The latest news in the Indian automotive industry is that Nissan has decided to discontinue the Datsun lineup from the Indian market. India was one of the last markets where this brand was present and now Nissan has decided to make it quit India too. Talking about the sales, from January 2021 to December 2021, the brand managed to sell only 4,296 units which means a 0.09% market share.
While Datsun Go and Go+ were already not in production, Nissan has also officially stopped the production of the RediGO which was the last in-production car from Datsun’s India lineup.
Exit’s Impact on Existig Customers
Datsun exiting India will definitely leave the existing owners in a state of worry. However, the brand has ensured that all the existing customers will continue to get the service and spare part availability through the strong network that Nissan already has across India.
In its statement, Nissan said, “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 aftersales service, parts availability and warranty support from our national dealership network.”
Datsun’s Indian Journey
Datsun started its Indian journey in 2013 with the global launch of the GO hatchback. This car was really attractive as far as the value for money is considered. The lure of getting a bigger cabin and other features at such a price point might have brought in some first-time car buyers but the sales never took off.
The second product in the Datsun India lineup was the GO+ which was essentially the 3-row version of the GO hatch that went on sale in 2015. This car lacked essential features on the lower trims and this definitely pointed out the bad cost-cutting measures that the brand was following.
The third product that Datsun brought to the Indian market was the Datsun RediGO. This was placed below the GO hatch in the Indian lineup and was the last try from the brand in the Indian market. This was meant to rival the Renault Kwid but all of us know who won the sales battle.
Both the GO and the GO+ were also given a CVT update to compete in the automatic cars market. The trio was also upgraded according to the BS6 norms but we guess the efforts failed. India was the last remaining market where this brand was still alive and today we also had to say goodbye to the brand.
What Led to Datsun’s Downfall?
The biggest reason why this brand wasn’t able to sell well in India is the cost-cutting measures they followed. These cars had exposed welds and wiring which left an impression of overall poor quality of work. Also, GO’s performance in the GNCAP tests further appreciated its reputation in the Indian market. Although the brand tried to sell their machines in the name of low running and maintenance costs, the Indian audience didn’t quite pay attention to the same.
Therefore, Nissan announced a phased exit for the brand from our country and we would like to know your take in the comments section below. Is it a good decision to make this brand exit the Indian market?
