Nissan VersaViceAt the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Nissan showed off two new production vehicles: the all-new Sentra and this, the new sub-Sentra sized Versa. And the Versa is pretty obviously a co-production with Renault which sells the spookily similar Clio in Europe.
No surprise, the Versa is a front drive with a 120-horsepower, 1.8-liter four in its nose and a choice of three transmissions - a standard six-speed manual, a four-speed automatic or Nissan's continuously variable automatic. The front suspension is struts, the rear a torsion beam. The four-door hatchback is only 169.1 inches long while the four-door sedan stretches out 175.9 inches, but both ride on the same 102.1-inch wheelbase.
This is a small car, so 120-bhp ought to be enough to keep it entertaining. And at about a $12,000 base price when it goes on sale this summer, it will be cheap.
Bareheaded Civic?Rumors abound that Honda is considering a drop-top version of the new 2006 Civic coupe. The car would be a full four-seater and incorporate a conventional canvas top. No prototypes have been spotted, so count this right now as little more than informed speculation. But here's a computer rendering of how such a machine might look.
If Honda decides to go forward with a convertible Civic, don't expect it before mid-2007 at the earliest.
Sema PassatEverything that goes for the Jetta R GT at SEMA goes for the Passat R GT. Good looking, too.
The most believable scenario has it emerging during 2007 in a base front-drive version with four-cylinder power.