiting the Volkswagen factory plant and museum.

Here in the case of Nissan-Datsun, I was also mighty impressed with the varnished wooden floors and metal hand railings of yore!


Regards,

Venky

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by famman33

In fact I was fascinated by how car brands with a history have a knack for showcasing their hoary past, present and future.

I think the history plays a major role in building a brand image, and this can be used very favorably to boost the present perception. The Europeans and (to an extent) Americans are quite focused with this approach, whereas the Japs and Koreans are very bad at it. I even gave Nissan team a suggestion to have the heritage subtly put up as backdrop for our Indian motor shows, to make more people aware what the brand is really about and show the pedigree.

Even though i knew about Nissan and Datsun brands, the heritage museum visit was an eye opener for even me, towards the companies history.

Now as an enthusiast i look forward to seeing more of their current models, especially the contemporary ones like Juke, Leaf or even the upcoming Ready Go to hit our Indian markets.

[karan561]

Was in Tokyo, Japan last week and had the opportunity to witness the Nissan concept 2020, which IMO is a vision for the future GT-R;





Nismo GT-R & Vision 2020 caught in 1 frame;

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by karan561

Was in Tokyo, Japan last week and had the opportunity to witness the Nissan concept 2020, which IMO is a vision for the future GT-R

This looks quite interesting. Closer to a supercar than the R35. Also, from the side, it looks quite a bit like the Koenigsegg Regera IMO, but with one key difference.
Based on your picture of the side profile of the Vision 2020, it looks like this is still a front-engined car, due to the longer distance between the cabin and the front wheels, whereas the Regera is clearly a mid-engined car due to the proximity between the cabin and the front wheels

Vision 2020:


Koenigsegg Regera:


Source: http://koenigsegg.com/regera/

Cheers