Other ditched plans include Nissan providing Chrysler with a compact sedan based on the Nissan Versa for the South American market beginning this year. Chrysler also will not build the next-generation full-size Nissan Titan pickup starting in 2011. It is not clear whether Nissan will find a different manufacturing partner to build the next Titan or hurry to come up with the next-generation model itself. Chrysler had been expected to build the Titan on its Ram assembly line in Mexico, replacing the model that Nissan now builds in Mississippi.
Nissan's global small car was set to be built in Japan, Nissan executives said earlier this year.
"For the past several months, teams from both companies have been studying the viability of the projects in light of significant changes in business conditions since the projects were announced in January and April of 2008," said Chrysler and Nissan in a joint statement. "It was decided it was in the best interests of both companies to end the projects."
Inside Line says: Nissan ends up holding the bag on this one as Fiat exerts its considerable influence over Chrysler's future product plans. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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