Japanese auto major Nissan on Wednesday said that it was discontinuing Datsun brand in India. The decision comes nine years after the company had kicked off the marque’s global re-launch in the country.  

Having failed in its ambitious global relaunch of Datsun, Nissan had in 2020 discontinued the brand in Russia and Indonesia. These were the other two countries, along with South Africa and India, which were marked as key markets targeting the entry-level car segment. 

Confirming the move to discontinue the Datsun brand, Nissan India in a statement said: “Production of Datsun Redi-GO has ceased at the Chennai plant (Renault Nissan Automotive India Private Ltd). Sales of the model still continue (till the stock lasts).” 

The company further added: “We can reassure all existing and future Datsun owners that customer satisfaction remains our priority, and we will continue to provide the highest levels of after-sales service, parts availability and warranty support from our national dealership network.” 

The company had already stopped production of two other models under the Datsun brand – entry-level small car Go and compact multi-purpose vehicle Go+. 

The discontinuation of the Datsun brand is a part of Nissan’s global transformation strategy which was announced in 2020. 

When it was re-launched, the then Nissan Motor Co President and CEO. Carlos Ghosn, had pinned hopes on Datsun to play a big role in the company, increasing its market share to 10 per cent in India by 2016, up from 1.2 per cent in 2013. 

However, the brand failed to live up to the expectations, and Mr Ghosn’s departure from the company accelerated its demise. 

Before it was phased out in 1986 for the first time, the brand was sold in 190 countries.