We are two weeks from the July 15th reveal of the revived Datsun brand. If you squint real hard you might be able to see a similarity between the old hamburger logo, except that the red rising sun has now been turned into a blue orb enclosed in chrome. There’s even a bit of B210 honeycomb in the new grille, but that’s where the similarities end.
The new Datsun compact, called the K2, will be sold in four countries: India, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia. It will be powered by a Nissan 1.2-liter three-cylinder found in the March and retail for about $5,300.
Photos courtesy of Nissan.
I’m actually a bit of a fan on the revival. One of the things I love most about old Datsuns is the simplicity they all have. Roll up windows, minimal sound insulation, ability to be fixed by an idiot with a hammer (ie. me), etc.
Sure the 3 cylinder engine won’t stir any souls, but the (inevitably) light chassis and manual transmission will mean the car will still be massively enjoyable to toss around back roads. Couple that with the cheap price and I can very much so see this car being exactly what a Datsun should be: good, clean, cheap, usable, reliable fun.
Now we just need to convince Nissan to release it in the US.
You know what, I commend you on your stance. I am definitely on the “don’t revive datsun with dacia’s” boat, but you have a good point. Who isn’t to say that these cars will be looked back fondly? Just a few more tweaks in styling, and they could get there. Granted a few more cylinders or an electric motor sending power to the rear would be awesome, but they have time to get there again. The thing that is going to disappoint me most is googling datsun and having new cars pop up.
I’m looking forward to a Datsun return. I currently own a 81 Datsun B210 (12A rotary powered) and a 2012 Nissan Versa 1.8, since I was young my pops always kept a Datsun around to tinker with. I really hope Datsun/Nissan releases a cheap RWD sports car to compete with the FRS/BRZ under 25K.
$5300?? I could probably afford to buy several at once at that price point. Either they are totally unsafe, or we are getting totally screwed by hidden markups for eerything else (… or both).
My Datsun has power windows, mirrors, stereo antenna and steering.
Cool! Anyone who is buying them should have fun in the little things 😀
Glad there not coming to the US!
Could be fun to drop one of those 3-cylinders into a B210. Add a turbo and it’ll probably pump out enough ponies to make it fun : )
Hmm… Not bad at all! But… You know, Renault-Nissan had purchased most of the russian Lada, and it had a concept car years ago, which got very similar lines as this K2. The name was Lada C.
Google it, I think they have bought the plans, or it’s just the same project!