Word has been going around that Nissan is planning to enter the Pakistani market so hopefully that will come true soon enough and what we think is the perfect car from Nissan’s lineup that would do extremely well here in Pakistan is the Datsun GO. What the Datsun GO basically is a small cheap hatchback that is currently only sold in India Russia, Indonesia and South Africa.
So what is it about this Hatchback that makes it the perfect hatchback for Pakistan, well the number one reason would be the price. Datsun GO retails for around PKR 5.14 Lakh in India and around PKR 6.9 lakh for the MPV version of the Datsun GO called the GO+, making it even cheaper than Suzuki‘s infamous Mehran and that is reason enough for some people. Top of the line GO is for 107550000 in Indonesian Rupiah. That is around PKR 787000. The Datsun GO comes equipped with a 1.2 litre 3 cylinder engine mated to a five speed manual that produces 68bhp which can send the GO to 100km/h in 14 seconds and return nearly 21km/liter. It has a spacious boot and enough room inside for up to 5 full grown adults. You can also get optional extras on the car such as air conditioning, power steering, central locking, mobile docking station etc.
If you have ever seen any reviews about the Datsun GO then you will have heard them giving the GO endless compliments about how for the price the Datsun GO manages to be a great handling car that’s fun to drive, nippy around corners while being comfortable at the same time and doesn’t feel under powered when your on the motorway. The interior of the GO is also one of the best in its class, It isn’t by any means amazing but everything you need is all there except for a radio but you do get a USB and an AUX port so you plug in your smartphone and listen to tunes from it and overall the interior looks very smart and pleasant. And speaking of looks the Datsun GO pretty much wipes the floor with its rivals when its comes to design, taste might be subjective but there’s no denying the visually pleasing exterior of the GO with a handsome front fascia and an overall decent profile.
We get that companies will do what they want to do, but right now Pak Suzuki has the hold of the small car market, either with Mehran, or Swift or even Wagon R. People can chose either what Pak Suzuki is offering, or they can get any imported second hand Vitz or Passo etc. Nissan has a great opportunity here for introducing a car that can penetrate Suzuki dominated market. Nissan already has a goodwill in Pakistan, and people trust them. But they have been continuously dropping and then picking up their operations in Pakistan and that is only hurt their name in the eyes of the consumers. GO cost INR 500,000 in India. You can add all sorts of taxes etc, and if that bumps the PKR price to lets say a million, we are pretty sure people will prefer a locally manufactured car with all the after sales support. Nissan is always welcome to Pakistan, but they need to play their cards wisely this time.
If Nissan is actually planning to enter Pakistani Market well they should consider introducing Datsun first and see how it performs. Pakistan is a Hatchback friendly market and Datsun could be a better choice for Pakistan. If Datsun gets good feedback and sells good only then should they consider entering the market as Nissan.
If by any chance they do enter market as Datsun and prices the Datsun GO around 10-12,00,000PKR then they will do a great job in selling the GO. Heck even i would consider buying it given they introduce an Automatic Variant.
No company in the world starts with a low key car. That’s bad rep. Any sane enthusiast would know that the first priority for them is impression. If Nissan goes full on here. We start the bat with Sunny, Sylphy or bluebird first..
This writer never stops dreaming…..
Considering the way Pakistani market performs their best bet would be starting with Datsun. No company wants to start full on having a doubt in mind whether their full on strategy would end up being succesful or not. Market in Pakistan is totally different than that of other countries. Middle Class buyers want small cars with smaller engines to cater to their fuel consumption needs.
Datsun Go and GO+ are a complete disaster in India. They don’t even clock 1/20th the volume of the segment best seller alto 800 every month. Despite being a looker, the Go and Go+ failed to take off because of the fact that cost cutting is evident everywhere starting from the non-retractable seat belts, poor noise insulation inside the cabin, plain-jane interiors, conjoint front seats that is not capable of seating a third person(don’t know which idiot designed the front seat!!!), dashboard mounted gear lever, umbrella pull-type hand brake, no power windows for the rear windows and not to forget the puny R13 tyres!! The list goes on like this!!
If launched in pakistan, this would be a failure too and the Mehran will continue to rule as people are refraining themselves from buying a car that doesn;t fetch them good resale value!!
P.S: I am not a supporter of Mehran 😛
Apart from Suzuki, no company even in Pakistan started with a compact ( and even they keep a dog alive in shape of Liana for the sake of having a Sedan). Its mid sized always. And no body would want to go straight up with suzuki here. So We can only expect a Corolla or Civic competitor if they are to come for now. Images sells more than the car or the price.
If not anything else, the 800 is a seller due to easy mechanics and cheap parts availability. Plus the brand name is there. People here buy brands over quality and I am not sure if they’ll be invested in Datsun..
i agree with @Sanjay Natarajan,
if Pakistanis can drive Suzuki FX… they can buy and drive any scrap thing rather it be….
Despite the factual inaccuracies in PW blog and spelling mistakes, PW has tried to improve the automotive scene. Dreams may or may not convert into reality, but nothing will convert into nothing.
At least the writer is thinking about something, while you should go and buy your Mehran.
i think sanjay you dont know price of mehran in pakistan its 7 lakh almost 5 lakh INR, you guys get alto in 3 lakh and we get mehran in twice price + 1 😛
Im afraid Taxes and bribes to Pakistan govt will shoot its price to near 1.5 million. Thats what existing manufacturers would want and they will pressure govt to impose more duties and taxes to Nissan and tell them to raise the price to keep people suffering. That’s what govt do all the time.