Autoblog

Cheap, efficient transportation is highly desirable right now, and Nissan has stepped and delivered a super base Versa that will run you under 10 large. But what do you get for that rock-bottom MSRP? Well, you still get four wheels, four doors and six airbags, but things get thin from there. Nissan started with a one-two punch of crank windows and no air conditioning, making the economical sedan a bad choice south of the Mason Dixon line. A five-speed manual is standard fare, with automated cogs available for $1,000. Our friends over at Kicking Tires note that you also have to add A/C to the option box to get that slush box, and that'll run you a second $1,000. Nissan also saves coin by using cheap black plastic for the side mirrors and door handles, and the wheels have shrunk to 14 inches. Wait, where's the radio? Oh, there isn't one, at least not as standard equipment. Nissan provides the speakers and the wiring, but an aftermarket setup is required to hear anything other than road noise. Out the door pricing for a Versa with A/C and an automatic transmission will cost you at least $12,935 with destination. So much for being the cheapest car in the U.S.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Nissan has announced a new version of its Versa sedan today, which it claims is now the lowest-priced car in the U.S. For a base MSRP of $9,990 (excluding a $695 destination and handling charge) you can get your hands on the new Nissan Versa Sedan 1.6, which includes a standard 1.6L four-cylinder producing 107 horsepower. It's smaller in displacement than the Versa's other 1.8L engine that produces 122 hp, but is also more efficient returning 26 mpg city/34 highway with a five-speed manual and 26 city/33 highway with a four-speed automatic. The larger 1.8L achieves 26 city/31 highway with a manual, 24 city/32 highway with an automatic and 27 city/33 highway with Nissan's Xtronic CVT transmission. So the new Versa Sedan 1.6 will be slightly more frugal with fuel, but we also expect it will include less standard features in order to keep the starting price below $10,000. The new lowest-priced car in the U.S. will go on sale November 18th.

In the meantime, Nissan has another plan to ease the financial burden of its customers in these tough economic times. The Japanese automaker has announced 0% financing for 36 months (for well-qualified buyers) on the Murano, Sentra, Altima, Versa and Rogue, as well as a $199/month lease for the 2009 Altima and Rogue. Leasing a Rogue for less $200/month will require a hefty down payment of $2,754, while the Altima commands an even more steep $2,759 before you can drive it off the lot. The question is whether or not a sub-$10k Versa and new financing and lease deals will move cash crunched consumers to act.

[Source: Nissan]

Early this year Chrysler and Nissan formed a partnership to share products. The big news at the time was that Nissan would be replacing its Titan pickup with a version of the Dodge Ram. But before that deal went down, the two automakers from different continents had already agreed on a partnership that would see the Nissan Versa sold in some South American markets as a Dodge. Today Dodge unveiled that vehicle at the Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil as the Trazo C1.8 sedan. It is a direct port of the Nissan Versa we know in the U.S. and the Tiida sold in Japan, though will only be offered as a sedan in South America and not as a five-door hatchback. As far as we can tell, not a body panel or interior appointment has been changed, save for new Trazo badging and slightly different black plastic grille. We couldn't even find a Dodge logo on the car's exterior. The Trazo's engine also appears to be the same 1.8L four-cylinder used in the Versa that's been made E100 ethanol-capable for South American markets. Reading the press release from Dodge after the jump is a bit trippy, as we've never heard one automaker speak so flowery about another automaker's product. If Chrysler thinks the Trazo is so good, should we buy the Versa instead of the Caliber in the U.S.?


[Source: Dodge]

Click above for more high-res shots of the 2007 Chevrolet Aveo

Every year, cars get just a bit more expensive. There was a time, which doesn't seem too long ago, that ten grand and a signature was all you needed to walk out of a dealership as the owner of a brand new car. Today, not so much. In fact, according to J.D. Power and Associates, $15,000 gets you just two-thirds of the choices you had just two years ago. Holding up the bottom of the list is the Chevrolet Aveo, which, along with the base-model Cobalt, makes GM the only American player in the cheap-car sweepstakes. The 2009 Aveo, however, has a higher base price than before thanks to the elimination of the lowest price value model. The Koreans in the form of Hyundai and Kia offer three choices, and the remaining five slots are ably filled by Japanese manufacturers.

While there may be a few more vehicles that have base prices below the $15,000 mark, J.D. Power's numbers actually reflect transaction prices rather than MSRPs. Some vehicles, like the Honda Fit, are able to maintain some driving enjoyment to go along with their low prices, and these cars often command higher prices because of the demand for them.


