SPIED: Nissan Testing New 2012 Sunny / Versa Sedan in Europe

Our spy photographers have captured a lightly camouflaged prototype of the freshly revealed in the USA and China, Nissan Versa / Sunny series, during testing in Sierra Nevada, Spain. The prototype was a right-hand drive example with test license plates from Spain.

Aside from the odd-looking exhaust tail pipe that extends all the way to the outer corner of the rear bumper and possibly the headlamp and tail lamp designs, we didn’t notice any other styling differences compared to the North American Versa and the China market Sunny models.

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Video Walkaround of Nissan’s New Versa Sedan

Even though American consumers still tend to prefer larger vehicles, both domestic and foreign automakers are convinced that soaring gas prices will eventually convince buyers to embrace more compact-sized and fuel efficient models. The 2011 New York Auto Show marked the debut of the latest crop of compact cars including the 2012 Nissan Versa sedan, which will try to lure buyers with a low staring price of $10,990 and a promise for affordable costs of ownership.

Hot on the heels of the 2012 Versa sedan’s North American premiere in New York, the Japanese brand released a new video that walks us around the four-door model that will go on sale in the U.S. this summer.

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2012 Nissan Versa Sedan Unveiled, Priced from a Low $10,990

It looks like our first reaction to link the Chinese market Nissan Sunny, revealed in December 2010, to the North American 2012 Versa, was spot on, as these photos clearly prove. Nissan’s new entry in the affordable small sedan segment is a very awkward looking proposal (to say the least…), which probably stems from the fact the Versa / Sunny is based on the Micra’s V-platform architecture, hence the odd proportions of the body.

“The new Versa Sedan stands out as the only expensive looking car in the segment – with a lot of eye power,” said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America.

“Its sculpted, dynamic proportions are modern without being gimmicky, projecting a much higher sense of design value than you might expect in a vehicle with a $10,990 starting M.S.R.P."

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All-New Nissan Tiida Unveiled at Shanghai Auto Show, Previews 2012 Versa in the U.S.

It won’t be long before Nissan takes the wraps of the North American market 2012 Versa, but the Japanese company offered us our first glimpse of the sub-compact model with the reveal of the new Tiida hatchback at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show today. As some of you may already know, the Versa is sold in numerous markets around the world under the Tiida nameplate.

The new generation of Nissan’s best selling model sports a swoopier exterior design with some styling references to the pure-electric Leaf. The fluid theme is carried over to the interior with a floating center cluster. The Japanese company also promises improved passenger space thanks to the 100mm (3.9-in.) longer wheelbase.

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Nissan to Show New Versa and a Motorsports Concept in New York, Infiniti to Announce New Addition to Range

One by one, automakers are revealing their plans for the upcoming 2011 New York International Auto Show. This time we have news from Nissan and its luxury division Infiniti. Starting with Nissan, the Japanese firm will debut a “new compact sedan” and a “new, zero emission motorsports concept”. While we have don’t have any information yet on the concept study, from what we know, the compact sedan will be the next generation of the Versa that was teased in an official sketch back in late 2010.

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Ford Sues Nissan Over Brazilian TV Ad that Ridicules the Focus for Being Overpriced [with Video]

Ford’s Brazilian arm has filed a criminal (!) lawsuit against the local division of Nissan for airing an aggressive TV commercial directed at the Focus sub-compact. To make a long story short, the parody-like ad points the finger at Ford for allegedly overpricing its Focus model.

The TV spot, which looks exactly like a rap video, shows two men dressed as Ford engineers living the big life with gold chains and rings, plenty of champagnes, and –the best part- an exotic assortment of sexy women in bikinis dancing around them. And oh, there’s also a silver Ford Focus on the background….

At the end, the commercial announces the price of Nissan’s Tiida sub-compact (sold as the Versa in the States), which in Brazil, costs around BR 3,000 or a little over US$1,800 less than Ford’s rivaling Focus.

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New Nissan Sunny Sedan Unveiled at China Auto Show. Is this the New 2012 Versa?

Taking center stage and making its world debut at the 8th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition, is Nissan's all-new global small sedan, which will be locally marketed as the Sunny. According to the Japanese automaker, the new small sedan will go on sale first in China in January 2011 and then progressively across 170 countries worldwide under different vehicle brand names.

Even though Nissan's Spartan press release did not mention the Versa, there are one too many styling similarities between the new Sunny and the 2012 Versa sedan teased in an official sketch released by the automaker in October 2010. However, we have to stress the fact that Nissan has not made a connection between the two cars.

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Nissan Teases Next-Generation Versa Sedan with Sketch

A sketchy teaser shot with a footnote that says "Nissan announced today that the next-generation Nissan Versa will be sold in the Americas" is about all we get from the Japanese automaker regarding its all-new subcompact sedan. There's a good chance we may see the 2012 Versa saloon getting its world premiere alongside the Murano CrossConvertible at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show in November, though nothing has been confirmed yet. We'll keep you up to date with any new information we receive, but for the time being, hit the break for a larger version of the teaser shot.

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Fire Hazard from Garmin Nuvi Prompts Recalls from Suzuki and Nissan

After Garmin announced a voluntary recall of 1.25 million units of its popular Nuvi GPS system at the end of August amidst concerns that the batteries could overheat and catch fire, Suzuki and Nissan followed with a recall on several vehicles equipped with the affected Garmin Nuvi navigation systems including the 750, 760, or 765 models for the same reason.

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