Nissan unveils India bound Datsun GO+ in Indonesia

Nissan has unveiled the Datsun Go+ MPV for the Indonesian market. It is a seven seater MPV version of the GO hatchback that was unveiled in India on July 15 and makes use of the same engine, underpinnings and basic design. The Japanese automaker’s philosophy for Datsun ‘locallly made cars with local tastes’ is clearly visible as it has launched this car in MPV crazy Indonesia but will make it available in all markets much like the Go hatchback.  

The Datsun Go+ looks like a stretched out version of its hatchback sibling. It is 1.6 meters wide, 1.4-meters high and more importantly 3.95 (wheelbase of 2450mm) meters long qualifying it for the concessions available under the sub four-metre rule. The company says the name Datsun GO+ clearly highlights its membership of the new Datsun family, but at the same time refers to its extended capabilities.    

In terms of interiors and features, The Go+ will get the same list as the hatchback. However, with this being a larger vehicle, we expect features like AC vents for the second row and collapsible seats for the third row to increase boot space.  

The engine and underpinnings are the same as the Go hatchback. It makes use of the 1.2-litre three- cylinder petrol engine that produces 75PS and 104Nm of torque. However since this is the larger vehicle, we expect that Nissan may increase the power. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. In India, we expect that they will also offer the Go+ with  the 1.5-litre diesel engine. 

The Japanese manufacturer has said that With launch of these two cars onto Indonesian market, the Datsun brand aims to account for up to 50 per cent of the total Nissan Motor sales in 2016 in Indonesia and contribute to Indonesia’s continued motorisation and the governmental initiative aimed for boosting of domestic vehicles and components’ production and introduction of accessible and eco-friendly cars in Indonesia.

Both Datsun GO and Datsun GO+ for the Indonesian market will be locally produced at the Nissan Motor plant in Purwakarta, 80 km east of Jakarta, Indonesia and will go on sale during 2014. The same will be the case for the Indian market where Nissan is expected to produce both vehicle at their plant outside Chennai. 

Nissan is expected to launch the Go hatchback at the 2014 Auto Expo and we believe that Go+ will join its smaller sibling on that occasion. When launched the Go+ will compete with the Chevrolet Enjoy, Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the upcoming Honda Brio based Mobilio MPV.