In a recent announcement, Nissan told that it would bring Datsun brand in the Indian auto market on its own, without the support of any service partner. The Japanese car maker told that it will sell its upcoming Datsun GO and other cars of the brand without its service partner, Hover Automotive. Expressing his views on the same, Vincent Cobee, the Global Head for Datsun was quoted as saying “Selling the Datsun GO and future Datsun models through Nissan Motor represents a natural evolution of the company’s operations in India, which are well recognised in the market.”
He later on added that Datsun would first introduce its GO hatchback in India, followed by many other launches. According to the company, it will approach dealers to open separate showrooms for selling Datsun cars in India. It must be noted that Nissan is the sole company in India, which does not market cars on its own. For that purpose, it takes the services of Hover Automotive India to sell its vehicles across different parts of the country. At present, Nissan operates its sales network in India through several dealers that are duly appointed by Hover Automotive India Pvt Ltd. Cobee further told that Datsun brand shall work with existing Nissan dealers to establish its presence in the country. He added “This arrangement will in particular allow Datsun to rapidly establish a top quality, expansive retail network and open the brand to a large segment of the potential market straight from the initial launch.”
With the launch of GO in India, Datsun would commence its operations after three decades since ceasing its operations worldwide. With the launch of Datsun brand in India, Nissan would be aiming to tap into the potential of Indian car market, thereby eyeing a bigger chunk of market share. Interestingly, Nissan is planning to capture almost 10 per cent market share in passenger car segment of the Indian auto market by the end of 2016. As reported, once Nissan introduces Datsun in India, it would soon enter the emerging markets like Indonesia, Russia and South Africa. The cars of Datsun are expected to be built at the company's Chennai facility wherein models like Terrano, Micra, Sunny and Evalia are produced, under the alliance with Renault.
Interestingly, Datsun GO will an entry level hatchback that would be priced under Rs. 4 lakh to make it more accessible among Indian buyers. It is expected to be powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that might give away a power output of 60 bhp. Once launched, GO shall compete against the rivals like Hyundai Eon and Maruti Suzuki Alto 800. After the launch of GO, Datsun is expected to introduce a Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) named GO+. Meanwhile, Nissan is assessing all its options to make India as a primary sourcing hub for cars in other major markets. Company officials have previously hinted that India could be used as a hub for exporting vehicles and even components to other countries.
