102 Articles
Nissan to shift Versa/Tiida production from Japan to Mexico

With a rapidly appreciating yen and an expected loss of almost $3 billion for the 2008 fiscal year, Nissan is shifting some small car production to Mexico from Japan. The Versa/Tiida (as it's known elsewhere) is expected to be built south of the border for export to the rest of the world. North American-market models are already built in Mexico, and this would consolidate production. CEO Carlos Ghosn already announced cost-cutting efforts that would eliminate 20,000 jobs worldwide, including 12,

Chrysler/Nissan partnership frozen, Ram-based Titan and Chrysler small car in jeopardy

Times are tough all over the auto industry, but the situation at Chrysler seems to be far more dire. Chrysler's sales numbers are significantly worse than they are elsewhere in the industry, with January sales plunging by 55%. In December, the Pentastar received $4 billion from the U.S. government to keep from going insolvent. Very little good news has trickled out of Auburn Hills as of late, and that isn't changing today.

Nissan selects plant for building subcompact Chryslers

As we told you last January, Nissan is going to build a small Versa-based car for Chrysler. We now find news that production is set to start in early 2009 at Nissan's Aguascalientes assembly plant in central Mexico, the same plant where all the North American Versas are built. However, this Nissan/Chrsler model will only be sold in Brazil, where it'll be called the Dodge Trazo. Another Nissan

Oh, it's on! Hyundai Accent regains Cheapest Car in America title

Less than a month after Nissan announced its $9,990 blue-light-special Versa Sedan 1.6, Hyundai has one-upped them. Or should that be one-downed? The 2009 Hyundai Accent has regained the title of Cheapest New Car in America with a starting price that undercuts the Nissan by a Jackson. Priced at $9,970, it is now the least expensive new car on the market. And Hyundai didn't reduce content to get t

What does the Nissan Versa 1.6 offer for $9,990? Not much

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

Nissan ekes one more mpg from Versa, Infiniti G up by two

It may not seem like much, but the single extra mile per gallon that Nissan plans to extract from its Versa subcompact will surely be appreciated by its purchasers. After all, every little bit of fuel savings helps when buyers are shopping for small cars, often with the specific intent on downsizing and saving gas. So, since the Versa is down a bit when compared to its closest rivals, the

Nissan cutting production in Mexico to compensate for low U.S. demand

It's been easy to forget about Nissan's small car offerings with the recent introduction of the redesigned Maxima in New York and the impending arrival of the GT-R for the first time on U.S. shores. But some of Nissan's more compact vehicles remain the bread and butter of the brand and fill the transportation needs of the masses. However, they're far from exciting and recent sales in the U.S. bear this out. To cope with these

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