Here’s some interesting news – the 2nd generation Nissan X-Trail that has been around since year 2007 is making its debut in Thailand in Q1 2010.

The photo you see above is of the new model although it looks very similiar to the old one. More of a minor evolution of the old one in terms of design. The interior has been completely revamped though, and the center meter panel is now gone, replaced with a conventional one behind the steering wheel. The chassis is a new one shared with the Qashqai, with wheelbase increased by 5mm over the old model to 2630mm.

The X-Trail will be launched with a sole engine option – a 2.0 liter model mated to an XTRONIC CVT transmission with a 6 speed manual shifting mode. The 2.0 liter engine is not the old QR20DE found in the first generation X-Trail 2.0 sold here but the newer MR20DE model that you can also find in the Nissan Sylphy.

With the X-Trail soon in Thailand, there could be a chance that we can finally enjoy the new X-Trail here in Malaysia, as the SUV can be sourced from Indonesia whether in CBU or CKD pack form. Yes, the Thai market X-Trail is built in Indonesia, but the MR20DE engines are built in Thailand. Tan Chong tends to drag on their model lifespan here for as long as possible, resulting in a product lineup that’s an utter yawnfest if not for their ‘mother trucker’. But it could be because of a lack of support from Nissan.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

We already know that the Nissan GT-R has been updated for next year but previously details have been scarce. We only know the suspension had been updated, a diffuser with cooling ducts had been added (previously only on the SpecV) and some reduction in airflow resistance to better engine response at low to mid-range engine speeds.

Nissan Europe’s press release has the changes in better detail:

• Front spring and damper rates have been changed to improve ride comfort, and for more accurate control of suspension movement for better responsiveness.
• The rear suspension radius rod bushings have been made stiffer to give improved feel and responsiveness during cornering.
• Computer logic that controls torque distribution between the front and rear axles have been changed to reduce rear axle binding that occurs when differential fluids are cold.
• Transmission logic has been altered to give a later downshift from 6th gear to 5th gear when being driven in automatic mode. A more aggressive downshift has been applied for changing from 4 to 3 and 3 to 2.
• NACA cooling ducts added to the rear diffuser which provides better airflow to cool the exhaust and transmission (mounted at rear).
• Front transmission mount has been stiffened and this reduces vibration through the driveline under high-load conditions.
• EBD logic has been moved to apply more brake power rearwards to improve braking stability under dry conditions.
• Rear brake cross spring design has been improved to reduce noise.
• An improved air deflector design increases cooling to the rear brakes, which is probably needed now that the EBD has increased rear brake bias.
• CO2 emissions have dropped by 3g/km – now at 295g/km.
• Better insulation for the rear seats, improving cabin NVH.
• Double layer clearcoat for the bumpers.
• Gun metallic finish surrounds for the speedometer and RPM meter.
• New audio-navi system with 40GB HDD storage (9.3GB for music), 3D navigation with Point of Interest supplied by Michelin (restaurants, etc), A2DP bluetooth audio streaming, voice-controlled menu operation and higher resolution 7 inch screen (4 times better resolution).

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Here’s an example of automotive technology doing more than just working on cars and benefiting our every lives instead. Nissan’s Scratch Shield paint which it developed together with the University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc will be licensed to NTT DoCoMo Inc to be used on mobile phones in Japan. The Scratch Shield paint has self-healing capabilities (for fine scratches) and can restore itself overnight or up to a week’s time with more severe cases. The paint is also more scratch-resistant than normal paint in the first place. It should do its job on a mobile phone very very well, considering alot of us just lump phones together in the same pocket as our car keys, and the result can be quite a mess of scratches.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Renault-Nissan has announced that it will work with an Indian company called Bajaj Auto to produce the world’s cheapest car, even cheaper than the Tata Nano. An agreement was signed and the partnership is set to introduce the new low-cost vehicle in 2012.

