Datsun Is Go In South Africa
Nissan’s budget brand Datsun is ready to go to South Africa, the fourth market that the resurrected nameplate will either see again or for the first time.
Just-Auto reports the first car to arrive in showrooms will be the Go hatchback, which will go for under R 100,000 ($9,340 USD). The cars will come over from the brand’s factory in Chennai, India at first — though parent company Renault-Nissan has a plant in Rosslyn, South Africa — and will be sold in 30 dealerships by the end of the year.
The last time Datsun sold a vehicle was during the 1980s transition into the Nissan brand, and was the No. 1-selling brand in the country from 1976 through 1978. The revived brand’s current goal is to attract first-time car buyers in developing markets around the globe, including Russia, India and Latin America.
Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.
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I have a South Africa question. In my mind it's always one of the most developed and advanced African nations, with commerce and a decent sized middle class. But then I hear stories about old models being continued there for 25 years after their expiration in other countries, and new brands like Datsun coming in with extra low-cost models. So is that because the majority of the country is not very developed and filled with the non-affluent? Do the people with money still purchase 1st world cars, and leave the Datsuns and 1970s Corollas to the poor? Or, are the roads generally bad so you need something rough and tumble.