The GO is engineered to please Indians says Datsun boss

Nissan’s team of engineers in India and Japan worked hard on meeting the expectations of Indian car buyers with the Datsun GO. The emphasis seems to have been on space, economy and acceleration, this was highlighted in our first drive of the car. 

Datsun global head, Vincent Cobee revealed to a publication that their biggest challenge was working on strict cost targets. Cobee also spoke about how Nissan managed to optimize  cost while keeping what matters to the Indian customers in the basket.

“When you put money in a car, you need to be sure you do something that a customer appreciates,” he said. “We have been putting money into acceleration, space and fuel economy, because these are aspects very relevant to target customers. Some aspects which are relevant in the United States or Europe may not have value here.” 

Cobee explained how Indian car buyers needs are different from the global customers, “Noise is a very interesting aspect. Indian buyers accept ambient noise, but noise from the car’s mechanicals, such as from the suspension, become a concern. So to some extent engine sound insulation may not be as important as suspension noise.” 

It is evident that engineering a car to a cost has its shortcomings. Nissan has managed to keep the price of the GO very competitive and usage of more insulation means it cannot be priced that competitively. The GO’s target customer is someone who will use it for city chores where the noise levels won’t be that intrusive as it could be at high speeds. The GO is now on sale in India. For more details, read our first drive impressions of the Datsun GO. 

Source: Autocar India