Datsun Go spied! Hatchback car under testing

The Datsun Go hatchback has made what could be its first ever appearance on roads, in India.

The car was spotted testing in Chennai, the city which plays host to the Renault-Nissan factory. Japanese automaker Nissan has plans of building the Datsun range of cars from the Renault-Nissan joint manufacturing facility. Datsun is Nissan’s low cost car brand and is likely to have 3 car models in India by 2015. The first Datsun to be launched here will be the Go. The Go was showcased earlier this year in an unveil event at Gurgaon. The official launch and price announcement will happen early next year. The test mule sports minimum camouflage and almost looks production ready.

The Datsun Go is based on the Nissan Micra hatchback. Apart from sharing the V platform with the Micra, the Datsun Go also shares its engine, gearbox and wheelbase with the entry-level Nissan. The Datsun Go will be available with a 1.2 liter petrol engine-5 speed manual gearbox combination. The car will be priced under the Nissan Micra Active variant, which is priced at 3.5 lakh rupees. Apart from selling the Go in India, Nissan could also export this low cost hatchback to various developing countries in the world. One such market is South Africa, to where made-in-India CKD kits of the Datsun Go are likely to be exported.

The Datsun Go comes with innovative features on the inside. Two such examples are: Mobile phone dock instead of a stereo player to keep pace with the times, and a bench seat-dashboard mounted gear shifter combination that can squeeze in a third adult at front. Considering the low-cost positioning of the Datsun Go, there are a many built-to-a-price bits on the car. While not a deal breaker, these bits mean that the Datsun Go will firmly be a price warrior in its segment. Recently, an MPV version of the Datsun Go, called the Go+, was showcased at Indonesia. The low cost MPV could also be launched in India next year.

Pic Source: Team-BHP