Earlier this year, Nissan showed us the Nissan Sport Concept as a teaser to two or three upcoming sub-Sentra models. With similar, evolutionary rear and front styling, the Sport Concept was obviously based off Nissan’s JDM Tiida model – a B-category car with unexpected premium features (it’s offered with Navigation and premium soft touch interior materials in Japan). Today, the company confirmed that the Nissan Tiida, renamed as the Versa, will represent two of those models in hatchback and sedan versions.

Design chief Shiro Nakamura even gave broad hints about the company’s interest in the Tiida as one of the sub-Sentra models, telling us to “take a look” at the JDM compact in an exclusive interview back in April. In a nod to its Scion-fighting intentions, Nakamura-san also said that the other sub-Sentra car would likely be a “boxy-like car like the Nissan Cube”. The Versa hatchback then would seemingly be the direct to the answer to the 5-door Scion xA and the upcoming 5-door Honda Fit. The 4-door Versa sedan model – sold as the Nissan Tiida Latio in Japan - though, would be without a direct competitor from Scion, but could face off against Korean-sourced imports such as the Chevrolet Aveo or Kia Rio.

Outfitted with a HR 1.5 L engine in Japan, the Versa is expected to be sold only with the optional 1.8 L four-cylinder engine when it makes its way to U.S. shores. Horsepower is expected to be in the 120 hp range. It’s expected that the Versa will have a MSRP around $12,000. According to Nissan, while the Tiida name translates into “Sunny” in Okinawan (a Japanese dialect), the Versa name refers to the cars versatility. The Tiida name will be used in all markets outside of the U.S. and Canada. While the features of the U.S. spec car have not been released, the JDM Tiida also features a sliding rear seat and 5-inches of extra headroom over competitive hatchbacks - “offering plenty of room for people and everything they need to support an active lifestyle”. The Nissan-released photos of the Versa show slightly revised rear and front fascias compared to the current JDM Tiida. The Versa’s front grill has a grey Nissan-badged vertical split instead of the body-colored center piece design on the Tiida. The Tiida is based on the shared Renault-Nissan C platform which also underpins the Renault Megane – a premium compact in Europe.

Nissan also announced that the car will be built at its plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico starting in 2006 and will make its way to market sometime during the 2006 summer as a 2007 model. Nissan is spending $800 million to upgrade the plant, which currently builds the U.S. Sentra, for the Versa. At its peak operating efficiency, the plant will crank out 60 cars an hour (that’s one car each minute).

For Nissan tuners though, there is no word yet on any performance models or a NISMO-supported line of aftermarket parts geared for the Versa. Stay tuned for the SEMA Show.