In March 2013, Nissan resurrected the Datsun brand nearly three decades after its original discontinuation. The marque was relaunched with budget products for markets such as Indonesia, Nepal, South Africa, India, and Russia. However, in 2019, Nissan announced Datsun would cease production in Russia and Indonesia, and now the same has happened in another major market.
Last week Nissan India announced Datsun will no longer produce cars in India. The Japanese automaker wants to reallocate money from its budget brand to its future electrification strategy. Also, sales of Datsun cars have slummed in recent years with just 6,400 deliveries in 2021, down over 90 percent from 87,300 in 2016, as Asia Nikkei reports. In India, 2017 was Datsun’s best year with the brand accounting for roughly 75 percent of Nissan’s total sales in the country, all thanks to the then-new Redi-Go model.
“Production of Datsun Redi-Go has ceased at the Chennai Plant,” Nissan’s official announcement reads. “Sales of the model will still continue. We can reassure all existing and future Datsun owners that customer satisfaction remains our priority, and we will continue to provide the highest levels of after-sales service, parts availability, and warranty support from our national dealership network.”
India was one of the launch markets for the revived Datsun brand when it was reintroduced back in 2013. The first model to be released there was the Go, which didn’t do well on the market. It was followed by the Go+ – also not very successful in terms of sales – and then came the Redi-Go, which proved to be a strong seller. Meanwhile, in Russia, Datsun had the On-Do, which was basically a rebadged and slightly redesigned Lada Granta sedan. This model was discontinued in 2020 and is no longer available.
There’s no official word about Datsun’s operations in South Africa, though the brand’s local site still lists the Go and Go+ as available in the country. In India, Nissan dealers will sell the leftover Datsun cars with hefty discounts.
