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Datsun and Nissan 2016
Pricing: To be announced
Though the South African motoring media screamed blue murder about the Datsun Go hatchback’s poor performance in European crash tests, the South African public has been buying them to the tune of 500 units a month since the brand’s reintroduction in our country a year ago.
Whether it’s a case of blissful ignorance, a relatively low price – about R90 000 – or perhaps nostalgia for the Datsun name, the success of the Go here and in India, Russia and Indonesia has spurred parent company Nissan to create more Datsuns.
If you find the appearance of the Go slightly off-putting, you’ll be relieved to know that two out of the next three Datsuns will be much easier on the eye.
First, though, we have to suffer through the introduction of the Datsun Go+, a seven-seater estate version of the Go that’s even more aesthetically challenging than the hatchback. Only then do we get to the good stuff: the Redi-Go and the Go-Cross.
These cars will not only be attractive, but it’s likely that Datsun will engineer more strength into their body shells. An article in the Economic Times of India quotes an unknown source that said Datsun was switching to a better-quality steel that could withstand higher pressure – the metal has a tensile level of 520 megapascals, compared with the 320-megapascal steel used in the manufacture of the Go before. The newspaper also reported that side beams would be added to the Go to “enhance the strength and rigidity of the vehicle”.
This bodes well for the safety levels of the new Datsuns, especially now that the company has added a driver’s air bag to the more expensive of the two Go variants sold in Mzansi. (Unfortunately, ABS brakes are still absent, to keep manufacturing and retail costs down.)
The Redi-Go, which should reach South Africa next year, is another four-door hatchback and will be similar in size to the popular Hyundai i10 and Chevy Spark.
This could also mean it will be cheaper than the Go, potentially making it the most affordable car in South Africa.
At Datsun’s headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, the company pulled the covers off the Go-Cross concept car. Looking at this attractive design, it’s nigh impossible to believe it’s from the same people responsible for the Go and its divisive looks. In most cases, the designs of show-car stunners, like the Go-Cross, are watered down as they progress towards production. But the styling of this concept, although handsome, isn’t outlandish or impractical and should therefore survive the bean counters and engineers to reach production fairly unhindered. Expect to see it on South African roads in 18 to 36 months’ time.
On the other end of the price and technology scale, Nissan showed its IDS concept car, hinting at how the next Nissan Leaf might look and what it might be capable of. The IDS will be an all-electric car with a 60-kilowatt-hour battery to give it a range of about 400km – far more than that of the current Leaf, which runs for about 125km before needing a recharge. Since the Tesla model S can already go as far as 500km on a single charge, the IDS’s range is feasible.
But that’s only a small element of its appeal, because the IDS will have two driving modes: Piloted and Manual Drive. In the former, the car pilots itself without any human input whatsoever. The steering wheel folds away and is replaced by a touch screen for catching up on your favourite series or sending that last email on the way home.
Another low-profile screen that runs the width of the car where the windscreen and bonnet meet communicates visual messages outwardly to other road users, such as “AFTER YOU” at a pedestrian crossing. Lighting strips on the car will glow red when cyclists or pedestrians approach, signalling the vehicle is aware of them.
The biggest obstacle to putting such hi-tech cars into production is current legislation. But in the meantime, these systems, though not allowed to function autonomously, can assist the driver to avoid crashing into other road users.
We expect cars to be able to drive us around legally by 2026.
