Little more than a year after its launch, the Datsun GO reached the 100 000 customer mark. In celebration of this milestone, the company invited proud GO owners in Russia, Indonesia, India and South Africa to submit their inspirational and aspirational Datsun GO stories to official company pages, giving them a chance to win a trip abroad. Now, the South African winner and runners up are revealed, and their tales of achieving independence, ‘love at first sight’ for their cars, traveling in style and – most importantly – surprising affordability, will resonate with many.
The Datsun brand has a rich history in South Africa, from the proud Datsun SSS days to the legendary Datsun bakkies. The GO is the first offering bearing the modernised brand to take to our roads since the 80s, and young on-the-move consumers by storm, as the narratives confirm.
“I have a completely new outlook on life,” says grand prize winner Bongiwe Mokoena in her story Going Places Together. Before, the young up-and-coming socialite had to rely on slow and sometimes unpredictable busses and taxis to get to work, go shopping and make it to the hip and happening events that took place at her local carwash.
“One Saturday, I got all dressed up and headed for the carwash; but once again, I arrived late, no longer looking my best, just as the party was dying down. I decided right then and there that this was the last time I’d depend on public transport. I found my Datsun GO shortly thereafter.”
It was a smart move for Bongiwe, not only from an independence point of view, but also in terms of short and long-term affordability. The GO model was declared by the 2015 Kinsey Report as having the most affordable parts basket in the A-segment category, driving maintenance and repair costs down. And at a starting price of R97 200,the Datsun GO is South Africa’s most economical car.
“I am having so much fun driving my new car,” Bongiwe continues. “Me and my Datsun are on top of the world!”
As well as being on top of the world, Bongiwe will be in a different part of the world altogether in a few weeks. As part of her 100 000 Stories prize, she will be whisked away on a five-day sightseeing trip in Delhi, India, where she will attend the world-renowned Auto Expo 2016 and meet Vincent Cobee, Global Head of Datsun. Furthermore, her story has been turned into a mini-documentary and will be published in a book, along with the other winning anecdotes from around the world.
Runners up Tulie Xosana, Wilco van de Berg and Stephanie Preston all praised the GO’s affordability and design, with both Tulie and Wilco pronouncing the model “beautiful”, and Stephanie praising its power: “Impressed with how strong and fast my ‘droompie’ could drive.”
“We are delighted that the Datsun GO has more than met our customers’ needs, and so surpassed our expectations,” says Des Fenner, General Manager at Datsun South Africa. “Reaching the 100 000 mark was a proud moment and proves that our efforts to evolve with consumers are successful and appreciated.
“Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all those who participated in our 100 000 Stories competition – you are all part of our Datsun community.” To view Bongiwe Mokoena’s Datsun story see the below link: http://www.datsun.com/datsunstories/en/index.html