Nissan unveils the Datsun GO hatchback

Nissan has globally unveiled the Datsun GO hatchback (codenamed K2) at a function in Delhi. This is the first car from the Datsun line up and will be officially launched next January at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo. The car was unveiled by Carlos Ghosn, president of Renault-Nissan alliance.

The car is a five door hatchback and looks like a cross between the Nissan Micra hatchback and the Skoda Fabia. It is powered by the 1.2-litre petrol mill that sits in the Micra and produces 76PS and 104Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a five speed manual gearbox.

In terms of design the Datsun Go gets a hexagonal honeycomb grille with chrome surround, no fog lamps, unpainted mirrors, lift type door handles and a single wiper like the Toyota Etios. The hatchback sits on 13-inch steel wheels and Apollo Acelere 3G tyres.

During the launch Ghosn said that the car, when launched next year, will be priced below Rs four lakh and will join the other Datsun models that will be launched over the course of the year in developing markets South Africa, Russia and Brazil.

The Datsun Go has been named after the company's first model, the DAT Go, that was launched during the middle of the previous century. When launched in the Indian market it will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, Hyundai Eon, Tata Nano and the Chevrolet Beat in higher spec variants.