Nissan Ends Production of U.S.'s Most Affordable New Car Over Tariffs, Low Sales
A new report states that Nissan has axed its five-speed manual transmission-equipped Versa-a model the automaker has sold since 2006. A 2025 Nissan Versa starts at $17,190 for the manual base S trim, and a combination of tariff impacts and difficulty keeping the car profitable led to its downfall, according to an Automotive News report. Nissan has since confirmed the end of the model, which is 2025's most affordable new vehicle, but it will continue producing other Versa trims with better business performance. Fewer than 5% of the 42,589 Versas sold in 2024 had a five-speed manual configuration.
The Versa is one of three vehicles that Nissan manufactures in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and sells in America alongside the automaker's Sentra and Kicks. Combined, the three models represented nearly a third of Nissan's U.S. volume in 2024. The discontinued Nissan Versa was the last new five-speed manual-equipped car available on the U.S. market. "We remain committed to offering a line-up that answers the evolving needs of customers and maintains Nissan's competitive edge. We are focusing on the most popular Versa grades that deliver the strongest business performance and are in line with what customers are looking for from this type of sedan," Nissan said, according to Motor1.
President Trump's 25% tariffs on auto imports from countries like Mexico would add around $4,500 to the affordable model's starting price, further lowering its appeal. After a $1,140 shipping charge, the 2025 five-speed manual Versa starts at $18,330, whereas its CVT counterpart is sold from $20,130. A top-spec Nissan Versa SR starts at $21,190, not including its delivery fee. While the base Versa falls short in areas like power, its fuel efficiency, large cargo space, and solid amount of standard features helped enhance its value.
A base manual Versa has 15-inch wheels with hubcaps, cloth seat trim, 30 combined MPG, and 122 horsepower via a 1.6-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine. You'll get a 7-inch infotainment display and automatic emergency pedestrian braking, but manual Versas don't come with the higher trims' 7-inch LCD instrument cluster. The FWD manual Versa became the U.S.'s most affordable new car after Mitsubishi retired its subcompact Mirage after the 2024 production year. The 2024 Mirage started at about $16,695 for the ES hatchback, whereas the Mirage G4 sedan was priced from $17,795.
Drivers will now have to spend over $30,000 in most cases to get a new vehicle with a manual transmission. The Ford Bronco and Mustang, the Honda Civic Si, Type R, and Elantra N, the Jeep Wrangler, the Mazda Miata and 3, the Toyota GR Corolla, and others remain the few new manual cars on the market.
While it's unfortunate to see the U.S.'s last new sub-$20,000 car disappear, the move won't significantly impact drivers given the manual Versa's low sales volume. Nissan also told Autoblog that it's "considering all possibilities to recover its business performance," so axing a low-demand, tariff-impacted model seems to be the right decision amid the company's recent financial troubles.
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