Datsun on-DO officially unveiled in Russia

Datsun has unveiled its on-DO sedan for Russia in a special event held in Moscow. The car will be launched later this year in the Russian market. The on-DO is underpinned by the same platform used in the GO hatchback but features an all-new exterior design.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor President and CEO, said when introducing the brand: “Today, Russia is our company’s 5th largest market in the world. In the next three years, we are aiming to triple our sales here – with the goal of doubling market share. And we expect the Datsun brand to contribute as much as one third of total sales. By drawing on our company’s 80 years of manufacturing and technical expertise – and by leveraging the engineering skills, market knowledge, and production capabilities of our Alliance partner, AVTOVAZ – we will deliver a Datsun line-up for the 21st century. And these cars will be fully in touch with the needs and preferences of Russian drivers”.

The name on-DO might be a little confusing as it has different meanings in English, Japanese and Russian. However, we would stick to overall meaning, which Datsun says, is providing mobility for all in an innovative way.

The on-Do was desgined in Japan at the company’s advanced Global Design Center. The car was later tested in Russia by a team of engineers from AVTOVAZ, a sub-brand of Nissan.

The Datsun on-DO measures 4,337mm in length, 1,700mm in width and 1,500mm in height with a large boot space of 530 litres. The on-DO will get a 1.6-litre, petrol engine, with a power output of 87bhp. The car could be attractively priced below 400 000 Roubles (Rs 6.8 lakh), however, detailed prices will be announced during the launch.

“In markets where Datsun has been introduced so far, the brand represents modern, attractive, practical and reliable new cars as symbols of freedom and of a newly-found status. The Datsun models are new, no-compromise designs that bring modern levels of engineering, styling and ability within the reach of a new generation of car buyers,” said Vincent Cobee, Corporate vice president and Global Head of Datsun.

The on-DO may not be launched in India, the sedan does look promising but it is predominantly an engineered for Russia car. In India, Datsun will launch the GO+ MPV followed by the Redi-Go-based small car next.