End Of The Line For Datsun’s India Innings As Redi-GO Production Ends

After a nine-year journey, it's pretty much the end of the road for Datsun, Nissan’s sister brand in India as the carmaker has ceased production of the Redi-GO production at its manufacturing plant in Chennai. Also our sources confirm, the Go and Go Plus have been silently discontinued too. The Redi-Go will still remain on sale, but only limited stocks will be available. Coincidentally, Nissan had recently announced that it would bid farewell to the Datsun brand globally.

A spokesperson for the company said in a statement, “ Production of Datsun redi-GO has ceased at the Chennai Plant (Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd). Sales of the model still continue. We can reassure all existing and future Datsun owners that customer satisfaction remains our priority, and we will continue to provide the highest levels of after sales service, parts availability, and warranty support from our national dealership network.” 

Datsun was revived in 2013 for entry-level markets such as India, Indonesia and South Africa, with the first model to show up in India being the Go hatchback. But over its nine-year journey, it never really managed to crack the Indian market despite its aggressive pricing (The Go Plus was the most affordable MPV in 2015, priced under Rs 4 lakh). Some of the reasons were down to a lack of features and outdated cabins. 

In its current lineup, the Redi-GO, which received its latest update in 2020 that came with meaner looks, a BS6 upgrade, and additional features, was Datsun’s entry-level model. It was offered with 0.8-litre and 1-litre engines, with the option of a manual and AMT gearbox. It took on the Renault Kwid, Maruti Alto, S-Presso. 

The rest of the lineup included twins in the form of the Go and Go Plus, the former being a hatch, while the latter being a niche model until  the Renault Triber showed up. They were powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine with the option of a 5-speed manual and CVT gearbox. Despite them gaining features over the years such as a parking camera, a touchscreen infotainment, and dual front airbags, it didn’t really improve things since the budget-centric cabin came at a cost of quality. 

The end of Datsun’s journey in India means Nissan will pretty much have all its attention on the Magnite sub-4 metre SUV which has managed to garner over 1 lakh sales since its launch in December 2020. Yes, they’ve got the Kicks SUV too, but it is expected to go off the shelves in the near future as well.