The Chrysler Versa

[Jesda]

Garbage finds garbage. Current day Nissan + Current day Chrysler = Match made in heaven.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/0...erica/

Chrysler Versa comes to South America.

[srpowered240sx]

interesting. dodge buys a car to resell as opposed to building their own.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Gayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[OriginalWheelman]

interesting. dodge buys a car to resell as opposed to building their own.

This has been going on for some time. Remember the Dodge Colt?

[nsrZ32]

Ah....a badge that fits the little POS

[Mr1der]

interesting. dodge buys a car to resell as opposed to building their own.

welcome to the late 70's.

they usually farm out Mitsus though...we got some really old Lancers under the Colt name.

[stopatnothing]

^ Yea dodge seems to have a problem with stealing/buying/ripping off Mitsu.

[240sx_Guy]

Ah....a badge that fits the little POS

thems fighting words for blynd_snyper

[blindsnyper]

Ah....a badge that fits the little POS

what wrong with versas?

thems fighting words for blynd_snyper

thanks

[NSR_s30]

[Cali 2 Balti G]

NOt sure what the dissapointment is about - aren't you glad that more Versas are selling . more sales, more potential for aftermarket, etc. The logic behind doing it is cost. We've seen this most recently by manufacturers entering the SUV market by buying a rebadged existing product.

Rebadging, platform sharing etc. is an old practice.

Some that I remember are

Sterling 4 door sedan based on the 1st Gen Legend (this one had a dif body and interior - but all else was Legend)

1st Acura SUV which was a Isuzu Trooper.

1st Honda SUV was a Isuzu Rodeo.

Chevy Nova (disgrace to the name) which was really a Toyota Corolla.

Ford's small pick-up was a Mazda or Vice Versa (no pun)

Remember the Cadiillac Cimaron which was a cavalier or something like that.

[Jesda]

Its a piece of sh*t with a new name. Still a piece of sh*t.... just like the Cimmaron, Catera, SRX, Passport...

Notice no one here is complaining about the Maserati MC12 being a rebodied Ferrari Enzo.

[nsrZ32]

what wrong with versas?

Nothing at all. Its just Nissan's econobox. Its a good car for what it is. But notice that Nissan doesn't let Dodge rebadge the Altima, Maxima, 350Z, etc.

[sbird1]

NOt sure what the dissapointment is about - aren't you glad that more Versas are selling . more sales, more potential for aftermarket, etc. The logic behind doing it is cost. We've seen this most recently by manufacturers entering the SUV market by buying a rebadged existing product.

Rebadging, platform sharing etc. is an old practice.

Some that I remember are

Sterling 4 door sedan based on the 1st Gen Legend (this one had a dif body and interior - but all else was Legend)

1st Acura SUV which was a Isuzu Trooper.

1st Honda SUV was a Isuzu Rodeo.

Chevy Nova (disgrace to the name) which was really a Toyota Corolla.

Ford's small pick-up was a Mazda or Vice Versa (no pun)

Remember the Cadiillac Cimaron which was a cavalier or something like that.

Don't forget the Stealth/3000GT or the Eclipse/Talon. Slightly different body work, but same powerplant, etc...

[honda_killer240]

wait Nissan and Chrysler are teaming up? i think im gonna go buy a civic. anyone wanna buy a clean coupe?

[OriginalWheelman]

Nothing at all. Its just Nissan's econobox. Its a good car for what it is.

It's quicker than a Civic, but uses more gas. It's bigger than the XA, but does not accel as fast. It's a great car if you want to corner fast, rather than drag. But it only handles well after you replace the stock tires. The stock suspension is too soft to do a good launch with out unloading the front axle. The open diff makes it even worse. But it is a comfortable car to drive everyday, and an easy car to drive like a reasonable human being. That is, once you get used to the drive by wire, and a learning ECU that forgets how to drive in town after a few hours on the high way and vice versa. Oh then there is the phantom clutch. No feedback at all. Half the time it feels like the clutch is all the way out and it is no where close. So I guess it's quirky, but livable, as long as only one person drives it.

