Borders Drawn: Nissan To Make Premium Cars, Datsun To Produce Budget Offerings

Drawing a clear line of distinction between the positioning of its brand duo, Nissan Motor India Pvt Ltd is planning to build further on its recent success with the Datsun redi-GO. The carmaker will reportedly go about this division on the basis of segments. “We are two brands—Nissan and Datsun. Nissan will be focusing on the slightly upper-end variant, technology, innovations and style, whereas Datsun will emphasise on the small car segment,” company MD Arun Malhotra told International Business Times.

Nissan (including Datsun) sold 6,108 units in the previous month against 3,246 vehicles retailed in October last year, registering a remarkable YoY growth of 88 percent. For the April-October 2016 period, the company has posted overall growth of 54 percent with sales of 35,147 units (April-October 2015: 22,180).

This positive movement can be attributed largely to the warm customer response to the Datsun redi-GO. It could prove to be just what the doctor ordered for Datsun, given how dismal the sales of the GO and the GO+ have been. But the company believes that it will take time for Indians to warm up to, because it is not the most-known brand in the country, but it will get there soon.

Talking about Nissan, it is expected to drive in a number of cars to India by 2020, including some eco-friendly offerings too. “We also have electric vehicle in our portfolio, but in terms of infrastructure, cost and taxation, India is still at an early stage. But sometimes the time is not right. Probably we will be the first to bring a hybrid SUV to India by March 2017– the Nissan X-Trail,” Malhotra added.