The Datsun Go and Go+ have been around in our market since 2014 and in October 2018, the carmaker launched the first proper facelifts for the hatchback and sub-four-metre seven-seater. The refreshed Go and Go+ came with updated exterior styling, reworked interiors and additional safety equipment, though the engine and gearbox options remained unchanged. Datsun is now preparing to expand both their line-ups by introducing CVT automatic gearbox options in October.

The CVT unit will be paired to the same 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine, which produces 68hp and 104Nm of torque. This addition will make the Go and Go+ the first cars in their respective segments to feature a CVT – the hatchback’s rivals like the Tata Tiago, Hyundai Santro and Maruti Suzuki Celerio come fitted with AMT gearboxes.

There aren’t expected to be many differences in terms of styling between the manual and automatic versions; the recent facelift brought with it re-shaped bumpers, a new grille design, top-spec variant got LED DRLs and a set of larger 14-inch diamond cut alloy wheels. Coming to the interiors, the refreshed models came with re-styled central AC vents, individual driver and front passenger seats (rather than the bench-like front seats), a tachometer in the instrument cluster and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

The most recent update for the Go harchback and Go+ MPV was the addition of traction control and ESC (collectively called Vehicle Dynamic Control by the brand) on the higher-spec variants, making them the most afforadble models in India with this tech.

Interestingly, the Datsun Go and Go+ facelift have been available with a CVT gearbox option in international markets like Indonesia, for a while now. Datsun has also been producing the Go and Go+ with a CVT gearbox in India for export to the South African market.