TOKYO: Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. has ended the production of Datsun brand vehicles for emerging economies due to poor sales, it was learned Monday.

The Datsun brand, which made its debut in Nissan’s early years, was revived under the leadership of former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn as affordable vehicles. Sales, however, were slow recently.

The termination is part of Nissan’s efforts to concentrate its business resources on the development of electrified vehicles, an area where competition is heating up.

The Datsun used to be a popular passenger car brand mainly in the United States.

In the 1980s, the automaker renamed the brand “Nissan.” Production of the brand’s models was halted in 2002.

In 2014, Nissan resumed sales of Datsun vehicles in some 10 countries, including India, Indonesia and Russia, under Ghosn’s sales expansion policy.

Nissan, which suffered poor business performances in recent years, is trying to shift away from the expansion policy.

It recently finished the manufacture of Datsun vehicles in India, the last country that produced them, sources said.

In a medium-term business plan drawn up in 2020, Nissan said it would strengthen its profitability through selection and concentration.

JIJI Press