Nissan to Build Dodge’s Hornet?

As of late, Chrysler has opened its doors to partnerships with various automakers. There’s been Volkswagen with the Caravan-based Routan minivan, not to mention the small Dodge that was designed and built by China’s Chery. However, the most important partnership has been with Nissan. The two forged an agreement that will see Chrysler build the next Nissan Titan, on the back of the next-generation Dodge Ram, in exchange for a Chrysler-badged version of the Nissan Versa, for South American markets.

However, the latest reports see Chrysler receiving yet another Versa-based subcompact car for the North American marketplace. This vehicle will feature a distinctive body from the Versa, and it’s rumored that it will be modeled after the Dodge Hornet concept, which appeared back in 2006. It was rumored that this upcoming, critically important small car would be built by Chery, but instead it’s looking like it will get Nissan underpinnings. Chery will still play an instrumental role in producing city cars for Chrysler, but they won’t be sold in North America, yet.

Furthermore, there are a couple of extra twists in this plot. Firstly, the subcompact would be built in Japan by Nissan at its Oppama plant, instead of domestically, or in Mexico. Secondly, the car may also take the form of a Chrysler, and be positioned as a premium subcompact with many customizable options, targeting the subcompact market in a similar way to the Mini Cooper.

Chrysler is looking to have the Nissan-based subcompact on sale here in North America for model year 2010.