- The Datsun Cross was showcased at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show and also made an appearance in India at the Auto Expo 2016.
- The compact crossover was spotted for the first time in India.
- It will be a sub-four metre product and is expected to be priced under Rs 10 lakh.
Datsun has been mulling over bringing a flagship SUV in India which will be positioned above the GO, Redi-GO, and the compact MPV, GO Plus. The Japanese carmaker showcased a Cross Concept at the 2016 Auto Expo; and last year, it was revealed as the Cross crossover. Now, a production-ready prototype of the Cross was spotted for the first time in India near the carmaker’s Chennai facility.
The test mule spotted was highly camouflaged and it didn’t give out any details of the vehicle underneath. However, we know that the Cross is based on the GO Plus MPV with almost the same proportions. The Cross retains the design quotient of its concept, so there are stylish projector/LED headlamps and circular fog lamps nicely integrated on the fascia. It gets contrasting black cladding all around.
At the rear, the crossover has a similar tail light design as the GO Plus. There is a small rear spoiler on the Cross but the test mule was missing this spoiler. And the test mule sat on alloy wheels which were hidden by camouflage.
On the inside, the Cross carries the typical Datsun cabin layout. So we expect the same to be carried forward in the Indian-spec without many changes. There are three seating rows on the inside, dashboard mounted gear lever and a touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone connectivity. We expect Datsun to bring all these features to the Cross intended for India as well.
Powering the Cross will be the 1.2-litre three-cylinder motor. It could even borrow the 1.0-litre engine from the Redi-GO to keep the cost down. There is a high possibility that this may be the first model in the Datsun line-up to be offered with a diesel engine, which, in this case, will be the 1.5-litre dCi from Nissan. But nothing concrete can be said right now regarding the diesel variant.
With the production-ready model on test, we expect the launch to be just around the corner. The Cross will be eyeing the Ford Freestyle, Honda WR-V and Hyundai i20 Active in the market as its rivals apart from other sub-4 metre crossovers.
