Datsun GO launched in India, priced at Rs 3.12 lakh

New Delhi: Nissan Motor has launched its entry-level hatchback, the Datsun GO, at a starting price of Rs 3.12 lakh. The GO will come in three variants with a price range of Rs 3.12 lakh to Rs 3.69 lakh. The company plans to sell the car in India, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia.Hoping to be a game-changer in the entry-level segment, the company is targeting first time buyers with this model. Nissan expects Datsun to account for as much as half of its vehicle sales in the country.The Datsun GO, available in four colors (White, Silver, Sky & Ruby), will be retailed through a fully-branded environment within Nissan's dealership network across the country.The GO, sports a 1,200cc petrol engine, and is built on the platform of the Nissan Micra. The 3-cylinder engine delivers power of 68PS and torque of 104NM. It does a 0-100 km/h in 13.3 seconds and a fuel economy (ARAI) fugure of 20.63 km. The engine is mated to five-speed manual transmission gearbox. With the wheelbase of 2450 mm, the GO is 3785mm long and 1635mm wide. The car also gets a good ground clearance of 170mm. These dimensions are the highest in the segment, thus making the car the most spacious. The Datsun GO will be available in three variants, namely D, A and T. The D will be the base variant in the lineup and comes with bare essentials. The D variant offers black bumpers instead of body coloured ones, manual wind-down windows and no power steering or air conditioning. You also don't get audio system and power steering on any variant except the top T.The next variant is called ‘A' which gets an air conditioning with filter, chrome front grille, body coloured bumpers and Jacquard seat upholstery.The top of the line T variant comes with speed sensitive electric power steering, front power windows, Mobile Docking Station (MDS) with amplifier, universal mobile holder, aux-in and USB charger, front speakers, folding rear seat back, trip computer with a digital tachometer, and average and instantaneous fuel efficiency read-outs. It also offers central locking and full wheel covers. It also gets segment-first follow-me-home headlamps. All the three variants get black ORVMs as standard, while safety features like ABS and airbags are absent on all variants. The car has a good power to weight ratio and comes from ventilated discs in the front and a drum brake setup at the rear.Nissan has already commenced bookings for the Datsun GO at Rs 12,000. With its modern looks and a spacious cabin, the GO will be putting up a good fight in the country's most popular segment.The launch of Datsun comes at a time when Nissan Motor India has planned to introduce 10 new models in India by 2016. The company is targeting to garner a 10 per cent market share in the automobile industry by 2016. It has also proposed to increase dealership networks to 300. The GO will compete against the likes of Hyundai Eon and Maruti Alto. The Hyundai Eon starts at Rs. 2.83 lakh and goes up to Rs. 3.85 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) while the Alto costs between Rs. 2.72 lakh and Rs. 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Alto K10 costs between Rs. 3.15 lakh and goes upto Rs. 3.28 lakh.