Datsun is hardly a known brand in the west because it is designed for developing markets and inexpensive cars are their specialty.

From the new launch revealed at the Tokyo auto show, it looks like they may start gaining patronage from the rest of the world, especially with ultra-affordable price tags. The Datsun Go-Cross is the first in the lineup and the brand has plans to expand it further down the lane. They may soon unleash the Go and the Go Plus models in select markets.

Being a cheap SUV, it will be up for sale only in South East Asia, Middle East, Africa and a few other regions. In their official statement, the company said that they are interested in exploring newer markets and create vehicles that sync with what customers are looking forward to. The potential of a cross over is what they are experimenting with, at the moment, with the Datsun Go-Cross SUV, which if successful, will pave the way for similar models. They will be using similar design cues from the base vehicle, but will have unique variants to appeal to a wide range of users.

During the Tokyo show reveal, Datsun didn’t provide any information about the SUV’s engine or its running capacity. With some speculations, we can say that it will use a 1.2 liter petrol engine which will use a five speed manual transmission system. The same engine was already used in the Go+ model and it gives a significant advantage for the company to use it again in terms of cost and the time it takes to build the car.

Datsun added that they have made over 100,000 customers happy in the past few years and being a relatively new company in the market, it is not easy to go against huge players, but they have managed to do it.

“Our idea was to make it easy for one to own a personal vehicle without spending a fortune. While there are cheap cars, it still continues to evade the crowd which relies on stringent budget and buying a car is a distant dream. Datsun Go made it possible and now by entering into the SUV market, we make it much easier for them to go for a bigger car, in order to accommodate an entire family”, said a company rep.

Datsun is all set to launch a model with a Nissan motor and in association with Renault in 2016. The car could probably be a strong entry with competitive pricing.