Nissan is planning to launch a successor to the Versa compact sedan in the coming 2011 New York Auto Show.

The Japanese automaker has released a teaser sketch in October of last year’s 2012 Nissan Versa, saying only it would be “sold in the Americas.”

Since then, the drawing was published on the website of Nissan’s consumer Web, where it is described how the 2012 Nissan Versa and “Versa the next generation.” Nissan site adds that the car will be available “soon.”

More recently, the company said it intends to “unveil a new small car” show in New York, but declined to disclose further details.

The Versa is next scheduled to arrive at dealerships later this year as the U.S. model 2012. As the current car, the Versa will be assembled in new Nissan plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

But while the Versa is a current version of the domestic market, Nissan Tiida, built on the worldwide platform of the Renault-Nissan B, the Versa 2012 is expected to shift to the new platform that supports the smaller V recently redesigned Nissan March / Micra and the new Sunny.

The same global platform was to provide the basis for the new five-door hatchback Smart that Nissan planned to build in Mexico for Daimler, starting in late 2011, until the deal went south earlier this year.

In December, before the launch of the new Sunny in China, Nissan said the car could eventually be sold in 170 countries and confirmed the version of the car would come to the U.S. as a successor to the current Versa.

Tags: Aguascalientes, aguascalientes mexico, consumer web, current version, daimler, debut, global platform, japanese automaker, launch, Mexico, New York, new york auto, New York Auto Show, New York International Auto Show, next generation, Nissan, Nissan March, nissan march micra, Nissan Motors, nissan plant, Nissan Sunny, Nissan Tiida, Nissan Versa, renault nissan, sketch, worldwide platform