Report: Nissan Axes Quest Minivan for 2010, Replacement In the Works
The minivan segment continues to shrink with Nissan announcing that it won’t offer its unattractive Quest model in 2010. A replacement is planned, but not for at least a year or two.
Nissan attributes the production gap to a change in its production facilities, with the Quest being built at the company’s Canton, Mississippi plant, where it also assembles the Nissan Titan pickup truck, Armada SUV and Infiniti QX56. Nissan’s plan is to move Quest and QX production to Japan in order to make room for a new vehicle line at the Canton plant.
Nissan’s willingness to miss a whole year or more in the van’s production schedule certainly speaks to the minor roll the model plays in Nissan’s product lineup. In fact, the Quest already had one hiccup in its lifetime, with a production stoppage in 2003.
Nissan says it isn’t planning on leaving the minivan segment, which has recently seen automakers like GM and Ford pull out. What remains to be seen is if a new van from Nissan will be a full-sized model akin to traditional vans like the Dodge Caravan, or if the next Quest (or Quest replacement) will follow after more modern, compact vans like the Mazda5 and upcoming Ford C-Max.
[Source: Automobile]
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