Archive for Nissan

400Nm of torque and a 6-speed manual transmission. I could be referring to the new BMW M3. Or the new manual Nissan Navara which has just been introduced in Malaysia, joining its 5-speed auto ‘Mother Trucker’ sibling which was launched first. The new cars are CBU imports from Nissan in Thailand.

Two versions of the 6-speeder is on sale. One is the basic Navara 2.5L 6M/T and another is the Navara 2.5L 6M/T SE. Nissan’s press release refers to the SE as the Safety Edition (what, is the non-SE unsafe? heh just kidding). This new “Safety Edition” also gets the necessary airbag software updates that resolves the bad crash test results in early 2008. The base 6M/T does not have the dual SRS front airbags, ABS brakes and EBD and the 6M/T SE model has.

The engine is the same powerful YD25DDTi 2.5 liter engine producing 174 PS and 403Nm of torque to be exact. So that’s actually 3Nm of rated peak torque more than the M3. Of course you can’t expect the same kind of shove as the powerband is narrow in a diesel and super wide in a high revving petrol BMW V8. The Navara M/T also gets the Shift-on-the-Fly 4WD system as the 5A/T, which allows 2WD/4WD shifting using a dial at speeds of less than 100km/h.

The list of equipment is a downgrade from the 5A/T LE. The xenon headlamps are replaced by halogens, the seats are fabric, the rearview mirrors lose their auto-dimming function, the CD changer is replaced with a single-CD, and the 6 speaker system has been downgraded to 4 speakers (they probably removed the 2 tweeters).

Some plastic bits in the interior which used to have a silver finish have been replaced by the same beige interior colour. On the outside, the door mirrors have their chrome finish replaced by body colour.

Nissan Navara 2.5L 6M/T – RM89,800.00
Nissan Navara 2.5L 6M/T SE – RM94,800.00
Nissan Navara 2.5L 5A/T LE – RM105,800.00

Nissan will be adding two more variants to its Nissan Navara line-up soon, and both of them will be manual. The two manual models will be called the Standard and the SE.

Instead of the 5-speed auto, you’ll get a 6-speed manual gearbox, which is a first in the pick-up segment in Malaysia. The engine is the same 2.5 liter YD25DDTi engine which is the most powerful engine in its segment, producing 174 PS and 403Nm of torque. The engine is intercooled and has VGT.

The list of equipment will also be a downgrade from the current LE Automatic. The xenon headlamps will be replaced by halogens, the seats will be fabric, the rearview mirrors will lose its auto-dimming function, the CD changer will be replaced with a single CD, and the 6 speaker system will be downgraded to 4 speakers.

Some plastic bits in the interior which used to have a silver finish will also be replaced by the beige interior colour. On the outside, the door mirrors will have their chrome finish replaced by body colour paint.

What the SE has over the Standard are ABS brakes and the dual front SRS airbags, which the Standard version lacks. So far no prices of the new manual Standard and SE have been released yet, but expect them to of course be lower than the RM105,800 that you have to pay for the automatic Navara LE in Peninsular Malaysia. With the equipment deleted off the Standard compared to the top of the range LE, it’d better be significantly lower!

Nissan has unveiled the ROOX which is a “super space” compact car at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show. The vehicle that will make its debut in Japan in December measures 3,395 mm long, 1,475 mm wide, 1,735 mm high and has a wheelbase that is figured at 2,400 mm. The 4-seater ROOX has an interior width measuring 1365 mm and an interior length that is 2085 mm long.

According to Nissan, “No matter where you sit, the ROOX’s design gives each passenger a sense of the great outdoors”. The seating arrangement in the vehicle can be altered to suit the number of occupants. The rear seat back can be flattened as well to create a large luggage space.

Along with rear sliding doors, it also features a remote-control door opening keyfob, a drink cooler inside the upper glove box, a storage box under the passenger seat, dual airbags and more. Nissan is still being tight-lipped about what is under to hood and has only released a single image. However we now have two live images of ROOX being presented at the motor show.

Look for more images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan ROOX “super space” minicar shown in Tokyo

Nissan has unveiled the new Fuga sedan at the motor event in Tokyo. The Fuga will be available in Japan with two engine options including a VQ25HR 2.5 liter V6 and the VQ37VHR 3.7 liter V6 that can crank out 325hp. The Fuga that is also sold in the US as the Infiniti M comes with features like Double Piston Shock Absorbers, a Lane Departure Prevention system, Intelligent Cruise Control, Cornering Stability Assist and more. It also features a four-wheel steering mechanism.

The Fuga also has an Intelligent Transport System that is integrated into the navigation system. The system supports safe driving by providing information to alert the driver at blind intersections for example, based on information on nearby vehicles and traffic environment which is transmitted to the Fuga from optical beacons installed all across the country.

Along with an eco-driving indicator integrated into the instrument panel, there is also something called an ECO-pedal. Basically, each time the driver steps on the accelerator (when the system is activated), a counter push-back control mechanism is activated if the system detects overly zealous throttle work, helping to inform the driver that they could be using more fuel than required.

