Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Co will sell its upcoming small car Datsun Go and other models from the Datsun range on its own in India and not through its country sales and service partner Hover Automotive.
“Selling the Datsun Go and future Datsun models through Nissan Motor represents a natural evolution of the company’s operations in India, which are well recognised in the market,” Datsun Global Head, Vincent Cobee, said in a statement.
Cobee said an expanded model range will follow the introduction of the Datsun Go, the hatchback that was unveiled in July.
Nissan cars are currently sold in India through dealers appointed by Hover Automotive India Pvt Ltd.
Datsun will work primarily with existing Nissan dealers, the company said, adding, “This arrangement will in particular allow Datsun to rapidly establish a top quality, expansive retail network and open the brand to a large segment of the potential market straight from the initial launch.”
In July, Nissan had announced the global relaunch of the Datsun brand with the unveiling of Datsun Go, which will be priced at less than Rs 4 lakh.
The company is reviving the brand after almost three decades and the car will be available in the Indian market from early next year.
Datsun is one of the three brands in the Nissan Motor portfolio, joining Nissan and Infiniti. After its introduction in India, Datsun will be launched in Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.