At a dealership inauguration in Mumbai yesterday, we got a chance to have a tête-à-tête with Guillaume Sicard (extreme right), President – Nissan India Operations. We got a limited amount of time and shot him a few questions.
In India, Datsun is a relatively fresh brand. How is the reaction and where does it see itself in the future?
GS: We’re already a two product strong brand in the country. We’re into segments where competition is probably one of the strongest in the world and there are competitors with as much as 50% market share – and that is astounding. But it’s heartening to see that we’re slowly making inroads. We also need stronger marketing and advertising campaigns to generate more brand awareness, and with the Go+’s aggressive campaign, we see us taking the right direction.
A 3rd product is also on its way soon.*
*We believe that the 3rd product will be the the micro SUV, based on the “redi-GO” study that was showcased at the Auto Expo 2014. Read the full story here
How are you reacting to the whole safety fiasco, with Global NCAP even adjuring Datsun India to unplug the Go with immediate effect?
GS: We’re aware of the buzz that’s been created regarding the whole issue and we’re ready to bring the discussion to the table. I can vouch for Nissan complying with the current Indian safety regulations right down to every clause.
However we’re keen to put forward our principles which revolve around “preventing the crash before it actually happens” philosophy. Hence we’re high on “Active Safety”. The Go and Go+ have been thoroughly engineered in Chennai with positive inputs from our Japanese team to make them sustain Indian roads and conditions, and making them one of the best cars to drive in their respective segments.
“Active Safety” involves better road holding characteristics, best-in-class illumination since we’ve seen most of the grievous accidents happen post sunset, better all round driver visibility to prevent blind spots; the cause of most fatal crashes, fatigue lessening seats which provide better spinal support and the best braking distance in its class. We think that, collectively, all of the aforementioned points make the Go and Go+ an actually safer car than what is being believed.
Also, we’ve included an optional driver side airbag in the Go+.
What about exports?
GS: From Nissan India’s current production capacity, we’d say it’s about a 60:40 split (exports: domestic) now, with the Chennai plant being the strategic production hub for Africa and Europe for the made-in-India Micra. Even Datsun India is gearing up for exports to other emerging markets where the brand will make its debut soon.
What about sales cannibalization between the Nissan and Datsun alliance, especially in the lower end of the spectrum?
GS: First of all, Nissan and Datsun are positioned quite differently. So while there might be a little cannibalization happening between the Micra Active and the Go, a lot of customers who initially fleet interest in the Go are getting drawn towards the Go+, since the difference in price is not enormous. This, for us is a good thing.