Under the agreement, Bajaj will handle the design, engineering as well as the manufacturing while Renault-Nissan will focus on marketing, branding and the sale of parts. CEO Carlos Ghosn revealed that the cost of the car will be lower any car made in India today, pointing to a price tag that would be cheaper than the Rs 1 lakh carried by the Nano.

With India to become the primary market and exports to emerging markets to be made later, the new vehicle is expected to feature a mileage that is better than 20 kilometers per liter. The car will be built in India and will target India’s emerging middle class. Both companies actually announced a partnership last year but apparently there were some disagreements, which have now been resolved. Pictured above is the Bajaj Lite concept that was shown in 2008.

Source

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

What’s happened here is actually quite common in the auto industry – a decent looking sketch ends up translated into a not very appealing production model.

These leaked set of next generation Nissan Micra/March photos were leaked from Dongfeng Nissan production lines as the Chinese JV prepares to assemble it in China. It’s expected to run a HR16DE and a 4-speed auto/5-speed manual combo in China, but there’s probably also the HR15DE and a CVT transmission to choose from for other market needs.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

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.

GALLERY: R35 Nissan GT-R

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

This sketch of an upcoming global compact hatchback was released by NIssan yesterday. Being a global model, it’s expected to be a low cost and economical run-about suitable for sale in emerging markets but also with the potential of being kitted up for sale in more established markets.

There are definitely certain things about the car’s styling that makes you automatically assume this is the next generation Nissan March/Micra. The current March is available both as a hatchback and a convertible, competing head to head with the Colt which has the same bodytypes.

Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. announced that the model will qualify as Thailand’s first “Eco-car.” The Eco-car program basically gives tax-breaks to companies that develop and make energy-efficient vehicles in Thailand. The car will go into production May next year.

To be eligible for the program, the car has to achieve at least 20km per liter, and put out less than 120g/km of CO2. The engine has to be smaller than 1.3 liters if petrol-powered and 1.4 liters if diesel powered. What you get is a 50% cut in excise duty, no income tax for 8 years, and no import duty for your factory machinery imports.

The Eco-car project is basically Thailand’s bid to switch its auto-hub status to something more than just a pick-up hub – it wants to build and export fuel efficient compact cars too and the carmakers seem to be signing on in droves – Honda, Suzuki, Nissan, etc. However only Nissan has announced its eco-car so far, while the rest are still a WIP.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Will Nissan ever come up with a drop top version of the GT-R to face off the 911 Turbo Cabriolet? I don’t believe there was ever a convertible version of the original Skyline GT-R series. Its little brother (now outdated though) the 350Z had a version without a roof though. Anyway to tease our imagination a little Theophilus Chin has whipped up the images you see above – the Nissan GTR-C! What do you think?

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Does the car above look familiar to you? If you were online on this blog sometime last night you would have read about the new Renault Fluence. Yes, the Renault-Samsung SM3 was launched before the Fluence and the two cars are essentially one and the same.

Looking at the details released regarding the SM3 we discover more about the two cars. The platform that underpins the cars is the Megane’s Renault-Nissan C-platform, which is one segment higher than the stretched B-platforms that underpin the Latio and the Sylphy here in Malaysia.

It makes me wonder, considering the SM3 was originally a rebadge of our Sentra, will this model end up being a replacement for Nissan’s C-segment contender here in Malaysia once the Sylphy reaches its End-Of-Life? For awhile there was also a rumour that the Penske Automotive Group’s soon to be newly acquired Saturn brand would be selling this car in the US as a new model and that the Penske team were in Korea in July to do evaluations.

If you read the Fluence story you’ll also know that this car is set to be turned into an electric vehicle in 2011 and will be offered in certain countries like Israel in collaboration with Project Better Place. Basically, Project Better Place hopes to turn electricity into an easily accessible power source on the go via charging stations and automated battery-swap stations.

