2016-01-21Staff Report 2 Datsun may not be a name that resonate with the young motorists, but for the older motorists Datsun was once a vehicle brand in Namibia, more than two decades ago. And the Datsun is back in Namibia, bringing with it the dream of car ownership among those who cannot afford the higher priced vehicles. The Datsun Go hatchback is priced from N$115 000, which Pupkewitz Nissan says is ideal for first time buyers. The vehicle was introduced to Namibian motorists in November last year and is now available in Pupkewitz Nissan showrooms in Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, Ondangwa and Oshakati, which will soon be moderately altered into Pupkewitz Datsun dealerships. The Datsun Go is a hatchback vehicle that is available in two models of the A Mid and the T Lux. The A Mid model is slightly lighter with a tare mass of 779 kg compared to the T Lux’s 788 kg tare mass. The gross vehicle mass of the A Mid is 1152 kg compared to the T Lux’s gross vehicle mass of 1161 kg. Under the bonnet is the DOHC 12 valve 3-cylinder engine with a maximum power output of 50kW and a maximum torque of 104 Nm, all which allow the Datsun Go to reach a top speed of 161km/h. The Datsun Go has a standard warranty plan of 3-years/100 000 km, the service plan and maintenance plan are optional, with 15 000 km service intervals. Other differences in the two models include manual steering for the A Mid compared to power steering for the T Lux also boasts features like manual centre locking and driver airbags which the A mid doesn’t have. The Datsun Go comes gives its drivers a choice of five exciting colours. These colours include sky, silver, white, ruby and grey. Nissan says the Datsun Go is “designed for people on the go; people, who are active, have defined priorities and pursue the optimum choice for their stage of life. These young customers want a stylish, accessible, roomy and economical vehicle, which fits comfortably with their rapidly changing lifestyle – Datsun Go answers their needs.” The word Dat, the first three letters, in Datsun, mean ‘lightning-fast’ in Japanese but those three letters were coined to make up DAT in Datsun because they are the first letters of the names of the three financiers who first supported the Datsun automobile venture: The financiers were Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi – DAT. When Nissan bought the Datsun business in 1933, the founding father, Yoshisuke Aikawa had a vision to provide ‘mobility for all’ and the Nissan’s newly bought automobile model was introduced as light-weight, economical yet resilient to meet the aspiration of young Japanese – the can was named the ‘son of DAT’ or Datson, which was changed to Datsun. 2016-01-21Staff Report 2
