2012 Nissan Versa S on 2040-cars

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Nissan's big price cuts threatening others' profits

Bloomberg reports Nissan may be keeping the competition up at night even more than normal. The Japanese automaker recently cut prices on seven of its models and bolstered incentive offerings in an attempt to gain market share in the US, and the strategy is working. Last month saw the company's sales leap by 25 percent, which is nearly triple the industry average. Nissan is currently taking advantage of the weak yen - Japanese currency has fallen by 15 percent against the dollar, which has given the automaker around $1,500 per car to use to either add features or cut prices. Some analysts are calling the policy "scorched earth."
Meanwhile, American automakers like Ford, General Motors and Chrysler are doing their best to keep from sliding back into old bad habits. The Detroit Three have steadily moved away from a discount and incentive strategy to bring in new buyers since the 2009 recession. Those short-sighted tactics helped paved the way for bankruptcy at both GM and Chrysler. As Bloomberg reports, the resolve to stay away from big discounts may falter if Toyota begins using similar tactics.

Nissan New Micra headed for Canadian showroom after Montreal reveal?

Fresh off news that Mitsubishi is bringing a sedan version of its Mirage, called the G4, to this month's Montreal Auto Show, we now believe that another small car will be debuting for our small-car-loving friends to the north. Word is that Nissan will be bringing its compact New Micra to the Canadian show, as well. Slotting in just below the Versa Note hatchback in terms of both size and price, the Montreal debut should be followed up with an on-sale date in short order.
We've been hearing rumors that the New Micra would end up in Canadian dealerships for some time. At every turn, however, we've also heard that the Franco-Japanese hatch is not intended for sale in the US, and nothing in this latest report from Autos.ca would seem to indicate otherwise. As Autoblog sources are quick to point out, Nissan already has one of the least-expensive offerings in the US, the $11,990 Versa Sedan, and the Japanese automaker just doesn't see room underneath it for another model. Sorry, Yank.

YouTuber TJ Smith is your singing Lyft driver in Nissan Sentra ad

Perhaps you've seen Nissan's latest commercial, promoting the Sentra. It's a fairly simple little spot, showing the compact's driver blaring Billy Idol's Mony Mony, singing along and encouraging other motorists to join in.
We'd have been fine had it been left at that. It's a simple commercial that shows the car with a catchy tune and smiling people. Nissan couldn't leave well enough alone, though, and has come back with this. Starring TJ Smith - the driver from the original ad and an apparent YouTube celebrity famous for the kind of thing shown in the original commercial - the new ad expands on the old, with more people, and more Mony Mony. This time round, Smith is serving as a driver for the Lyft service, who just happens to break into song with his fares in the car.
Scroll down for the full video. If you've no idea what we're talking about, we've also included the original commercial.