Nissan already sell and makes a lot of cars in China. It is the company’s largest and fastest growing market. Last year Nissan, in conjunction with Dongfeng Motor Group, they sold 1.25 million cars in the country, that was up almost 22% from the prior year, and they thoroughly put Japanese rival Toyota, who only sold 883,000 units, in their rearview mirror. Honda was outsold by a margin of greater than 2 to 1.
Nissan claims it launched the Venucia sub brand to house its future EV models, but in the short term it seems to have become a useful storage house for Nissan’s recycled older products. The D50, aka the Tiida Sedan, has already launched with sales being mama-huhu (so-so), perhaps the introduction of the R50, aka the Tiida hatch, will liven things up a little.
Inside, the R50's Versa roots are immediately apparent but the center console has been given a slight makeover. While not exactly a low-cost car, the R50 is aimed at a more budget-conscious target audience than the Versa so it comes with less standard equipment.
The R50 is powered by the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that was offered in the U.S.-spec Versa up until recently. It sends 116 horsepower and 112 lb-ft. of torque to the front wheels via either a five-speed manual transmission or a four-speed automatic.
