Nissan Brings Datsun Back in Emerging Markets

New Delhi fashion designer Rebecca Nelson is the kind of customer Nissan Motor hopes to attract as it revives the Datsun brand: someone on a tight budget looking to buy her first car. Problem is, she’s never heard of the long-dormant auto line. “What is Datsun?” asks the 26-year-old, who earns about $400 a month and takes the subway to work. “If I’m spending my savings on a car, I’ll opt for a tried-and-tested brand.”

Nissan is resurrecting the Datsun marque after killing it in 1981 in favor of the automaker’s namesake brand. Sold mostly in North America and Europe, Datsuns were popular for their fuel economy during the 1970s oil shocks. Now Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn thinks Datsun has a future in emerging markets, where he’s betting updated technology and bargain prices can overcome the lack of brand recognition.