Datsun has started serial production of its Go low-cost hatchback at Renault-Nissan’s factory at Oragadam, off 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 Datsun Go will be on display that the Auto Expo 2014 in Noida. The Go will be the first car in from the carmaker and is slated for launch in India during March 2014, with deliveries to begin soon after. The company will officially start taking bookings from this month.
The Datsun 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 picked to mount the gearbox on the dashboard in the Datsun Go to maximise internal space in the front of the car.
Nissan will follow up the Datsun Go with two other products for the Indian market viz. Datsun Go+ MPV and another hatchback.
All three cars will be built at the Renault-Nissan’s joint manufacturing facility 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.