Nissan to add subcompact car in U.S.
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Nissan to add subcompact car in U.S.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/09/29/...eut/index.html
Versa will sell for $12,000 to $15,000 beginning next summer.
September 29, 2005; Posted: 10:27 a.m. EDT (1427 GMT)
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. will sell a subcompact car in the United States starting next summer in an effort to broaden its product lineup, draw more consumers into the brand and take advantage of the growing sensitivity to rising gasoline prices.
A hatchback version of the Versa, which will range in price from $12,000 to $15,000, will go on sale next summer as a 2007 model and a sedan version will be available late in the year, Nissan executive said. Production in Mexico will start in May.
"There's room for a new entry-level Nissan," Jed Connelly, Nissan North America senior vice president of sales and marketing, told reporters at the Japanese automaker's technical center outside Detroit.
The Versa will compete against such vehicles as General Motors Corp.'s hot-selling Chevrolet Aveo, as well as cars from South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. and its Kia unit. It will slot under Nissan's current entry-level car, the Sentra, which will move upmarket slightly with more room and features, Nissan said.
In addition to the Versa's introduction next year, Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. will begin selling its Yaris minicar and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. will offer a version of its Fit small car in the United States as automakers rush to serve a small but growing segment of the market.
Sales in the entry compact segment so far this year through August were up almost 3 percent to almost 100,000, with Aveo boasting a 48 percent sales jump, according to J.D. Power and Associates.
Nissan, which last September announced its decision to enter the subcompact segment, said the under $20,000 segment, which will be served by Versa and Sentra, currently totals almost 1.9 million cars a year in the United States. "Frankly, we want a bigger piece of it," Connelly said.
Nissan dealers are excited to have another product to entice customers. The automaker posted a 15.4 percent increase in U.S. sales this year through August,
"It's definitely a product that Nissan dealers need, especially in the Northeast and major markets," said Paul Miller, owner of Paul Miller Nissan in Fairfield, Connecticut. He said consumer demand is there as his sales of used Sentras are up 80 percent over the last six months.
Nissan's Versa, whose name is a play on the word "versatility," will be built at the company's Aguascalientes plant in Mexico, which currently builds the Sentra.
While officials did not reveal sales targets for the new car, they said the automaker is investing $800 million to expand the plant's annual capacity by 150,000 units to 350,000 in 2007. Suppliers are spending another $500 million.
The investment will mean the addition of 2,000 jobs at the plant, plus another 2,000 jobs at local suppliers, Connelly said.
The car is a North American version of Nissan's Tiida, which is built in Japan and China and is now one of the top 10 selling vehicles in Japan. It will be sold under the Versa name in the United States and Canada.
The Versa is based on the B platform, the same underpinnings used to build the Renault Clio and Scenic as well as the Nissan March, Micra and Cube cars. France's Renault controls Nissan.
Connelly said that platform sharing will allow the vehicle to be profitable at its low price point. Its buyers will likely be younger and pull heavily from the population of used-car buyers who couldn't afford a new car before, helping to build brand loyalty at Nissan as consumers buy larger vehicles.
The Versa will offer a projected 38 miles per gallon, a plus as consumers look for more fuel efficient vehicles.
The average retail price of gas on Wednesday was $2.81 a gallon, about 8 percent higher than a month ago and almost 50 percent more than last year, according to American Automobile Association. Prices peaked at $3.06 on Sept. 5 after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Versa will sell for $12,000 to $15,000 beginning next summer.
September 29, 2005; Posted: 10:27 a.m. EDT (1427 GMT)
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. will sell a subcompact car in the United States starting next summer in an effort to broaden its product lineup, draw more consumers into the brand and take advantage of the growing sensitivity to rising gasoline prices.
A hatchback version of the Versa, which will range in price from $12,000 to $15,000, will go on sale next summer as a 2007 model and a sedan version will be available late in the year, Nissan executive said. Production in Mexico will start in May.
"There's room for a new entry-level Nissan," Jed Connelly, Nissan North America senior vice president of sales and marketing, told reporters at the Japanese automaker's technical center outside Detroit.
The Versa will compete against such vehicles as General Motors Corp.'s hot-selling Chevrolet Aveo, as well as cars from South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. and its Kia unit. It will slot under Nissan's current entry-level car, the Sentra, which will move upmarket slightly with more room and features, Nissan said.
In addition to the Versa's introduction next year, Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. will begin selling its Yaris minicar and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. will offer a version of its Fit small car in the United States as automakers rush to serve a small but growing segment of the market.
