The Renault-Nissan alliance is likely to unveil the first car in the Datsun line up in mid 2013. According to a report in the Hindu Businessline, Carlos Ghosn, CEO of the Renault-Nissan will personally be present for the July 2013 unveiling of a B-segment car currently codenamed the K2. This gives us a small idea of just how important the launch of the brand is to the Franco-Japanese automaker.
The K2 is expected to follow the I2 and the K2 seven-seater. The I2 will mostly be an A-segment car which is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 2.5 Lakh and above, while the K2 seven-seater is most likely to be in the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga category. All three vehicles will be officially launched at 2014 Auto Expo.
The Datsun brand was revived in March this year by the Japanese automaker and will build vehicles aimed specifically at low-cost markets like Indonesia, India and Russia. Nissan has confirmed that the Datsun cars unlike the Nano will not be aimed at becoming a substitute for a motorcycle, rather they expect to complement an owner’s bike as second option. It has also said that the two cars will be built as per the demands of the local market and not on any global platform.
The new small cars will be built at Chennai facility under the leadership of Gerard Detroubet, the low cost specialist of the Renault battalion and the man behind the success of the Logan and the Duster.
Source: thehindubusinessline
