Datsun Redi-Go 1.0L

Can the added 200 cee-cees make this tiny hatch ‘go’?

- Abhishek Wairagade

DATSUN HAS BEEN selling value for money cars in developing countries, since four years. The intention was to continue the same strategy in India, but the Go and Go+ failed miserably, thanks to Datsun’s ineffective cost-cutting measures. Realising the shortcomings, the Renault-Nissan family developed the Common Module Family (CMF) to produce the Kwid which managed to put a dent in Maruti Suzuki Alto’s sales. Datsun then utilised the same platform to develop the Redi-Go, which has been selling in the range of 3-4k units every month, taking the total number of Datsuns in India to 90,000 in three years. Now, Datsun has even bigger plans for its entry-level hatch, having plonked a 1-litre engine, derived from the Kwid, again. Would that bring more customers to the Datsun showrooms?

What’s new?

The 999cc engine has been doing duty in the Renault Kwid for a few months now. The same 3-cylinder unit has made its way under the tiny hood of the Redi-Go. No changes have been made to the i-Sat engine, as Datsun likes to call it. It makes 67bhp at 5500rpm and 91Nm at 4250rpm, which is sufficient for a car this size. Renault and Datsun have not mentioned the kerb weight of their respective cars, so it is difficult to gauge the power to weight ratio. We expect an addition of 20-30kg over the Redi-Go 800cc.