Yesterday Nissan and Chrysler announced a new partnership that is going to spawn a new small car and full-size pickup.
In January Nissan and Chrysler announced that Nissan is going to supply Chrysler with a car based on the small Versa sedan that will be sold in South America. Now the partnership is going to go even further with Nissan producing another small car for Chrysler that will be sold all over the world in 2010. The car will be based on a unique Chrysler concept and design.
Chrysler is also going to build a full-size pickup for Nissan. The truck will be based on a unique Nissan design and will be built at Chrysler’s Saltillo (Mexico) plant. The pickup will go on sale in 2011. So who knows what this means for the fate of the Titan or even the Armada/ QX56 SUVs which all share the same platform.
And just in case you are wondering this new partnership does not have any impact on Chrysler’s current relationship with Chery.
PRESS RELEASE:
AUBURN HILLS, Mich / TOKYO (April 14, 2008) – Chrysler LLC and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced two new agreements for the supply of products between both companies. In January, Nissan agreed to supply Chrysler with a new car based on the Nissan Versa sedan for limited distribution in South America on an Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) basis in 2009.
This new OEM exchange benefits both companies through range extension and the utilization of global manufacturing capacity. Highlights of the new agreement:
Nissan will manufacture an all-new, fuel-efficient small car based on a unique Chrysler concept and design. This new segment entry for Chrysler will be sold in North America, Europe and other global markets in 2010, and manufactured at Nissan’s Oppama Plant in Japan.
Chrysler will manufacture a full-size pickup for Nissan. Based on a Nissan unique design, this truck will be manufactured at Chrysler’s Saltillo (Mexico) Assembly Plant. In order to accommodate this product, Chrysler will shift volume from Mexico to its U.S.-based assembly plants that produce pickup trucks. Sales of the pickup in North America will start in 2011.
This latest OEM supply agreement extends a long standing product exchange relationship between the two corporations, with Nissan affiliate JATCO already supplying Chrysler with transmissions since 2004.
“Forging the right tactical partnerships is critical to the long-term success of Chrysler,” said Tom LaSorda, Chrysler LLC President and Vice Chairman. “It also builds on the Company’s inherent strengths, including the ability to respond rapidly and creatively to emerging opportunities.”
“In January, we said we would continue to look for additional OEM opportunities with Chrysler,” said Carlos Tavares, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Company. “This latest agreement builds on Nissan’s proven track record to deliver win-win product exchanges with multiple manufacturers around the world,” continued Tavares.
Since the signing of the first OEM agreement in January, the two companies have also agreed to maintain an open dialogue to explore further product-sharing opportunities.