Sales in the entry compact segment so far this year through August were up almost 3 percent to almost 100,000, with Aveo boasting a 48 percent sales jump, according to J.D. Power and Associates.
Nissan, which last September announced its decision to enter the subcompact segment, said the under $20,000 segment, which will be served by Versa and Sentra, currently totals almost 1.9 million cars a year in the United States. "Frankly, we want a bigger piece of it," Connelly said.
Nissan dealers are excited to have another product to entice customers. The automaker posted a 15.4 percent increase in U.S. sales this year through August,
"It's definitely a product that Nissan dealers need, especially in the Northeast and major markets," said Paul Miller, owner of Paul Miller Nissan in Fairfield, Connecticut. He said consumer demand is there as his sales of used Sentras are up 80 percent over the last six months.
Nissan's Versa, whose name is a play on the word "versatility," will be built at the company's Aguascalientes plant in Mexico, which currently builds the Sentra.
While officials did not reveal sales targets for the new car, they said the automaker is investing $800 million to expand the plant's annual capacity by 150,000 units to 350,000 in 2007. Suppliers are spending another $500 million.
The investment will mean the addition of 2,000 jobs at the plant, plus another 2,000 jobs at local suppliers, Connelly said.
The car is a North American version of Nissan's Tiida, which is built in Japan and China and is now one of the top 10 selling vehicles in Japan. It will be sold under the Versa name in the United States and Canada.
The Versa is based on the B platform, the same underpinnings used to build the Renault Clio and Scenic as well as the Nissan March, Micra and Cube cars. France's Renault controls Nissan.
Connelly said that platform sharing will allow the vehicle to be profitable at its low price point. Its buyers will likely be younger and pull heavily from the population of used-car buyers who couldn't afford a new car before, helping to build brand loyalty at Nissan as consumers buy larger vehicles.
The Versa will offer a projected 38 miles per gallon, a plus as consumers look for more fuel efficient vehicles.
The average retail price of gas on Wednesday was $2.81 a gallon, about 8 percent higher than a month ago and almost 50 percent more than last year, according to American Automobile Association. Prices peaked at $3.06 on Sept. 5 after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast.
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I've already seen that thing driving.. it came out of the Oaks and through Cambridge Woods by USF.. saw it about a month ago. Couldn't catch the name, but it was the same color, shape, and wore Nissan badges. The nameplate was cursive, and the thing was moving... but there it was. I dubbed it the nissan box, and went to dealership sites trying to find it.. and couldn't.
-Jeff
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ugh.. you opened up the flood gates now fortified.
great job Nissan. Playing 2nd to Toyota must be part of ghosens revival plan too.
can you guess which is the Nissan and which is the Toyota? I know its impossible, just give it your best.
If you guessed the uglier one was the Nissan, you were correct. This is not a good sign for the automotive future IMO.
great job Nissan. Playing 2nd to Toyota must be part of ghosens revival plan too.
can you guess which is the Nissan and which is the Toyota? I know its impossible, just give it your best.
If you guessed the uglier one was the Nissan, you were correct. This is not a good sign for the automotive future IMO.
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I think its a great move for the future. This class of vehicle isn't about style or uniqueness, its about value for the money. I really hope these cars have decent build quality unlike the previous players in this market. Scion seems to have a handle on building quality cars for very low prices, I'm sure Nissan can do it too.
Hopefully this will pave the way for the Cube and other micro cars that are cool but as yet unavailable in the US. Hell, I wouldn't mind driving a very small car during the week as long as I have my truck to drive if I need to haul anything.
Hopefully this will pave the way for the Cube and other micro cars that are cool but as yet unavailable in the US. Hell, I wouldn't mind driving a very small car during the week as long as I have my truck to drive if I need to haul anything.
Sideways Maffia
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http://www.edmunds.com/future/2007/n...64/photos.html
Far cry from the Concept.
I understand that it's not supposed to be that good looking or stylish, but c'mon...SOME looks would help. It looks like a cheap KIA or something, I guess we'll see what it has to offer. In Japan they offer a 3 day test drive, because they're so confident the customer will like the Tiida (here its the "versa" *gay name FYI*). So i guess it has something to offer, + its one of the top 10 best selling cars in Japan and China...i guess that says something for it.
Far cry from the Concept.
