Nissan dealers in NJ hoping rumors are true: Micra coming to the US?
Will it or won’t it? Nissan dealers in NJ are certainly hoping it will. When the Global Compact Car goes on sale this month in Thailand and Europe it will replace the Nissan Micra, which is not available in the United States. The question remains, will the new Global Compact make the voyage to our shores?
The Global Compact’s attributes include being inexpensive, economical and lightweight. Of course, those are the attributes of most compacts today and it will need to have some distinguishing features to stand out among other brands. For some reason used car dealer NJ customers are anxious to find out.
Could it be that Nissan is trying to underwhelm its customers by downsizing from the Versa 1.6 sedan? At a cost of under $11,000 it is one of the most affordable cars sold in the U.S. today. The new compact, however, is predicted to be cheaper! In today’s economy that’s bound to be a selling point, but customers will also have to be sold on the smaller size and less powerful engine.
If reports are true, the Global Compact will replace the Micra and be marketed as a four-door sedan or five-door hatch. It may derive power from a three-cylinder engine with fewer parts and less square footage on the dashboard than the Micra. Oh, and you thought the Micra was efficient? This new-and-improved is rumored to be 50 percent more efficient than the already-economical Micra.
Nissan boasts the Global Compact is a “major breakthrough in packaging and technology”. This start-from-scratch V platform is a new direction for Nissan and some question whether this is a smart move financially. Like so many other things in the car industry, we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, buyers should check out all the information on the Global Compact available – perhaps we’ll even get a name one of these days!
When it comes to courting the green crowd and meeting stricter and stricter emissions and economy standards which are sure to continue to climb in the U.S., a compact of this caliber will earn great marks. This is just the type of vehicle Nissan dealers in NJ hope to see more and more of in the future.
How will this model hold up to buyer expectations on acceleration and handling, though? When you create anything with “mini” proportions, certain stereotypes and expectations follow closely. Easy, precise handling would come down in the “pros” column, but then there is the definitely-not-a-rocket acceleration stemming from the three-cylinder engine. This would likely get a mark under the “cons” side. Then there’s always the question of how well it will compete with other brands.
Still loyal Nissan customers and the folks at your used car dealer NJ just want the chance to decide for themselves, and hope Nissan notes the interest for such a car stateside. Can we make room for one more innovative, efficient car? Are we, as a nation, ready to downsize our vehicles along with their emissions and fuel usage? So many questions and only time will tell.
