'In the mid-term, India could be Datsun's biggest market': Vincent Cobee

The Datsun brand has not helped Nissan in terms of the numbers in the Indian market so far but the Japanese car major is hopeful that the story will change in the coming years and India will be Datsun's biggest market in the world.

In an exclusive interview with Autocar Professional at the launch of the Go+ MPV, Vincent Cobee, global head of Datsun, said, "It's quite likely that India will be the largest Datsun market in the mid-term because of the sheer size of the market and its composition. Half of the Indian market comprises cars priced at the Rs 400,000 or less mark." The next Datsun model is expected to be launched with a price-tag of much less than Rs 400,000.

This is where, according to Cobee, Nissan has a "huge" opportunity which it will try to tap with new products. Since the global re-introduction of the Datsun brand, first in India in March 2014, followed by Indonesia, South Africa and Russia, 42,000 Datsun-badged cars have been sold, Cobee said. Of that, 31 percent is from India where close to 13,000 Datsuns have been sold till December 2014.

Meanwhile, speaking at the Go+ launch today, Guillaume Sicard, president of Nissan's India operations, said, "In the B-segment, which contributes to 25 percent of overall car sales in India, we are now the No. 3 player (after Maruti and Hyundai) with around 3 percent market share." He is hopeful that the performance will improve as Nissan expands its sales and service reach for both the Nissan and Datsun brands. Over the past year, the company has ramped up its network from 128 to 160 outlets. It plans to take this figure to 260 in 2016.

Nissan has some ambitious goals for India, which Cobee says is one of the toughest markets in the world. Cobee says, "2014 was a year of ups and downs and we had a restructuring of our marketing and sales organisation. We knew this was going to be an enriching but challenging adventure for the first year."

In contrast, Datsun has had a good run in Indonesia where it has secured close to 20 percent share of the segment of cars eligible for the government’s low-cost green car programme. With a new India sales and marketing team in place, Nissan is looking to a positive change in the Datsun story. Cobee, a ‘fan’ of India, is bullish about the prospects. "The love affair comes with its ups and downs," he says on a lighter note.

The Datsun Go+ comes in four trim levels including the D, D1, A and T. The range starts at Rs 396,000 (ex-showroom, Mumbai). Nissan will offer an airbag as optional fitment in the top-end version. 

Click to Watch the exclusive interview with Vincent Cobee