1 Attachment(s)
Nissan is still thinking about selling the Micra in the U.S. (or are they?)
Attachment 94
(Lightly camouflaged Nissan Micra spotted driving in Los Angeles late last month.)
With the announcement of the 2015 Micra coming to Canada, Nissan has repeatedly said there are no plans to sell the car in the U.S., because...
Quote:
bringing the New Micra to US dealers "just wouldn't make sense." (
Source)
Okey-dokey then! But consider the following...
1) Nissan has also repeatedly said in the past that it had no intention of selling the Micra in Canada.
2) Nissan has an active trademark for "Micra" with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
3) Why did it invite the U.S. motoring media to test drive / review the current Micra on public roads in California mid/late last year?
4) What was a very lightly camouflaged Micra doing driving around Los Angeles just last month? (Top photo by MirageForum.com member Mikhail.)
Update, April 7th - another test Micra spotted: "It had zebra stripes [camo] on the hood and the roof, testing devices on the wheels, and license plate on rear bumper only that belongs to state of Michigan." See post #28.
5) Nissan USA has said several times that it "would cost too much" to bring the Micra up to U.S. regulatory specs. That's bunk. Most of the work to "federalize" the current Micra was purposely designed into the current car. Also, Canadian and U.S. regulations are essentially identical. So if Nissan Canada can afford to tweak the car to permit its sale in the Great White North, Nissan USA with ten times the market size can certainly afford to do the same.
Clearly none of these points prove anything about Nissan's plans or lack thereof. But I do get the sense that whenever Nissan USA is asked about the Micra, they do seem to protest too much.
Does it really make "no sense" for Nissan to drop a sub-$10k Micra into the U.S. market?
---
UPDATE:
Quote:
Nissan continues to study bringing the Micra minicar to the United States. The Micra now sells in Canada, and its platform is in production in Mexico, yielding other Nissan nameplates. A U.S. entry likely would fall after 2018.
http://www.autonews.com/article/2016...r-of-the-truck
---
See also... Poll: Autoweek wants to know if Americans would buy a $9100 Nissan Micra
Another U.S. Micra sighting
Mikhail, who took the photo at the top of this thread just let us know:
Quote:
Today (04.07.14; 7:03AM PST), spotted Nissan Micra in the city of Beverly Hills on Coldwater Canyon and Mulholland Dr. It had zebra stripes on the hood and the roof, testing devices on the wheels, and license plate on rear bumper only that belongs to state of Michigan.
I wasn't able to take a picture because I was driving on the canyon.
fresh denial from Nissan USA
EDIT: whoops - I posted the same thing while you were posting. :D
----
Nissan USA has issued another "NO" to the idea of bringing the Micra to the U.S:
Quote:
“Yes there would be space for the Micra, but my view is it’s not worth it.” -- Nissan North America VP of Product Planning Pierre Loing
The concern: too many products dilutes marketing efforts, plus the risk of cannibalizing sales of the more profitable Versa sedan & Note hatchback.
Also, he repeated the idea that Americans don't like hatchbacks as much as Canadians & Europeans (which is why the Versa sedan was cancelled in Canada with the arrival of the Micra).
Read the full article: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...-us-bound.html
Nissan Canada's explanation for the U.S. Micras...
The official word from Nissan Canada's head of marketing for the Micra...
Because North American engineering work (for Can/US/Mex) is done in the southern U.S., the Micra that was spotted could have been one that was being tested for either the Canadian or Mexican markets.
Sounds disappointingly plausible, doesn't it?
Next gen Micra in the U.S.? They say NOPE.
With the introduction of the production version of the 2017 Micra at the Paris auto show last week, some U.S. journalists have been wondering about plans for the redesigned car south of the 49th:
Quote:
The new Micra still won't be sold in the U.S., according to Josh Clifton of Nissan North America's communications team, who said the company had "no current plans for the Micra in the U.S."
Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/...canada-perhaps