I understand that it's not supposed to be that good looking or stylish, but c'mon...SOME looks would help. It looks like a cheap KIA or something, I guess we'll see what it has to offer. In Japan they offer a 3 day test drive, because they're so confident the customer will like the Tiida (here its the "versa" *gay name FYI*). So i guess it has something to offer, + its one of the top 10 best selling cars in Japan and China...i guess that says something for it.
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I read about this the other day. I have to say that i dont like the look of the car but like fordified said its about value for the money...Scion does seem to be producing some good cars for the money.. maybe Nissan could get in there and take some of the market share away from them.Although a little styling might not hurt. It does seem to make business sense on Nissans part
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Where to begin...
Competing against the Aveo??? First off, they're competing against the xA, xB, and the entire country of Korea, but they'd rather mention US badged cars as competition. That's an attainable goal. Second, the Aveo is the worst car evar. I have never, ever seen Car and Driver pan a car so hard as they did when the Aveo came out. They actually said "don't buy this car". Ouch.
800 Million into their Mexican facility? Why don't they just stop building the damn B13 and B14 over there already. It's only a hunch that they're still in production, but I saw a B13 with a 2004 updated grille while in Mexico.
Look for the Sentra name to move slightly upmarket when they redesign it. Having to cover the $0-19000 range meant 1000's of cheap looking 1.8S running around. Not what a Spec-V owner wants to see all day long.
The huge platform sharing on this car will only mean lots of cool OEM parts. You won't have to wait for the "hot" version to come out in the US. Just pick up the Euro or Jap parts. I am curious as to which motor they have that will do 38mpg. That's a ton. Someone search the international parts pin for an engine code in the 1.5-1.6L range.
As far as the concept car, I could have told you that they'd never build it. Production QR25DET? HA! The good thing is, this news that the Tiida based car will actaully be the cheap car here leaves the spot wide open for the compact sporty rwd that we've all been hoping for.
Competing against the Aveo??? First off, they're competing against the xA, xB, and the entire country of Korea, but they'd rather mention US badged cars as competition. That's an attainable goal. Second, the Aveo is the worst car evar. I have never, ever seen Car and Driver pan a car so hard as they did when the Aveo came out. They actually said "don't buy this car". Ouch.
800 Million into their Mexican facility? Why don't they just stop building the damn B13 and B14 over there already. It's only a hunch that they're still in production, but I saw a B13 with a 2004 updated grille while in Mexico.
Look for the Sentra name to move slightly upmarket when they redesign it. Having to cover the $0-19000 range meant 1000's of cheap looking 1.8S running around. Not what a Spec-V owner wants to see all day long.
The huge platform sharing on this car will only mean lots of cool OEM parts. You won't have to wait for the "hot" version to come out in the US. Just pick up the Euro or Jap parts. I am curious as to which motor they have that will do 38mpg. That's a ton. Someone search the international parts pin for an engine code in the 1.5-1.6L range.
As far as the concept car, I could have told you that they'd never build it. Production QR25DET? HA! The good thing is, this news that the Tiida based car will actaully be the cheap car here leaves the spot wide open for the compact sporty rwd that we've all been hoping for.
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i dont like that car..versa..eww
nissan has plenty of nice pretty designs in japan..why dot bring something kool over here?
http://www.nissan.co.jp/NEWS/CAR/
i would like to have a "Lafesta"...pretty awesome van thingy..
or the "Cube" i heard that they were really considering bringing that...but nothing yet..
http://www2.nissan.co.jp/LAFESTA/B30/0508/HS/index.html <<Lafesta
Cube would look hot if they took the back off and made like a mini truck..just a thought..
nissan has plenty of nice pretty designs in japan..why dot bring something kool over here?
http://www.nissan.co.jp/NEWS/CAR/
i would like to have a "Lafesta"...pretty awesome van thingy..
or the "Cube" i heard that they were really considering bringing that...but nothing yet..
http://www2.nissan.co.jp/LAFESTA/B30/0508/HS/index.html <<Lafesta
Cube would look hot if they took the back off and made like a mini truck..just a thought..
STANZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAHHH
Last edited by OniS14; Sep 29, 2005 at 12:43 PM.
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Too much stuff to redesign on the Cube. The rear is asymetrical, which would leave a huge C pillar right in the blind spot of a LHD configured car.
It makes perfect sense. If you're Japanese and clueless about American trends, the next best thing you can do is export your most popular car in that class.
It makes perfect sense. If you're Japanese and clueless about American trends, the next best thing you can do is export your most popular car in that class.
