Following a spyshot of the upcoming Datsun mi-DO hatchback for Russia, our designer Shoeb has rendered the budget hatchback.
After the unveiling of the on-DO sedan recently, Datsun is going full steam ahead in Russia - much like it is in India - by preparing the second model for launch. The hatchback is based on the widely popular Lada Kalina.
Except for cosmetic changes, the Datsun hatchback takes pretty much everything from the Lada Kalina, which is manufactured by Avtovaz - a company owned by Renault. The Kalina is in its second generation, and when production of the first gen ceased early last year after a nine-year run, Lada had sold 760,000 copies of it.
The hatch gets the now-familiar Datsun hexagonal grille and headlamps, seen on cars right from the Go till the on-DO. As on the Kalina on which the mi-DO is based, the hatch gets blackened B and C-pillars. Towards the rear, the vertically stacked taillights stand out with different detailing.
Regarding the pricing of the mi-DO, Datsun have kept quiet. However, given that the on-DO sedan is promised a price tag of under 400,000 Roubles (Rs 6.8 lakh), expect the hatch to cost much lesser. There was also a base-model Kalina launched last September, with a price tag of 324,000 Roubles (Rs 6.3 lakh) which could be region the hatchback would be priced into.
Datsun would not bring the mi-DO hatchback or the on-DO sedan to India, as these are designed, developed and manufactured exclusively in and for Russia. The next Indian launch for the Datsun brand would be the Datsun Go+ MPV towards the year-end, followed by the redi-Go next year.
