Old cars never die, they just get redressed and become a new model. Such is the case with the Dongfeng Nissan Venucia R50, which will begin selling in the Chinese market from September. It’s essentially a first-generation C11 Tiida/Latio hatchback given a new sheet of exterior metal.
The R50 is the second model to be launched under the Venucia sub-brand following the introduction of the D50 sedan – itself a reskin based on the first-gen Latio/Tiida sedan – in April this year. The company says that the exterior design of the R50 – which is powered by a HR16DE 1.6 litre mill – is representative of the brand’s design concept of “soar.”
The sub-brand, named after the Roman goddess Venus, is hoping to offer five new models by 2015 and generate sales of 300,000 units annually. The D50 hasn’t been doing badly at all – in the first two months since its introduction, sales totaled 12,723 units through June.
