Datsun K2 rendered; likely to be offered only with petrol engines

The Datsun K2 is the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s new mass market car and has been rendered by the team at Autocar. It will be launched at a function in Delhi on July 15, most likely in the presence of CEO Carlos Ghosn. The Alliance aims to sell between 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh cars in the Indian market annually, basically aiming make a dent in the sales of the Hyundai i10 and Maruti Suzuki Alto.

The Datsun K2 is based on the previous generation Micra but is a five door car and features a completely revised design thanks to their access to a large parts bin across both manufacturers. Most prominent in the picture is a hexagonal grille with the Datsun logo in the middle. The report suggests that the car has other stand out elements that will help differentiate from its competition. 

However, the biggest surprise is that the Datsun car is likely to be offered only with a petrol mill. This is expected to the 1.2-litre engine from the standard Micra but with a smaller output and torque figure. It is expected to have good fuel efficiency due to being 100kgs lighter than the Micra. 

Thanks to certain restrictions arising from the design of the vehicle, it believed that there is not enough space to fit the 1.5-litre K9K diesel (the Alliance’s smallest oil burner). Since a diesel powered car is almost a lakh higher than its petrol equivalent, cost is major factor in the Datsun K2 not getting a diesel mill. The K2 will most likely be sold through existing Nissan dealerships in major towns and cities, however, smaller locations that have no Nissan dealership, will get a standalone Datsun showroom.   

We expect that Nissan will price the Datsun K2 in the range of Rs 2.5-Rs 4.5 lakh (ex-showroom) and this puts it in competition with the Hyundai Eon, Alto 800 at the lower end and Hyundai i10 at the higher end.