Following the recent announcement of the return of Datsun to the South African market, CAR had Mike Whitfield, managing director of Nissan South Africa, answer a few questions on the brand’s future. For the full story on the return, click here.
CAR: Datsun was a very strong brand in South Africa. How excited are you to be included in the roll-out of the revived Datsun worldwide?
MW: Following Infiniti’s launch last year, we are delighted that South Africa is also a destination of choice for the Datsun brand. Datsun enjoyed a proud heritage in the country after the Bluebird made its debut at the Pretoria Show in 1958, the 120Y and SSS models were household names, before going on to become the number one brand between 1976 and 1978. To be part of and able to launch a brand new Datsun product in the same year as the car is introduced internationally is certainly very exciting. The company is counting on the Datsun brand to once again resonate with consumers in high-growth markets who seek attractive styling, an accessible price and – above all – an engaging driving experience. The Datsun brand remains in our portfolio as one of the most cherished brands in automotive history. The connection between the Datsun of today and the Datsun of yesterday is authentic. Just as consumers in the 1930s, 40s and 50s wanted high-quality, durable and reliable vehicles, potential customers in high-growth markets – who today have so few choices – are eager for such vehicles. We are confident that the new Datsun will meet these expectations.
Do you think having a “known” badge such as Datsun on affordable new cars would give them a head start against, for example, offerings from China and India?
Yes, we certainly think so. The all-new Datsun product offering will meet the requirements of the target customer – desirable, durable and exciting. A value package from the date of first purchase, following throughout the lifetime ownership experience. A car that will be affordable to own and run, but will still meet the aspirational requirements, that this customer is looking for.
You build the Sandero for Alliance partner Renault. Surely this product will be a rival for some of the Datsuns coming our way?
The South African market is extremely competitive, with over 60 manufactured brands and according to Naamsa 1 375 different model types – with numerous individual end items on top of these model / platform offerings – making it very competitive indeed.
We have all the great brands represented in the South African market and believe that all of these great brands will be competitors to the Datsun offering. We are confident that our product with attractive styling, an accessible price and – above all – an engaging driving experience will attract customers in this segment of the market.
What is the possibility of rebadging commercial vehicles such as the NP200 and NP300/Hardbody as Datsuns, thereby reserving the Nissan badge for more “upmarket” offerings?
Datsun is all about attractively styled new vehicles, with an accessible price and an engaging driving experience. Badge engineering has not worked well in most markets and in particular in the South African market. It is not our intention not to follow this rebadging strategy.
Would Datsuns be sold out of the same dealerships as Nissan products?
Our announcement is about the return of Datsun with the introduction of a core product – passenger model of under R100k before the end of 2014 calendar year. We have lots of hard work to carry out in terms of the distribution footprint and our intention is to work with our great performing Nissan dealer partners. The plan is to offer a unique Datsun brand and product sales experience – which would be next to or alongside the Nissan dealership.
Any chance of seeing the first Datsun at JIMS (Johannesburg International Motor Show) later this year?
We will have to wait and see then wont we ?
Nissan released this video with the Datsun announcement:
