The first production unit of the Datsun Go rolled off the assembly line at Renault-Nissan Alliance Plant in Oragadam near Chennai. Kickstarting production of the new generation of Datsun models, the event in addition to presence of company officials was marked by attendance of Mr. Thiru. P. Thangamani, Honorable Minister for Industries, Government of Tamil Nadu and Masanori Nakano, Honorable Consul General of Japan.
Vice Chairman of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd- Mr. Toshiyuki Shiga who said “This is a landmark day for all of us at Nissan Motor Corporation. It represents the culmination of several years of extremely hard work to return the Datsun brand to the market”.
Adding to Mr. Shiga’s comment, Mr. Vincent Cobee, Global Head of Datsun remarked “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. 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”.
Over a 100 local companies are involved in supplying components for the Datsun Go, which should add to the overall cost advantage when it goes on sale in the month of March 2014. It was stated that local production of Datsun models for the Indonesian and Russian markets would also begin later in 2014.
Also the Datsun Go Plus- an MPV avatar of the hatchback would be making its debut at the 2014 Auto Expo and should lock fists with Maruti’s high selling MPV- the Ertiga. We’d be reporting LIVE from the Expo and bringing you regular updates on Datsun via our AUTO EXPO PAGE.