Atul Shahane, vice-president of vehicle export at Nissan Motor India, recently visited Kathmandu to attend the launching ceremony of Datsun’s latest offering, the redi-GO. Prahlad Rijal of the Post caught up with Shahane to talk about Datsun’s Nepali market and the company’s strategies. Excerpts:

How has Datsun grown as a brand in Nepal over the years? How do you assess the Nepali market?

Datsun has a long heritage in Nepal. Many from the older generation are familiar with Datsun’s 120Y models and the Bluebird, among others. Those vehicles were rolling here from the early 1970s till the 1990s. We started selling the Datsun GO from September 2013, and ever since the market presence has been growing. Exports till date have crossed 800 units, and with the redi-GO, the numbers are set to increase.

Talking about the redi-GO, what is Datsun’s core strategy? What is the targeted segment?

Datsun is a Japanese brand with excellent global recognition. In Nepal, we have now come up with the redi-GO. It is an urban-cross. Urban-cross means it has all the features of a vehicle which can take up any terrain. For instance, it has a ground clearance of 185 mm, the highest ground clearance in a hatchback which equals the ground clearance of SUVs. Moreover, approach and departure angles are suitable for a country like Nepal with a strenuous terrain. So, the car is easy to maneuver.

Talking about the positioning strategy, we have considered three factors—fun, freedom and confidence. In terms of fun, it has got a very zippy engine and powerful acceleration of 0 to 100 in 15 seconds. When it comes to freedom, the car is spacious and comfortable. As for confidence, it has low operating and ownership costs. Our target segments are families and young risers. People who would want to switch to four-wheelers from two-wheelers will find it an ideal choice.

Hyundai and Suzuki have a strong market command in Nepal when it comes to the hatchback segment. So how will Datsun move forward to gain a fair market share?

Datsun has got a winner product in the 800 cc entry-level hatchback line-up. Datsun cars have a powerful engine, better ground clearance and wider eye-sight points, giving us an edge over competitors. Moreover, the car’s YUKAN (brave and bold in Japanese) design is latest and unique. The product has excellent safety features blended into the design and is far superior to the competition. For instance, the breaking distance (32 metres) is shorter than other entry-level cars. Likewise, the body has a reinforced crash protection shell, superior suspensions and airbags. All these features will help us to consolidate our market presence.

What are the company’s future plans in Nepal?

We have the right product for customers and we have a strong dealer partnership and network which has taken good care of our customers. Our focal point is customer satisfaction, and we are expanding the touch points from the current 10 dealerships to 18 in two years.

Tell us about Datsun’s global market.

Globally, Datsun is a brand for emerging markets like Indonesia, Brazil and Nepal. We have been exporting vehicles from the early 1990s to 190 countries and almost 20 million cars have been sold worldwide. Datsun is a Japanese brand which is well known around the globe.