Nissan Unveils First Model of Revived Datsun - Wall Street Journal

NEW DELHI—Nissan Motor Co. Monday unveiled the Datsun GO, the first model in its revived Datsun brand. The car will cost less than 400,000 rupees ($6,680), said Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's chief executive. The GO is a five-door hatchback with a manual transmission, and is powered by a 1.2-liter engine. The car is less than four meters long, which means it qualifies for a lower 12% excise tax in India. Sajjad Hussain/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Indian dancers perform at the unveiling of the Datsun GO car at Gurgaon near New Delhi Monday. The Datsun GO will be sold in India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa from next year. "Our production plans for Datsun reflect Nissan Motor's commitment to building manufacturing capacity and establishing a meaningful presence in high-growth markets like India, and to keep pace with rapid changes in the global auto industry," said Mr. Ghosn. India, Brazil, Russia and China made up 30% of the allied Renault-Nissan's global sales of 8.1 million vehicles in 2012, which helped the companies maintain growth despite tepid demand in traditional markets, such as Europe. Nissan is banking on Datsun to help meet its growth targets. The company hopes that increasing demand for small, fuel-efficient cars in emerging markets in Asia, Africa and South America will help Nissan achieve an 8% global market share by the fiscal year ending March 2017. Nissan aims to capture 10% of the Indian market by 2016 from 1.2% currently. Datsun sales will contribute significantly to reaching that goal, said Mr. Ghosn. Small cars, such as the new Datsun, accounted for three quarters of the nearly 1.9 million cars sold in India in the 12 months through March. In India, the GO's price tag will put it in competition with similar products from the local units of Suzuki Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co., India's first- and second-ranked car makers. "We see significant opportunity in these growth markets like India, Russia and Indonesia where demand is increasing and will continue to grow," said Nissan's Mr. Ghosn. Despite Mr. Ghosn's optimism, car sales in some of Nissan's target markets are falling. Car sales in India fell 9% in June—the eighth straight monthly decline. In Russia, sales of cars and light commercial vehicles decreased 11% in June and 6% since the start of 2013. In Indonesia, however, sales are rising. Passenger-car sales reached a record in Indonesia last year, breaking the one-million-vehicle mark. Nissan and Renault plan to begin jointly manufacturing engines in India next year for the Datsun cars as well as for a low-cost car that Renault plans to sell in India from 2015, a person familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal recently. Write to Santanu Choudhury at santanu.choudhury@dowjones.com via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHVcWHRRtx3sBkdymw-0mg0nn1kKw&url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323848804578607161694002762.html

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