Small / economy car deathwatch: we've passed "peak econobox" again

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Didn't you used to have a Beetle? They are still out there.

That does feel like perhaps the only way to go if my car were to die. Like you, I have a car that keeps working. As long as it does, I'm fine. So I better take care of it.

I tried to pickup a wrecked, totaled, undriveable, unrepairable Prius for a parts car for my Prius. Sadly, I couldn't get it for under $1,500. In fact, the guy seemed to indicate that someone offered more than that.

What has the world come to?

[freebeard]

What has the world come to?

Too much money chasing too few bargains?

Mine is sort of a black bumper Amish car. LED headlights and a Hall effect ignition, with Black Plastidip bumpers.

Ackshully, VW shipped the 1974 The Love Bug Beetle according to sebeetles.com/lovebug/ with black bumpers

Paint and Upholstery:

L32K (39, 59, G5, H7, H8) Phoenixrot / (50) black leatherette or (29) Dogtooth Grey/Black cloth upholstery
L65K (33) Ravennagrün / (50) black leatherette or (29) Dogtooth Grey/Black cloth upholstery

(both paint colours were Karmann palette colours. Ravennagrün was not used on normal series Beetle saloon models but on several SEBs. Phoenixrot become a standard paint colour for the Beetle saloon in 1976).

Accent to the paintwork was provided by all black external trim.

Black bumpers and chrome headlight rings seems to be a unicorn.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

It's only a matter of time for when the Nissan Versa will be axed.

Either this, or Nissan will keep the Versa stateside as long as it makes sense to keep bringing it from Mexico where it's unlikely to be phased out so soon.

Personally I'm depressed about the situation. I don't care what people say anymore. I no longer trust clunkers. I no longer trust used cars. I no longer trust nor can afford semi-used cars. And I sure don't have the money for a new car!

And then, when I say a small motorcycle with a side-car is the real new Beetle, and did the math while talking with a friend (considering a 250cc which would still be OK to ride at Brazilian highways where a 125cc would be too sluggish), folks think I'm drunk

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Either this, or Nissan will keep the Versa stateside as long as it makes sense to keep bringing it from Mexico where it's unlikely to be phased out so soon.

The problem with that idea is the very different crash and emission standards.

The Versa will likely be sold in Mexico for a decade after it no longer meets US standards.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by JSH

The problem with that idea is the very different crash and emission standards.

The Versa will likely be sold in Mexico for a decade after it no longer meets US standards.

I don’t know how accurate your comment is.

The way I read the market cars are generally only crash tested at introduction or during specific refreshes in the vehicles life. (AKA Annual tests aren’t a thing 99% of the time)

Platform laws are moderately complex but I’ve never seen a company retest the same design except under exceptional circumstances. (Usually if it was a very poor design to start). I have however seen exactly the opposite where a hardship clause allows a decade old platform to continue sale, despite massive changes ( <- one very famous example) or in the case of think (and even Ford once) not to be tested at all.

In the case a vehicle stays exactly the same it can be a very long time before they are forced to retest even in the US. Obviously probably not 30 years but I bet it’s not 5 either.

[JSH]

There is no "grandfathering" for US safety or emission standards. You meet the standards required for the current year or you stop selling the vehicle. Every time regulations change every model has to be tested and pass the new standard. That is a key decision point for automakers where we decided if it makes sense to spend the millions of dollars to update a vehicle to meet the new regulations or to stop selling it in the market. In the end it comes down to dollars and cents and the sales trend for the vehicle and that vehicle segment.

However, Mexico's emission and safety standards are more than a decade behind the USA and don't change nearly as often so it is much easier to keep making an old design there.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

The Versa will likely be sold in Mexico for a decade after it no longer meets US standards.

I was considering an eventual replacement to the current generation of the Versa, once it will be needed elsewhere.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

I was considering an eventual replacement to the current generation of the Versa, once it will be needed elsewhere.

That would depend on whether Nissan thinks it is worth certifying the Versa for the USA either as its own separate version or adding cost to the Mexican version to sell the same spec car in both countries In the first half of 2023 Nissan has sold 11,014 Versas in the USA. Ten years ago they were selling 140K a year.

The whole compact car segment in the USA is on life support. The only one selling in any numbers is the Toyota Corolla which is on track to sell 200K a year. The rest of the class COMBINED is on track to sell only 90K in 2023.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Isn't the Versa a subcompact, while the Sentra is a compact just like the Corolla? But anyway, in countries such as Mexico and Brazil, nowadays subcompacts and SUVs are best-sellers, yet in Brazil the Corolla has also been the strongest contender within its segment.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Isn't the Versa a subcompact, while the Sentra is a compact just like the Corolla? But anyway, in countries such as Mexico and Brazil, nowadays subcompacts and SUVs are best-sellers, yet in Brazil the Corolla has also been the strongest contender within its segment.

Both the Versa and Corolla are compact cars. The Versa is actually 2 cu ft larger than a Corolla now