[Source: JD Power via Winding Road]

Due to the popularity of small, fuel-sipping cars, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has smashed up some of the newest offerings. And, as if you needed further proof to get optional side air bags on your next car, the minimally-bagged Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Scion xB and Toyota Yaris all got poor ratings while the Nissan Versa and Honda Fit, both with standard side airbags, and the Yaris with optional side bags, got top ratings in side crash testing

The Accent and Rio both come with standard air bags, but the tests showed significant driver injury was possible. Pity the xB owners who don't even have a choice of side air bags. The IIHS said that during testing, the xB's dummy's head actually struck the crash barrier. That's gotta hurt.

The IIHS also mangled a 2006 MINI Cooper and a Chevy Aveo with standard side bags. The MINI got an acceptable rating, while the Aveo scraped by with a marginal, just above poor.

Despite the Fit's remarkable side crash results, the Honda's front airbag didn't perform properly during the frontal crash. Honda says Fit owners can expect a recall to address the airbag's early-deployment.

For an IIHS summary of all the small cars tested, click here. For an IIHS summary video, go here.

[Source: The New York Times, The Associated Press via wcnc.com]

They miss the Yugo, godblessum. Those wacky guys at Slate long for the days when a new car could be had for less than the price of a modern television set. Surveying the bargain basement offerings of the automotive world, they found that only the Chevy Aveo can be had for under 10 grand, let alone the four thousand bucks a Yugo stickered for 20 years ago. Even at an adjusted-for-inflation price of $7500, the Yugo GV earns its initials and indeed represents a Great Value. Well, you get what you pay for. Anyway, Slate rounded up a field of econoboxes for a brief comparison test to see what you can realistically expect at the bottom end of the scale.

Slate's Seth Stevenson, an admitted cheapskate who drives a '96 Saturn with 103,000 miles on it, laments the fact that the lowest rung of the car market actually spans $12,000 to $17,000 nowadays. But what exactly do you get for that much cash? More than some might guess in a few cases. Mainly in response to escalating gas prices, several automakers have brought thrifty new models out to make the bargain hunters happy. Slate tried out the Saturn Ion, the Kia Rio, the Nissan Versa, the Scion xA, the Toyota Yaris, and the Honda Fit. When he went in to rent a Chevy Aveo, the counter agent told him, "You do not want to drive that car." So he skipped it. We don't want to spoil the rankings, but after trying cars that were too boring, too jerky, and even too flashy, he finally found one that was a perfect fit. Click through for the car-by-car reviews.

Thanks for helping us fill our slate, smj!

[Source: Slate]

The actress who put the "sex" in HBO's Sex and the City TV series, Kim Cattrall, is currently starring in a series of three Australian-produced TV commercials for Nissan's new Tiida (North America's Versa) in which the unremarkable little car becomes something of a sex symbol.

Well, apparently the diminutive Nissan is just a bit too racy for New Zealand TV - the carmaker has pulled one of the ads from Kiwi airwaves after a number of viewer complaints. We haven't found a clip of the offending spot, but we've got the next best thing - another ad in the series (above), which we're sure will give you the idea.

Here's the dialog from the too-hot-for-New-Zealand ad:
Cattrall (talking to a salesman): "Ah! That was amazing. Absolutely fabulous! I mean the great body and the way you moved it. Why didn't you tell me it was so big? I just wasn't prepared for it. You know what? I think I'm ready to go again." (Moves to car in showroom window) "Coming?"

[Sources: USAToday, Duncan's TV]

Nissan's littlest offering in the United States, the 2007 Versa, now has some pricing to go along with the buzz its been generating. Starting at just $12,450, the base Versa is powered by a 122-horsepower 1.8-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Buyers will have the option of adding a 4-speed automatic transmission for $800 more.

For high rollers, the Versa 1.8 SL is also available for $14,450 and includes 15-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, six CD changer, auxiliary input jack, remote keyless entry, cruise control with steering wheel controls and a nicer interior.  The SL is also available with Nissan's Xtronic CVT for $15,450.

The vehicle, which sports continuously variable transmission (CVT), should get around 30/36 miles per gallon for city and highway driving, respectively. 

Full release after the jump.

[Source: Nissan]

Hyundai will add a hatchback accent to its lineup for 2007, coming in at just a smidge less expensive than the sedan. The hatch starts at $10,415 (plus destination) for the GS with a standard five speed manual transmission, and the SE, which is tricked out with ABS, more airbags, remote keyless entry, air conditioning, power windows and locks, and a stiffer suspension, starts out at $14,495. The GLS sedan starts at $12,565. Automatic transmission is $1,000 extra on all models, and the hatch, as well as the sedan, comes standard with front, side-impact and side curtain airbags.

The move may help put Hyundai in the running with the likes of the new Nissan Versa, Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, ideally pulling the Accent out of the hole that has its sales down 34.9 through May over the same period in 2005.

[Source: PRNewswire, Automotive News]