[Urabus GodofTraction]

It's quicker than a Civic, but uses more gas. It's bigger than the XA, but does not accel as fast. It's a great car if you want to corner fast, rather than drag. But it only handles well after you replace the stock tires. The stock suspension is too soft to do a good launch with out unloading the front axle. The open diff makes it even worse. But it is a comfortable car to drive everyday, and an easy car to drive like a reasonable human being. That is, once you get used to the drive by wire, and a learning ECU that forgets how to drive in town after a few hours on the high way and vice versa. Oh then there is the phantom clutch. No feedback at all. Half the time it feels like the clutch is all the way out and it is no where close. So I guess it's quirky, but livable, as long as only one person drives it.

The Versa is a good choice, if your local Honda dealer has already sold their most recent shipment of Fits.

[Ever Victorious]

I was easily able to get my Versa to out accelerate the xA I test drove.

Of course, it would have helped the xA's case if I wasn't slamming my knee into the underside of the steering column every time I let out the clutch... even with the seat all the way back.

Sure, the Versa is the car that other Nissan owners love to bag on and beat up. I wouldn't expect anything less, nor would I expect less than total flaming and retaliation if I said what negative things I personally feel about other vehicles in the Nissan lineup.

Now, if we're quite done pointing out reasons that you non-Versa owners don't own Versa (which, really, we could give a crap about), why not go back to the original topic of Chrysler + Nissan?

Hey, anyone remember the early 80's when Renault pumped tons of money into AMC to keep them afloat, then sold them to Chrysler? Well, since Renault and Nissan are partnered, this kind of smells a bit of the same... only it's Chrysler's head on the block this time.

And for those who are "scared of the purity of Nissans" now, you may want to note that this deal does NOT give Chrysler any say in the design of the car. They are simply purchasing pre-manufactured cars for their own sale.

[OriginalWheelman]

The Versa is a good choice, if your local Honda dealer has already sold their most recent shipment of Fits.

Well #1 I got my friend his Versa for $11,200. And #2 the Fit is a lot harder to get into from a fat guy perspective.

[JHof]

I was going to squeeze out a post about this when I read about it yesterday...

I think this may be the first overt act by the Chrysler/Cerberus people to begin the parceling out of Chrysler Corporation.

Watch Nissan (or some other Japanese car company with deep pockets and an actual profit showing on their balance sheets)snatch up some of ChryCo's car lines or propose yet another "merger of equals".

Cerberus is merely a custodian of the company,and despite their hiring of a flock of car guys (Tom Gale,etc) to oversee the company,they only want to turn a profit on their investment,NOT shepherd Chrysler back into the ranks of a real manufacturer.That would take work and time,and investors want to exercise neither,they just want returns.

Jeep is the most desirable franchise,and I imagine the folks over at Toyota (or Hyundai,or Honda) are salivating over its purchase,and I'll bet the midnight oil burns in a half-dozen offices overseas regarding the Dodge and Chrysler lines.

They don't want the COMPANY,which comes with all the usual baggage inherent to American car companies,just the cars.

By 2010,you just watch--we will be driving Nissan Grand Cherokees,Toyota Vipers and Kia 300Cs.

[OriginalWheelman]

No way.

Subaru should buy Jeep. Hyundai would likely want Chrysler. I would put more money on Mercedes to take the Viper, than Toyota. They SLR'd the engine when they tweaked it last year, so they have some experience with it. That would make Merc more desirable as well, but as I think about it, would probably devalue the Dodge brand beyond recovery. But I would love to see the Viper in Merc silver with the Merc badges.

[notslow]

Im not much of a Dodge fan but wasnt the whole Dodge, Mitsu, Eagle thing all part of the Diamond Star Motors corp?

To head back on topic, its great that Nissan has found a cost effective way to get their economy cars across the international market which will allow them to fuel new projects in the future .

