Nissan is working on its smallest sedan.
The 2020 Nissan Versa was set to be revealed at a Florida music festival on Friday and in place of giving the family car a gentle renovation, the Japanese automaker opted for an overall redesign.
The restyled family car is lower, wider and longer than its forerunner, and its larger build has updated safety features and new innovation.
Nissan is hoping to enter into a new life into the Versa amid declining sales for small cars. Versa sales plunged 29 percent in last year to 75,809 vehicles.
“The new dramatic Nissan Versa design and jam-packed list of features will make sure that customers feel confident they made no compromises in that initial purchase,” stated Claudia Marquez, vice president of sales operations, Nissan North America.
“When customers observe this beautiful new car and all the amazing technology that comes with it for the price, they will be part of the Nissan family for life.”
The automaker states the Versa’s new build is all about the size and stance.
The car is home to a suite of six innovative active safety and driver-assist technologies, consisting of front, side and rear sensing tech that monitors the traffic flow to ensure you are at a safe distance from other automakers and pedestrians.
Standard safety features consist of automatic emergency braking. Optional features consist of intelligent driver alertness, which analyzes a driver’s steering behavior for indications of fatigue.
The restyled car is recent in the makeover of Nissan’s complete sedan lineup. The flagship Maxima got an upgrade in late 2018. That same year Nissan modified its popular mid-size Altima.
The next generation powertrain in the Versa remains mostly the same. The 1.6-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine would get 122 horsepower and 114 pounds-feet of torque.
Color alternatives include metallic blue, orange Metallic and what the company refers as “Scarlet Ember Tintcoat” aka red.
Rates have been revealed for the Versa, but Nissan states the price will be competitive in the segment. The 2019 version begins at $12,360.
