Nissan pulls the plug on Versa in Canada, offers cheaper Micra
New sedan favours European roots
Nissan Canada has pulled the plug on the Versa sedan, the second cheapest car in its lineup.
According to a report from Automotive News, Pierre Loing, Nissan’s product planning vice-president, says slow Versa sedan sales is the main reason behind the decision. In addition, the Versa sedan and the new-to-Canada Micra occupy the same entry-level price point, but Loing suggests certain markets would favour the Micra’s packaging and European roots.
“The Versa sedan didn’t do well in Canada and we’re stopping it now, with the introduction of the Micra,” Loing told Automotive News.
The Versa sedan starts at $11,898, while the Micra rings in as the cheapest car in Canada with its $9,998 price tag. Currently, the Micra is exclusive to Canada as Nissan is still on the fence about introducing it to the U.S. market.
Chrysler 200 convertible gets the axe in the U.S.
Chrysler might have unveiled the completely redesigned 200 sedan earlier this year, but the convertible version of the outgoing model will not live on past 2015 in the U.S.
According to Edmunds, the Chrysler 200 convertible has been axed for two reasons. Last year, Chrysler sold 122,480 examples of the 200, but less than five per cent were convertible models. In addition to lacklustre sales, Doug Verley, the 200’s chief engineer, says the cost to engineer the redesigned 200 into a convertible would be “substantial.”
“We’d have to re-engineer the rear of the car because we now need a new deck lid … and inside the convertible, we’d have to add quite a bit of structure into the A-pillars and sills,” Verley told Edmunds. “We’d want to give the customer a similar driving experience to the 2015 200 sedan, and on a convertible, we’d have to create that same torsional stiffness without a roof structure.”