It has long been in speculation that Nissan is to partner with Ashok Leyland for their upcoming entry-level Datsun cars in India. And now Nissan Motors has revealed that they have appointed Ashok Leyland’s correlated company Defiance Technologies to develop their Datsun India line up. Executive Vice President at Nissan Motors, Japan has reveled that the company is currently working with Ashok Leylands engineering services provider Defiance Technologies and that it is neither a partnership nor collaboration; rather it is a contract.
This new decision may actually be quite a smart one from the Japanese automotive company considering that local engineering is required to keep the pricing of the cars low. That coupled with Defiance’s keen understanding of the Indian automotive market will definitely work in favor of Nissan. The new cars, codenamed K2 and i2 will be made with the current market champions, Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai Eon in mind. Nissan will manufacture these vehicles exclusively for the Indian market but will adhere to international safety and technological standards. These models are scheduled to be launched in the Indian market close to the later half of 2014. It is also speculated that they will be unveiled at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo in 2014.