[Urabus GodofTraction]

No way.

Subaru should buy Jeep. Hyundai would likely want Chrysler. I would put more money on Mercedes to take the Viper, than Toyota. They SLR'd the engine when they tweaked it last year, so they have some experience with it. That would make Merc more desirable as well, but as I think about it, would probably devalue the Dodge brand beyond recovery. But I would love to see the Viper in Merc silver with the Merc badges.

Mercedes has 0 interest in the Viper. While they like fast cars with huge engines, they like fast cars with huge engines and lots of electronics and other goodies. That's not the Viper. Plus, they've already got that great stonker of a 6.2L biturbo. Plus, with the Viper comes Dodge, MB doesn't want Dodge.

With crazy things these days like Tata Motors trying to buy LR and Jag, I'm not even sure WHO'd buy a parted out Chrysler.

Jeep IS one hot tamale.The LX chassis is also going places.The new Ram has promise. Though living with the "old" Ram, I'm pissed that the dash has cracked in 5 years. Didn't help it's the 4.7L suckfest.

[Ever Victorious]

Subaru should buy Jeep. Hyundai would likely want Chrysler.

Well, I could see Hyundai getting involved in picking off parts of Chrysler. They are actually intertwined already, the 2.4L engine from the PT Cruiser and the 2.7L V6 in the Avenger are actually Hyundai designs that were adopted by Hyundai, Chrysler, and Mitsu in various vehicles. Plus, Hyundai has already made it clear that they want to compete in an upscale market.

But why on god's green earth would Subaru want to buy Jeep? The only point would be the name itself. Subaru had good off-road 4WD technology BEFORE AMC was absorbed by Chrysler. They stopped putting it on cars in the US because the interest wasn't there. Note I say in the US... you can still get a Forester or Outback with a dual-range 4WD transmission on the other side of the Pacific. Besides, FHI is probably a little gunshy about dealing with any US automakers after they let GM invest in them for "technological sharing", watched GM plunder their wealth of AWD and safety knowledge, while giving back absolutely nothing of use, before selling their investment stake.

[themadscientist]

at least a Dodge nameplate would let you know ahead of time it will fall apart.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Notice no one here is complaining about the Maserati MC12 being a rebodied Ferrari Enzo.

Considering the fact that the Enzo is an amazing machine and the MC12 is Maserati beautiful, I'd have to say that anyone who complains about that deserves a black eye.

[OriginalWheelman]

I said Subaru should buy jeep. I'd love to have a Rubicon built by FHI. IT would do nothing but make Jeep better, having access to Sub's AWD experience. And Subaru would have a lot better stake in the SUV market than the generally disliked Tribeca.

[themadscientist]

if subaru wants my attention I need buckets in the bed facing backwards with "oh ****" handles to grab.

[Ever Victorious]

See, anyone who mistakes the Tribeca for an SUV needs their head examined. All that thing is is a cracked out minivan without sliding doors.

NO Subaru enthusiast likes the Tribeca. I'm not even sure that Subaru likes the Tribeca.

TMS - I used to own one. (for those who are lost, he is referring to a BRAT) Sadly, the jump seats got pirated before the truck came into my hands.

[Bubba1]

See, anyone who mistakes the Tribeca for an SUV needs their head examined. All that thing is is a cracked out minivan without sliding doors.

NO Subaru enthusiast likes the Tribeca. I'm not even sure that Subaru likes the Tribeca.

TMS - I used to own one. (for those who are lost, he is referring to a BRAT) Sadly, the jump seats got pirated before the truck came into my hands.

I'm not sure why anyone is at all surprised that an American car company is selling a rebadged Nissan. Doesn't anyone recall the Mercury Villager??

The Tribeca is the Japanese answer to the Pontiac Aztec. Dreadful styling.the Brat was a cute little vehicle in it's day. I drove one many years ago, too bad it was so rust prone.