1981 Datsun 280 Zx on 2040-cars

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Malaise Era All-Stars

A few weeks ago, we bid a fond happy 40th anniversary to the automotive dark ages of 1973-84 that have come to be known as "The Malaise Era" - the performance ice-age when 160 horsepower was a lot and a 0-60 time of under 10 seconds was remarkable. Like music in the 1980s, everything in automobiledom didn't suck, however. There were a few bright spots. Here are five of our favorites:
1976-79 Porsche 930, aka 911 Turbo Carrera (above)
Photo Credit: Dorotheum

Datsun previews new budget sedan for Russia [w/video]

Nobody does cars on the cheap quite like the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The former part of the equation already has its Dacia brand of cost-effective, no-frills vehicles that have become a favorite of Top Gear co-host James May, and last summer, the latter revived its Datsun nameplate for a budget brand of its own.
The reborn Datsun launched in India this past July with its Go hatchback, returned in September with the Go+ minivan and revealed the Redi-Go concept just last month. And now it's given us our first look at an upcoming budget sedan developed specifically for the Russian market.
The as-yet unnamed vehicle (which we'll bet will incorporate the word "go" into its nameplate somehow) is set to debut on April 4, where it will launch the Datsun brand in Russia. Few details are available at this point, but the low-cost sedan was designed in Japan to offer Russian drivers "an engaging driving experience, peace of mind ownership and accessibility at the right and transparent price, with a competitive Total Cost of Ownership."

Datsun to unveil second model later this month

Datsun, Nissan's new sub-brand for emerging markets, has announced plans to unveil its second model. Its first, the Go, was unveiled almost two months ago, and promised affordable, connected motoring for five in a handsome hatchback body. Datsun is following that up with a pair of new models for Indonesia.
The first of these two new vehicles will be shown on September 17 in Jakarta, eschewing the typical auto show debut. It's targeted at so-called "risers," the nickname for a group of highly aspirational customers in the Indonesian market. Datsun developed it locally with help from Nissan, and it'll cost under 100 million Indonesian rupiah (about $8,900 at today's rates).
We'll have the full boatload of information on the newest member of the Datsun family when it debuts on September 17. Scroll on to read the full press release from Datsun.