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Nissan New Micra being considered for Canadian market

A new story from AutoGuide is triggering new speculation that Nissan may be about to bring its New Micra to North America. According to a dealer-based source, Nissan is showing off the overseas hatchback at Canadian dealer meetings along with the redesigned 2014 Rogue. The report indicates that the car is expected to go on sale sometime mid next year. Autoblog has learned that, while the New Micra is indeed under study for the Canadian market, it is not being considered for US sales. Our well-placed source tells us that bringing the New Micra to US dealers "just wouldn't make sense."
Bringing the New Micra to US dealers "just wouldn't make sense."
Reading between the lines a bit, that's because Nissan already has a robust small car lineup spearheaded by the Versa sedan and new Versa Note hatchback, along with the compact Sentra. And while both Versa models are generously sized for the subcompact classes they compete in, their low entry price (the sedan starts under $12k) means that pricing the smaller Micra underneath it would be difficult. Given its historically significantly higher fuel prices (not to mention higher vehicle prices and a penchant for small cars), Canada seems like a much more hospitable market for the Micra.

Nissan to build no more than 17 examples of Juke-R 2.0

Nissan is planning to put the new Juke-R 2.0 into low-volume production, a report says. It was revealed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed about a month ago, and it packs greasy bits from a Nissan GT-R into the modified chassis and bodywork of a Juke crossover. Version 2.0 packs 600 horsepower, a leap from the 545 hp produced by the first rendition. Production plans were not clear at Goodwood, but the Italian website OmniAuto.it says that Nismo will produce as many as 17 examples of the Juke-R 2.0. We say "as many as" because production will likely depend on demand, and as small as that number may be, the price of entry is sure to be steep. The previous version was limited to 21 examples, each priced at over $650,000. At the time that we drove it more than two years ago, Nissan had only made (and found homes for) four examples. Of course the Juke-R isn't the only performance crossover out there. Following Porsche's lead, Lamborghini, Maserati, Lotus, and Aston Martin (to name just a few) are all gearing up to launch their own, while the likes of Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, Audi Quattro, and Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations division continue to churn out faster and more powerful sport utes. The Juke-R may be the most bonkers to date, but it'll soon find itself in good (and very fast) company. Related Video: Featured Gallery Nissan Juke-R 2.0 View 22 Photos News Source: OmniAuto.itImage Credit: Nissan Nissan Crossover Performance Supercars nissan juke-r

Chevy Volt has worst sales month since August 2011, Nissan Leaf also down

January is traditionally a time when new car shoppers take a break. For the last few years, if we isolate our focus to just the first two major plug-in cars in the US market, we see that the first month of the year was lower – often dramatically lower – than the 11 that followed. So, when you see the Chevy Volt dropped and Nissan Leaf sales figures for January 2015, don't be too surprised. The Volt sold only 542 units last month, that model's lowest since August 2011. That also represents a 41 percent drop from January 2014, and it reinforces the thought that if anyone out there is interested in a new Volt, they're going to be waiting for the new model to drop later this year. While we do expect sales to climb in February and into spring, we won't be surprised if the general Volt trend remains quiet until the second-generation arrives. On the Leaf side of the ledger, January's low sales numbers were still about twice as high as the Volt's – the Leaf sold 1,070 units last month, the lowest since February 2013 – but it did break a streak for the Japanese automaker. Usually, each month represents at least an increase over the same month a year ago, but that wasn't the case this time. In January 2014, Nissan sold 1,252 Leafs. Still, Brendan Jones, Nissan's director of electric vehicle sales and infrastructure, issued an upbeat statement: "We saw a significant increase in demand in December from Nissan Leaf customers looking to take advantage of federal and state incentives at the end of the tax year, which pulled some sales ahead. We're confident that EV sales will continue to rise over time due to increasing emission regulations and other reasons for purchase of EVs such as lower operating costs, reducing dependence on foreign energy sources, environmental concerns and a great driving experience." The numbers will tell us soon enough. News Source: General Motors, Nissan Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid ev sales brendan jones