Reborn Datsun Brand Teases First Model, an Affordable Micra-Based Supermini

The first new car to bear the Datsun badge has just been teased by Nissan, and predictably, it won’t get your heart racing, because it has been designed with a low price point in mind first, then the rest…

However, looking at these two teaser shots, one could see a funky supermini, with clearly Micra roots, at least in terms of the overall proportions, and definitely very similar underpinnings. Currently unnamed, the project goes by the internal designation ‘K2’, and should sell well in the “emerging markets” of the world, but it is primarily aimed for the Indian market.

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Datsun Brand to Sell Cars in South Africa as Well Starting from 2014, First Teaser Rendering

At a press conference at Nissan's Yokohama plant on Monday, the Japanese carmaker announced that the re-born Datsun brand is set to return to South Africa, with the first passenger car to be launched onto the market at the end of 2014.

The announcement follows a global decision in 2010 to re-introduce the Datsun brand as part of the Japanese company's "Nissan Power 88" mid-term plan, which calls for an 8 percent global market share and 8 percent operating profit by fiscal year 2016.

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Nissan's Born-Again Datsun to Share Platforms with Lada

From the moment Nissan announced that it will revive its dormant Datsun brand with the goal of conquering emerging markets, we knew that cars like the 240Z were out of the question.

At the time, one CarScoop commentator projected that the new generation of Datsun models "are going to be rebodied Dacias", which as it turns out, isn't too far from the truth.

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One Way to Sell Your Car is to Pretend that this is Your Daughter

Some cars can sell themselves, but it never hurts to spice things up if it can help to spread around the word. Case in point, Kim Ridley who owns the Ridley’s Rides car dealerships in Eugene, Oregon.

Ridley posted an ad for a low-mileage 1977 Datsun 280Z on eBay, which contained pictures of a young woman supposedly posing sensually (we'll disagree, but everyone to his own taste, of course) on the Japanese coupe.

Nothing-new right? Well, not exactly, as what makes this story interesting is that Ridley claimed in an interview with Adweek that the woman in the photos was his young daughter, something he took back, but only after the car was sold for $7,500 or about €5,800.

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You Have to Hear this Gas Turbine Powered Datsun 280ZX Rat Rod

Normally, we are not in favor of customizing classic cars but this time we are going to make an exception, first because there are still plenty of Datsun 280ZX coupes out on the road and second because this conversion is truly cool and unique.

You may notice the Knight Rider-style hub caps or the matte black finish and those rocket inspired (or is that Madonna's Vogue bra?) headlamp replacements, but what really sets apart this 1983 Datsun 280ZX is well hidden under its bonnet.

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