It's been over four years since Datsun made its debut in India with the Go amidst much fanfare. While Nissan's plan was to gain sales and market share in emerging markets like ours with the resurrected Datsun brand, it didn't quite go to plan. Yet, remarkably, Brand Datsun sells more cars today in India than it's more-popular parent Nissan. Most of that though come from the redi-Go - Datsun's version of the successful Renault Kwid. The Go and later the Go+ haven't made an impact here, struggling with monthly sales of a few hundred units each.
Despite that, Datsun is not giving up on the Go duo. These test mules, caught in stop-start Chennai traffic last Sunday, is proof Datsun is cooking up something to make the Go and Go+ more appealing. While both the cars are heavily camouflaged, they still reveal interesting details about the impending facelift. Moreover, Datsun officially unveiled the facelifted Go and Go+ in Indonesia earlier this year, hinting at what changes could be heading our way.
These are the clearest spy-shots yet of the facelifted Go and Go+ with one of the images even giving us a glimpse of the center console. We can now confirm the Indian models will have similar looks and features as the models unveiled in Indonesia.
External changes are subtle with the biggest change being the new mesh pattern in the grille and an all-new bumper with vertically-stacked Daytime Running Lights. The headlights and the taillights see some minor tweaks as well while the car appears to be shod with bigger 14-inch alloy wheels that fill the wheel wells better. The Go has always been a decent-looking car while the same can't be said of the Go+. This facelift would do nothing to change that with the Go+ still looking disproportionate and awkward from certain angles.
The interiors are said to have a major revamp which is great news for anybody who have sat inside the current model's bare-bones cabin. The center console is now all-new featuring trapezoidal air-conditioner vents with the camouflage beneath hiding what could potentially be a touchscreen infotainment system. That's quite a jump considering the current Go didn't even have a proper music system at launch. Features like electrically-adjustable mirrors and power windows for all four doors are expected too.
Another noticeable change is the presence of two individual bucket seats in front with integrated headrests. That would ensure the gimmicky and frankly-unsafe seat extension in the first row is done away with and the awful, dash-mounted, pull-type handbrake lever is replaced by a conventional unit between the seats.
This being a mid-cycle facelift, mechanical or structural changes are not expected. The 1.2-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine will continue powering both the cars. Datsun could still spring a surprise by beefing up the safety quotient by throwing in an airbag or two and making Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) as standard.
Coinciding with the facelift, Datsun is expected to re-position the Go and Go+ a few notches higher up the order. So, will the prices go up? Of course they will but the stiff competition in entry-level segments from Maruti-Suzuki would mean Datsun has to play it safe than sorry. Will the facelift make the Go and Go+ more desirable? Let's watch this space.
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