Datsun Go bookings commence, Deliveries in March

Nissan has started accepting bookings for the Datsun Go. One can pre-book the Go hatchback at any Nissan dealership at a booking amount of Rs 11,000. Dealers tell us that despite any display car, they have been receiving orders from many prospective buyers. Datsun began production of the Go earlier this month and cars are being shipped across the country just prior to the launch. They will be displayed at Nissan showrooms from next week or early March and deliveries will begin towards the end of next month.

We also hear that the Datsun Go will be available in 2-3 variants and not more. It has been a practice in the past few years by all manufacturers to provide a long list of variants when a car is launched but Datsun is adopting a different strategy here. We believe this is to keep operating and logistics costs in check. The Go is also available only in four colour options. Streamlining the process and keeping things simple will cut down delivery times. This strategy seems to be in line with what Datsun’s VP, Ajay Raghuvanshi told us when they were conducting a roadshow campaign in mid-December – “We want to focus on quick deliveries and reach in smaller cities.”

Datsun has said in the past that the Go hatchback will be priced under the Rs 4 lakh mark. With recent excise duty cuts on small cars, it will not be a surprise if the sticker price is closer to the Rs 3.5 lakh price bracket as Nissan is already selling the Micra Active in this range and the Go being a similar sized hatchback but from the budget Datsun brand, should undercut the Micra Active. 

The Go is powered by the same 1.2-litre petrol engine from the Micra and comes mated to the same 5-speed gearbox but we expect the engine to be set in a lower state of tune to deliver better efficiency.