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Datsun debuts new seven-seat Go+ in Indonesia [w/video]

The Datsun name may have long since been replaced by Nissan, but the old brand is making a comeback - in certain markets, at least. Nissan relaunched the Datsun brand in July as its new budget brand for developing markets with the debut of the Go hatchback, and has now followed up with the addition of the larger Go+.
Set to be built in Indonesia at Nissan's plant in Purwakarta, the Go+ debuts today in the capital of Jakarta as the second model in the new Datsun lineup. The seven-passenger minivan features flexible seating in a compact form 13 feet long, powered by an unspecified 1.2-liter engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission.
Nissan isn't saying much else about the model, but hopes the new Datsun twins will account for half of its sales in Indonesia within three years. The low price target for both models - set to come in at less than 100 million rupiah ($8,700) - ought to help it get there. The lineup is then scheduled to reach other markets, starting with India, Russia and South Africa next year.

Nissan slashes profit forecast as Ghosn arrest hurts brand appeal

TOKYO — Nissan cut its profit forecast for the fiscal year through March on Wednesday to reflect slowing sales, higher costs and the fallout from a criminal investigation of its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Nissan Motor Co. expects to post a 319 billion yen ($2.9 billion) profit for the fiscal year, marking a 22% drop from its earlier 410 billion yen ($3.7 billion) forecast. Nissan said the downgrade reflects higher costs in the U.S. from a warranty extension campaign for some vehicles and falling sales due to "corporate issues," alluding to the Ghosn scandal. Ghosn was arrested in November and is facing charges of underreporting his income and breach of trust. He says he is innocent. He was released on bail in March and is awaiting another court decision on bail after his re-arrest on April 4. Nissan, which is allied with Renault SA of France, has seen sales lag in France and Japan, where Ghosn is widely known. In the U.S. and China, buyers aren't as affected by the scandal, but the markets there overall have slowed. Other factors contributed to the revision, such as production not keeping up with demand for the Note, an extremely popular model in Japan. But the high-profile scandal has weakened the brand appeal of the maker of the Leaf electric car, Infiniti luxury model and X-trail sports utility vehicle. Nissan said it expects to sell 5.5 million vehicles in this fiscal year. Earlier it predicted it would sell 5.6 million. The company sold nearly 5.8 million vehicles in the fiscal year that ended in March 2018. The automaker reduced its sales outlook by 0.2% for the fiscal year through March 2019 to 11.5 trillion yen ($103 billion), compared to its previous forecast. It was Nissan's second downgrade for its outlook following one in February that cited faltering sales in China and the U.S. At that time, Nissan also logged costs about 9.2 billion yen ($83 million) related to the alleged underreporting of Ghosn's compensation. Nissan has promised to strengthen its corporate governance to prevent a recurrence of what it says is serious wrongdoing by Ghosn. Ghosn was sent by Nissan's French alliance partner, Renault SA, to help turn the Japanese automaker around when it was near bankruptcy 20 years ago. The future of the alliance is one of many questions clouding Nissan's future following Ghosn's ouster since he was the main liaison for the alliance, which includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors.

Nissan withdraws from two races to focus on Le Mans

Nissan is making a huge bet and putting all of its chips on the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the race debut of the GT-R LM Nismo. The team will now skip the World Endurance Championship test at Paul Ricard in France later this month and also won't compete at the first two races of the season at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. The team made the announcement through two tweets (embedded below). "Our main aim for this year was always Le Mans and we have decided to re-focus on that race," Darren Cox, Nissan Motorsport boss, said to Autosport. In the meantime, the company will keep testing the car in the US right up until the big race. The driver lineup and a GT-R Nismo for display will make an appearance at the season-opening round at Silverstone on April 12, though, according to Autosport. This isn't the first setback for the team. The GT-R LM suffered a failure of a "very minor" part during testing in early March at Sebring, and the team didn't have a spare with it. The car had run 68 laps over the preceding two days. The GT-R LM uses a powertrain unlike any other vehicle in its class. A twin-turbocharged V6 has front-mid-engine placement, and it's combined with electric motors making over 700 horsepower. In total, the system generates a claimed output of over 1,250 horsepower. With no competitive racing under its belt before Le Mans, the Nissan is definitely going to be a car to watch in the big event this year. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: