Nissan Motor India Private Limited (NMIPL), a completely owned subsidiary of Japanese multinational automobile giant, has revealed intentions to bring its low cost Datsun brand in the domestic passenger car market. The upcoming Datsun models are anticipated to bear sub-Rs.4 lakhs price tags and will be pitched in the intense compact hatchback market, upon their arrival in the country.
At present, Maruti Suzuki is the undisputed champion of small hatchback segment with some top selling models like Alto 800, Alto K10, WagonR and A-Star, among others. Nissan's Datsun brand could see Indian daylight by the end of 2013 calendar year. Nissan Motor India has confirmed that the yet-to-be launched Datsun models could share platform with its Micra model, but the end product is going to be a totally different. The Datsun compact car is going to be smaller in size and cheaper than Micra.
Speaking his mind on bringing Datsun on the Indian turf during '13 Geneva Motor Show, Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President (VP) and Chief Creative Officer (CCO), Nissan Motor Co., was quoted as saying, “It will be less expensive. But, we don’t want to create anything that looks and feels cheap. We have to give it the right high quality look. But it won’t be as emotional as some of the Nissan models. The Datsun car will represent modernity, but importantly high quality and longevity. That will be direction of the new Datsun brand.”
Experts believe that the Japanese car maker's plans of bringing affordable models under the Datsun brand seems like a great idea and could contribute a major fraction of its sales in the country. Maruti Suzuki dominates the Indian automobile scene with its low cost models and the upcoming Datsun sub-Rs. 4 lakhs models seem like a great potential challenge. It is going to be interesting to see how the Datsun cars take on their Maruti Suzuki counterparts.
