DETROIT – Nissan will take the plunge into the small but potentially dynamic U.S. minicar segment, when it launches the all-new Versa in 2006, a 1.8-liter four cylinder, 120 horsepower car that gets an estimated 38 miles per gallon.
Based on the ?Flex-B Platform,? the first jointly developed by Nissan and its French partner, Renault, the new model is already on sale in several markets, notably Japan, where it is sold as the Tiida. A five-door hatchback will roll into U.S. showrooms first, with a sedan version of the Versa to follow a few months later, TheCarConnection.Com reported.
The base Versa will feature a four-speed automatic, but an optional CVT will be offered, and with it delivering as much as 10 percent better mileage, Nissan planners expect a high ?take rate.? Nissan officials made it clear, during a Wednesday briefing, that Versa is not intended to be a stripped-down econobox.
By going with a tall roofline and using higher seating, Versa will boast the same, useable interior space of a class larger vehicle. Even the base vehicle, expected to come in around $12,000, will carry a reasonable level of content, with a focus on material refinement, especially in the unexpectedly spacious interior. ?If you make a $12,000 to $14,000 car,? explained product planning chief Jack Collins.
Right now, the minicar segment is relatively empty, U.S. sales running barely 300,000 annually, but the Versa is likely to be followed by a range of competitive offerings. Manufacturers such as Honda, Toyota and Mazda have all shown prototypes for the segment, and Collins suggested that interest levels will grow with fuel prices running at or near record levels. In fact, the Versa may be just one of several B-Segment offerings Nissan could bring to market. The Japanese automaker has shown a variety of high-style prototypes in recent years, including the Azeal, which debuted at the Detroit Auto Show last January.
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