Datsun to launch Alto rival from Kwid base

NEW DELHI: Datsun will soon launch a car on the platform that developed Renault's 'Kwid' as parent Nissan tries to infuse life into the brand that has failed to take off so far. The Kwid managed a healthy start and Renault claims a booking of over 90,000 units since its launch in September last year.
Datsun is hoping to replicate the success as it works on ways to boost its numbers in the Indian market."I would like to sell more in India... we need go od products,“ Christian Mardrus, chairman of Nissan's Africa, Middle-East and India regions told TOI here.
The Kwid was born out of Renault-Nissan Alliance's CMF-A platform (Common Module Family), and thus the jointly developed platform will be used by the respective brands for producing new cars.The joint development allows the companies to build a wider range of vehicles from a smaller pool of parts.
The CMF-A platform represents the smallest and most af fordable category of vehicles in the family and Datsun hopes to challenge market heavyweights such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai in the small car category. "They are the champions in the market... We want to strongly position Datsun in the entry segment."
The car, which had been displayed earlier as RediGo, is expected to be launched in the April-June quarter. The company is also expected to showcase the final production model soon. Mardrus, however, said that despite sharing a common platform, Datsun's new car will not be identical to the Kwid.
"While we will share a number of components, they will be different cars with different styling. There will not be commonalities when it will come to the exterior or the interiors of the two cars."
The new car, which will carry a 800cc petrol engine and will take on the Maruti Alto and Hyundai Eon, will be the third car from the Datsun stable which has so far launched the Go compact (1,200cc) and the Go-Plus MPV.