Nissan teases first Datsun model ahead of July debut

Nissan has released the first teaser images of its upcoming Datsun budget car.

Nissan has released two teaser images of its upcoming Datsun budget car. Set to be the first Datsun-badged car sold in over 30 years, the hatchback will make its world debut at an event in New Delhi, India, on July 15th.

The 21st century Datsun will be a no-frills economy car aimed at emerging markets all around the world. Set to take the form of a five-door sub-compact hatchback, it will borrow its platform from the Lada Kalina but the two models will share almost no body parts.

Cost-cutting is the name of the game with the upcoming Datsun, and its interior will be even more basic than that of the budget-focused Kalina.

Precise technical details are not available. However, Nissan has confirmed that the hatchback's engines are being developed in Russia by Lada.

Datsun will follow up the hatchback with a sedan scheduled to make its public debut in 2014. The yet-unnamed Datsun sedan will be built in the AvtoVAZ factory in Togliatti, Russia, and in a new facility located in Indonesia. It will be sold in Russia, Indonesia, India and South Africa for anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000 depending on what equipment it is packed with.

Since Datsun was exhumed exclusively to sell low-cost cars, Nissan does not plan on re-launching the brand in the United States or in Europe.