Nissan South Africa has announced that the Datsun brand, which was phased out in 1981, will make its return to South Africa with the first passenger vehicle expected for launch at the end of 2014.

“The return of Datsun is integral to our expansion in fast-growing markets where there is a mushrooming upwardly mobile segment,” said Vincent Cobee, corporate vice president at Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. He added, “Datsun’s key values, accessible, reliable and modern, are designed to accommodate the needs and aspirations of this target group, just as it did for similarly optimistic customers in Japan, America and a large part of the world during most of the 20th century.”

The Datsun Brand

The return of the Datsun brand follows a decision made in 2010 to re-introduce the brand as part of the company’s ambitious Nissan Power 88 mid-term plan to achieve 8% of the global market share and operating profit by 2016.

Also, Datsun is to be re-established with a strong independent brand identity, alongside the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Cobee further explained, “Our aim is to deliver new and exciting products that meet local customer needs assured by global Japanese Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) expertise and technology.”

The Datsun logo

The Datsun logo embodies the brands styling identity and the inner portion of the logo preserves the essence of the original Datsun logo with a blue bar striking through the rising sun. This reflects the founding spirit of ‘sincerity leads to success’ said Cobee.

He continues, “The rising sun represents the energy of rising towards a better tomorrow and the striking blue bar represents pure integrity built into providing innovative solutions. The outer shape represents the edge and modernity of the new Datsun brand. The blue brand colour is embedded in our heritage which is rooted in sincerity and trustworthiness.”

The Datsun brand will also be introduced in India, Indonesia and Russia in 2014.