A little over six months after the Datsun Go low-cost hatchback had its global reveal in New Delhi, the first Go has rolled off the production line at the Renault Nissan Alliance plant (RNAIPL) in Oragadam, near Chennai.
Datsun is planning to go big with its range of value-centric cars and is expected to be a big draw at the Auto Expo. The Go will be the first car from the carmaker and is slated for launch in India in March 2014, with deliveries to begin soon after. The company will officially start taking bookings from this month.
The Go will initially only be sold with a 1.2-litre petrol engine, a slight shift from the 1.2-litre HR12DE-3 cylinder motor that powers the Micra Active. Nissan has chosen to mount the gearbox on the dashboard in the Go to maximise internal space in the front of the car.
The Datsun Go will be followed by two other products for the Indian market – the Datsun Go+ MPV and another hatchback. All three cars will be built at the RNAIPL plant at Oragadam. Although for now, the Go and other Datsun cars are meant for sale in the Indian market, exports could become a part of the plan given Nissan’s strong export focus out of India.
Over 100 local companies supply components and parts for the Go. “From day one, we knew that the key to the success of the Datsun brand was that the cars must be developed, engineered and manufactured locally. By working this way, we have a unique insight into customer needs which enables us to build a car that meets and even exceeds those expectations," said Vincent Cobee, global head of Datsun.
He added: “The Oragadam plant and its associated technical facilities are the equal of any other factory within the global Renault Nissan Alliance in terms of quality, efficiency and flexibility. As a result, customers will enjoy the Datsun Go as it raises the bar in every respect within its segment.”
Photograph: Vincent Cobee, global head of Datsun, and Ashwani Gupta, programme director, Datsun Business Unit.