Nissan unveils Datsun Go for under 400,000 rupees

By Devidutta Tripathy

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co Ltd may sell cars from its revived Datsun brand in Brazil, a senior executive said on Monday, as part of the company's push to target the growing middle classes in emerging markets.

Earlier on Monday, the Japanese automaker unveiled a five-door hatchback called Go, the first new car from its low-budget Datsun line, at an event in New Delhi.

The company said last year it would resurrect Datsun as a marque for emerging markets, starting with India, Russia and Indonesia. It will also sell the brand in South Africa from next year.

Eventually, it has said it wants to expand the brand to Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

"Brazil is a possibility," Trevor Mann, an executive vice president at the Japanese company, told Reuters when asked about specific markets.

The car will be sold in India for less than 400,000 rupees from next year and will be manufactured at Nissan and partner Renault SA' 400,000-cars-per-year plant outside Chennai, southern India.

Nissan may also export Datsun cars from India to South Africa, Mann said.

Go will be followed by other models over the next three years, Nissan has said.

"The price could go even lower (than the price of the Go)," Mann said, declining to elaborate.

To make Datsun cars affordable, Nissan has been aiming to reduce manufacturing costs to $3,000 to $5,000 per vehicle.

(Writing by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Pravin Char)