Official - First Datsun to reveal itself by mid-2013, launch in 2014

It's no secret that Nissan is going to be reviving the Datsun brand once again. It's also no more a secret that the brand is going to focused on markets such as India, Russia and Indonesia.

Datsun would be playing the role of a 'low cost car maker' in these places and it is expected that the Datsun's would significantly undercut the Nissans in terms of price.

It's hardly been a year since Nissan released the new logo of the brand along with its revival strategy. However, today, we can confirm that the first Datsun would be revealed in mid-2013 and the brand will start selling its cars in 2014. Nissan could unveil the production model here in India, though we don't have confirmation on that as the press release does not describe the name or origin of the model.

Nissan has high hopes for the brand as well and is expecting that more than half its sales would come from Datsun in the future, understandable considering that the first Datsun's would be competing with the likes of the Maruti Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon - a segment that every car manufacturer wants to play in.

Datsun is developing region specific models to ramp up volumes. In India it will sell car manufactured on the Nissan V-Platform and a smaller A-Entry platform at the Renault-Nissan alliance plant in Oragadam, Chennai, while the first car in Russia is expected to be a rebadged Lada Kalina. For its own business plan, Nissan uses a global model strategy (Micra, Sunny, Evalia) in all segments.

Vincent Cobee, corporate vice president and global head of the Datsun Business Unit on the brand-

The company is counting on the Datsun brand to once again resonate with consumers in high-growth markets who seek attractive styling, an accessible price and – above all – an engaging driving experience.

Just as consumers in the 1930s, 40s and 50s wanted high-quality, durable and reliable vehicles, potential customers in high-growth markets -- who today have so few choices -- are eager for such vehicles. We are confident that the new Datsun will meet these expectations.

A while ago, we told you that the Renault-Nissan Technology and Business Centre India Private Ltd (RNTBCI) located in Chennai is assigned the job of developing three Datsun cars (codenamed K2, I2 and K2 variant). You can read more about it here.

And on other Datsun related news, Nissan announced the selection of 'TBWA Worldwide' as the global agency of record for the Datsun brand. TBWA would be in charge of advertising and communications for the low cost brand.