Datsun is coming back

[Icon]

Being realistic, this is good news, since I cannot afford a Range Rover, so well, there is this classic -back in the ol' country, this was a must have:

The Japanese auto giant Nissan (NSANY +0.47%) is resurrecting the Datsun, the once-ubiquitous line of roadsters that had its heyday in Britain and America in the 1970s. The new Datsuns will be released in India, Russia and Indonesia as part of Nissan's push to expand in the fiercely competitive emerging markets.

...
Why were Datsuns so popular? The peak of Datsun's popularity came in the 1970s as the Arab oil embargo of 1973 caused prices at the pump to spike. Datsuns stood out for being affordable and fuel-efficient and were "packed with up-to-the-minute technology" that enticed a younger crowd, says Ray Massey at Britain's The Daily Mail. Datsuns also featured a sporty look that reminded consumers of more costly BMWs (BAMXF -2.25%) and Porsches (POAHY -1.65%).

Why were Datsuns shelved? Nissan has owned the Datsun name since 1933, but it began fazing it out in 1981 "as part of a global strategy to strengthen the company name," says Caroline Winter at Bloomberg Businessweek. The decision "proved to be a disaster." Everyone in the West recognized Datsun, but few had heard of Nissan. The company's worldwide sales plummeted. Nissan likely lost hundreds of millions of dollars, and in the process fell behind its two main Japanese competitors, Toyota (TM +1.24%) and Honda (HMC -0.08%)

http://money.msn.com/top-stocks/post.as ... 5bd726d268

I remember people would "soup up" the 120Y. make it look like a muscle car, .

[the bear]

Datsuns never went away down in Kiwiland. Even named a band after them.

[headhonchoII]

Does it come with rusty mudguards?

[urodacus]

or pre-faded rear light red lenses?

Always a Datsun trademark.

[Poagao]

My first car was a Datsun 810. Little beast of a car, an ugly, seemingly innocuous sedan with the straight-six from a 240Z and independent suspension that made for many a look of surprise during stoplight races.

[Ducked]

Being realistic, this is good news, since I cannot afford a Range Rover, so well, there is this classic -back in the ol' country, this was a must have:

The Japanese auto giant Nissan (NSANY +0.47%) is resurrecting the Datsun, the once-ubiquitous line of roadsters that had its heyday in Britain and America in the 1970s. The new Datsuns will be released in India, Russia and Indonesia as part of Nissan's push to expand in the fiercely competitive emerging markets.

...
Why were Datsuns so popular? The peak of Datsun's popularity came in the 1970s as the Arab oil embargo of 1973 caused prices at the pump to spike. Datsuns stood out for being affordable and fuel-efficient and were "packed with up-to-the-minute technology" that enticed a younger crowd, says Ray Massey at Britain's The Daily Mail. Datsuns also featured a sporty look that reminded consumers of more costly BMWs (BAMXF -2.25%) and Porsches (POAHY -1.65%).

Why were Datsuns shelved? Nissan has owned the Datsun name since 1933, but it began fazing it out in 1981 "as part of a global strategy to strengthen the company name," says Caroline Winter at Bloomberg Businessweek. The decision "proved to be a disaster." Everyone in the West recognized Datsun, but few had heard of Nissan. The company's worldwide sales plummeted. Nissan likely lost hundreds of millions of dollars, and in the process fell behind its two main Japanese competitors, Toyota (TM +1.24%) and Honda (HMC -0.08%)

http://money.msn.com/top-stocks/post.as ... 5bd726d268

I remember people would "soup up" the 120Y. make it look like a muscle car, .

Typically half-assed piece of journalism. I read the whole source article and I still don't know WTF they mean. Probably they don't either, and quite possibly it doesn't mean anything.

The implication seems to be that :-

(a) They are resurrecting a classic Datsun design, such as the B120. That'd be good news in a sense, because it was a very robust and successful design, produced IIRC up until 2007 in SA.

I want one.

I think its rather unlikely though, since it'd probably be too expensive to produce now.

It's RWD, for a start. It wouldn't meet emission regs in its original, uncomplicated, no proprietary un-repairable electronic shite form, etc, etc

(b) They are resurrecting the Datsun name/brand. If so, so what?

The Nissan/Datsun brands are interchageable, having both been applied to the the same car in different, and sometimes even the same, markets.

This seems to be non-news

[sulavaca]

Typically half-assed piece of journalism. I read the whole source article and I still don't know WTF they mean. Probably they don't either, and quite possibly it doesn't mean anything.

Do you find the article to be contradictory? The Datsun brand was dropped to the stigmatism associated with cheap quality in some areas. The company wished to sell slightly upscale, so they needed a brand which they could re-associate, with a different group of buyers. The problem was that by introducing Nissan, they perhaps alienated themselves from some of their existing customer base.
They are now hoping to start up Datsun again, because of that old association with cheapness and bang (forgive the pun) for the buck motoring. This is why the Datsun brand will only first be focussed on poor/developing countries.
You're right though in a sense. People who understand cars don't require badges and name changes. Unfortunately people will still prefer a badge they like over a badge they don't. Just look at Skoda versus VW and Audi, Ford Mondeo and Jaguar X-Type, Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo, SAAB and Opel, Suzuki SX4 and Fiat Sedici, Daewoo and Buick, the list goes on.
There are many, many car buyers out there who associate certain things with certain brands, even when they're entirely wrong, and they can be very insistant. This is but all the result of marketing, and shows how people are simple things who can have their decisions easily swayed by fancy pictures, brand names, and association.

[tommy525]

Datsun was so very well known in the USA. And I do believe the change to using Nissan was not in any way beneficial to Nissan motors.

They shouldve continued with the name Datsun. Then on the bottom of ads say Nissan Motor Company.

Much like Mercedes - Benz is made by then Daimler Benz AG (now just Daimler AG)