The Datsun car brand, which was phased out of South Africa in 1981, would be brought back to South Africa by the end of 2014, the car maker Nissan South Africa, said at the weekend.

This makes South Africa the fourth market where Nissan will launch or re-launch the Datsun brand, following on India, Indonesia and Russia, according to Moneyweb.

Vincent Cobee, corporate vice president at Nisaan Motor Co., told the media at a press conference in Johannesburg that the first model would be a passenger car, costing R100 000 ($11, 281).

“The return of Datsun is integral to our expansion in fast-growing markets where there is a mushrooming upwardly-mobile segment,” Moneyweb quoted Cobee as saying.

“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.”

In 1981, the Datsun brand was integrated with Nissan branding as the company grew its operations internationally.

It is understood Datsun is to be re-established with a strong independent brand identity, alongside the Nissan and Infiniti brands.

Mike Whitfield, the Nissan SA Managing Director, told Moneyweb it was too early to comment on how much of an investment the brand re-launch will entail and how many jobs it could create.

“We are committed to continue to grow in South Africa, but it is too early to comment on job creation at this point,” he said.