The new Fuga will hit showrooms in Japan later this year. The automaker also announced the hybrid variant of the Fuga will hit the Japanese market by autumn 2010. It will feature a 3.5-liter V6, high-power Li-ion batteries and a highly efficient one-motor-two-clutch parallel hybrid. Look for more images of the Fuga after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Fuga revealed in Tokyo, hybrid version coming in 2010

Infiniti will have its own all-electric, zero emissions vehicle. That is what CEO of Nissan Carlos Ghosn announced at the Tokyo Motor Show. According to the short statement, the brand which is under Nissan is developing a “stylish, compact, high performance, four-seat luxury Infiniti with zero emissions” concept. Unfortunately no other information was released but there is a possibility that Ghosn is talking about the Nissan LEAF electric vehicle that may be given a more luxurious treatment and sold with the Infiniti badge. Same old formula that Lexus used with turning the Auris into the LF-Ch.

Nissan has refreshed the GT-R yet again. It was first unveiled back in 2007 and was revised at the end 2008. This new version is offered with a new HDD CARWINGS navigation system with enhanced entertainment features and USB port with iPod connectivity. The auto maker also did some work underneath the car with changes made to suspension.

The car’s front shock absorbers and springs have been tuned with increased accuracy while the rear suspension has been stiffened up as well. Furthermore the GT-R now comes with a rear diffuser fitted with cooling ducts. This system was previously offered only with the SpecV variant. The 485 PS GT-R also comes with new hexagonal meshed catalyst cells that can reduce ventilation or airflow resistance resulting in improved engine response at low and mid-range.

Speaking about the SpecV, the range topping version now features revised rear shock absorber settings and Dunlop-sourced tires that replace Bridgestone ones. However buyers can still opt for the Bridgestone rubber. Continue reading to view more images.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan GT-R refreshed for 2011 model year

Recently Japanese auto maker Nissan announced that it will launch a new global compact car (GCC) in March 2010 in Thailand. Along with the announcement the auto maker also released two sketches of the hatchback (pictured above) that is expected to be the next generation Nissan March/Micra. The sketches indicated a more aggressive or sporty demeanor with a more lowered stance.

What we have are some official drawings that have been leaked onto the Internet (pictured below). Although there are a lot of similarities, these drawings paint a slightly different picture. From the looks of it, the production version would not end up looking as sporty or as aggressive as what was indicated in the first two sketches.

The stance is not as low and the middle section of the car (B-Pillar area) looks taller. It is pretty normal for auto makers to end up producing less dramatic cars than what was shown by initial sketches but just like most of you, I was actually looking forward to the original version. Since we are about five months away from the scheduled launch, expect more details to be released soon.

The Nissan GCC will be manufactured in countries like Thailand, India and China. In India, the auto maker will produce the new vehicle at the Chennai plant. The new compact Nissan will be sold in 150 countries worldwide. Continue reading to view more drawings.

Source

Click here to read the rest of Upcoming Nissan GCC’s official drawings leaked: Very much toned down

Nissan has launched facelift versions of the Latio hatchback and sedan in our neighbouring country of Thailand, where the two models are called the Tiida and Tiida Latio respectively. The facelift has already been out for quite sometime actually, on sale in its country of origin Japan and even Singapore.

Basically Nissan has found a grille that ‘works’ along the way of its various experimentation with styling and are now sticking the Nissan Murano’s grille onto pretty much everything they have. Edaran Tan Chong Motor has yet to do anything about its locally assembled Latio and Latio Sport here.

The front grille is differentiated between the sedan and hatchback by its colour – dark and light grey respectively. There is also a new front bumper design. Look after the jump for a gallery of nice images that Nissan Thailand sent over.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Latio facelifted in Thailand, where’s ours?

Nissan will officially launch the Nissan Roox compact car at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. The Roox will join other vehicles like the Nissan Land Glider Concept and the Nissan NV200 Vanette Taxi at the show. It measures 3,395mm long, 1,475mm wide, 1,735 m high and has a wheelbase of 2,400mm long which is only about 1cm longer than a Viva’s wheelbase so you have an idea of the size of this car. Interior length is rated at 2,085mm while width is figured at 1,365mm.

Unfortunately the Japanese auto maker did not disclose information pertaining to the drivetrain but did say that the Roox “ranks as the most spacious in its class”. It’s quite clear what the focus is here – a sufficiently big box to move around in. It’s probably going to get a 660cc engine since it looks like a Japanese K-car.

Apart from a drink cooler fitted inside the upper glove box, a storage box under the passenger seat for items like children’s toys and dirty shoes, dual airbags and front SRS side airbags and foldable rear seats, the Roox also has double sliding rear doors that can also be opened remotely with a ‘keyfob’. Nissan will present a “Highway Edition” version at the event. More information to be revealed soon.

The current model R35 GT-R

This comes as quite a surprise to me but it looks like the GT-R will receive a typical Japanese lifecycle of 5 years, to mirror Porsche’s lifecycle for the 911. Nissan’s global product planning VP has unveiled that an “R36″ Nissan GT-R will be coming by 2013.

The next generation R36 Nissan GT-R will use an evolution of the current Premium Midship platform with the engine mounted up front and a transaxle twin clutch gearbox mounted at the rear. The engine is expected to remain a force inducted V6 engine.

Click here to read the rest of Next generation R36 GT-R to arrive by 2013