Tokyo/New Delhi: Japanese auto major Nissan is hoping to replicate the success of alliance partner Renault's compact car Kwid in India with its upcoming small car redi-Go from the Datsun stable.
The company, which brought back Datsun in 2014 after three decades, has already launched two models under the brand, but with moderate success. The third model, redi-Go priced between Rs 2.5-3.5 lakh is slated to hit the Indian market from June.
"We started (Datsun) two years ago... That's not such a long time. I think, to be clear on May 13, Datsun is very successful in Indonesia, moderately successful in India," Nissan Chief Executive and President Carlos Ghosn told reporters at a press conference.
Exuding confidence that the Datsun brand will pick up, he said: "With the introduction of redi-Go, which is on the CMFA platform of the alliance, and particularly taking into consideration the huge success of Kwid of Renault, which is based on the same platform, we are very hopeful that we are going to see a completely different situation (for Datsun) in India."
Ghosn further said: "In India, we are eager to launch redi-Go and see what is the potential of the brand." The redi-Go will compete with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai's Eon, which are priced between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 4.42 lakh (ex-showroom price Delhi).
Nissan currently sells small car GO and multi-purpose vehicle GO Plus under the Datsun brand in India. So far, it has sold only around 45,000 Datsun vehicles in the country. Commenting on Datsun's third market Russia, where it has failed to click, Ghosn said that for the moment, it is a "debacle for all carmakers".
"I don't think any carmaker can say we are doing good in Russia (now)," he said. Reflecting on the comeback journey of Datsun, Ghosn said it has been a very asymmetrical one.
"In Russia, they are disappointing, but everything is disappointing in the Russian market today. In India, we are eager to launch redi-Go and see what is the potential of the brand. In Indonesia, we are doing very well."
In 2014, when Nissan launched the Datsun GO, it had said it was aiming to garner 10 per cent share in the Indian passenger vehicles market by 2016. However, last year, it had clarified that it would miss its target. The company has halved its market share target in India to 5 per cent by 2020, for which it will launch one new model each year.
