Dongfeng Nissan will not market Datsun brand in China, GM states

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai July 26) - Ever since Nissan announced its decision to revive Datsun for developing markets, whether or not the brand will be brought over to China has become a hot topic of conversation. However, in a recent interview with the press, Dongfeng Nissan General Manager Ren Yong stated that the brand will not be coming to the country via his joint venture. In that interview, which appeared in a report appearing in the Beijing Youth Daily today, Mr. Ren said that "there is no way that Dongfeng Nissan will bring over Datsun." He explained that "this brand is aimed towards India, Brazil and other emerging markets, and does not comply with the requirements of the Chinese market." Mr. Ren pointed out that the JV already has the Venucia own brand to complement its Nissan sales, which is placed slightly above the Datsun brand.

Last year, Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn announced that Nissan will be reviving the Datsun brand for sale in developing markets. The brand's first model, which is based on the Nissan March, will be introduced to India next year as the Datsun Go (pictured).

Meanwhile, in Russia, Datsun models will be built on AvtoVAZ's Kalina platform. The Datsun models will share the same braking, fuel assembly and driving systems as the Kalina, however it will boast entirely new interior and exterior designs. Worth pointing out is that Renault will control over 50 percent of AvtoVAZ's stock by the end of this year.

The Datsun's brand cheapest model is just $3,000. The brand has been touted as Nissan's answer to rival Volkswagen's plan to introduce new economy models. According to various reports, Nissan conducted discussions with Chinese partner Dongfeng to sell Datsun models in China as early as 2010. However, as evinced by Mr. Ren's explanation, Dongfeng has made a clear choice to concentrate on its Venucia own brand. Mr. Ren has previously commented on his aspirations to see the Venucia brand expand beyond its native borders into overseas markets, where it will strive to compete using its own self-developed technology. He added that the Venucia brand's different target audience will allow it to compete in markets where Datsun will be sold, including India and Russia.