Motor vehicle manufacturer Nissan will be bringing the Datsun brand back to South Africa by the end of 2014, following a prolonged global absence. India, Indonesia and Russia will see the brand launching in their respective countries at the same time.

Announced late last week, Nissan will be resuming sales of Datsun-branded vehicles with the introduction of a new passenger vehicle that will arrive before the end of next year. There are no further details on the vehicle that is set to kick off the return of the brand but Nissan South Africa expects it to be the first of a new line of Datsun vehicles to enter the country.

Corporate vice president at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd Vincent Cobee said in a press release “The return of Datsun is integral to our expansion in fast-growing markets where there is a mushrooming upwardly-mobile segment. Datsun’s key values – accessible, reliable and modern – are designed to accommodate the needs and aspirations of this target group, just as it did for similarly optimistic customers in Japan, America and a large part of the world during most of the 20th century.”

Managing director of Nissan South Africa Mike Whitfield said ““Following Infiniti’s launch last year, we are delighted that South Africa is also a destination of choice for the Datsun brand. Datsun enjoyed a proud heritage in the country after the Bluebird made its debut at the Pretoria Show in 1958, the 120Y and SSS models were household names, before going on to become the number one brand between 1976 and 1978.”