Look after the jump for more pix of the SM3, but what’ll interest you more is a video demonstration of Project Better Place’s battery swap station. It’s really pretty cool.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

After letting the grey importers milk the GT-R like crazy for a while (over 200 registered on the road so far), the Nissan GT-R is now officially in Singapore through official Nissan importer Tan Chong. The Singaporean GT-R goes for S$299,500 which is a tad pricier than the grey importer’s price tags which hover in the region of S$250k.

Now what does that mean for Malaysians? Will Tan Chong bring in the GT-R here officially too, complete with a proper manufacturer warranty? Hopefully yes, but if not, at least Malaysian owners will probably be able to settle any issues with their cars at an official GT-R-trained Nissan service center (Tan Chong Bukit Timah Road) in Singapore. The other benefit of being an official import is that the car’s menu systems are all in English and it does not have a speed limiter.

For now if you still want a Nissan sportscar with an official manufacturer warranty you can check out the recently launched Nissan 370Z. Only 0.1 liters difference in displacement but oh what a difference the two turbos and the all-wheel drive makes!

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Edaran Tan Chong Motor has brought in the new Nissan 370Z and the new Nissan Murano (no GT-R officially imported yet!). They are going for RM354,000 and RM318,200 respectively excluding road tax, insurance and other OTR related charges such as registration. Both cars come with a 3 year or 100,000km warranty which should be a little better than buying these cars from a grey importer, though alot of importers now offer at least a 1 year warranty.

The 370Z is powered by the new 3.7 liter V6 engine and sits on a shorter wheelbase which will hopefully give the car a more agile feel. The new 3.7 liter engine from the award-winning VQ family features Nissan VVEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift) and produces 333 PS and 363Nm of torque. Both manual and auto are offered and the price for the manual and auto versions are the same.

The automatic is a new 7-speed slushbox with manual shifting while the 6-speed manual has something interesting – an automatic rev-matching called Syncro Rev Match that automatically blips the throttle to match the proper engine RPM instead of forcing the synchro to force the engine speeds together, thus upsetting the car’s weight balance.

The Murano continues to be powered by the 3.5 liter version of the VQ engine. Most Murano buyers from the grey importers are running the inline-4 version as it is cheaper to buy and also comes with significantly lower road tax costs, but nothing beats the smoothness of a V6. This engine produces 260 PS and 336Nm of torque and is mated to an Xtronic CVT and an ALL MODE 4×4-i all-wheel drive system with Vehicle Dynamic Control.

Related Posts:
2010 Nissan 370Z official details and photos
VIDEO: Nissan 370z Synchro Rev Match transmission

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

The Sylphy has also been facelifted in China and over there it gets more changes compared to the Japanese and Singaporean market.

In China, the Sylphy receives similiar treatments to the exterior and interior but adds a new front bumper and new tail lamps for the rear. These set of photos from China also lets us have a closer view of the new meter panel. I’m not completely sure if the Chinese and Japanese model share the same meter panel even though both have black faces, as the Japanese photos are a little low-res.

Anyway, enjoy looking at more photos after the jump. Which Sylphy do you prefer – the pre-facelift Sylphy currently sold in Malaysia, the new Japanese facelift or the new Chinese facelift?

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Nissan gave the Bluebird Sylphy (called just the Nissan Sylphy here in Malaysia) a minor update in May this year. No changes under the hood, just some aesthetics changes. The front headlamps now feature amber-coloured signal indicators.

The interior now gets a new design digital climate control and the instrument panel meter faces have also been changed from the previous white version to a new black coloured version. Look after the jump for a full gallery of the updated car. No news so far as to when Tan Chong will be facelifting the Sylphy here in Malaysia.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

It’s finally here, the first of the production Nissan electric vehicles that they’ve been shouting about for the longest time now. The new Nissan Leaf is a mid-sized hatchback powered by a lithium-ion battery that can go about 160km on a full charge.

The name Leaf in relation to the car’s zero-emissions nature – according to Nissan: just as leaves purify the air in nature, the Leaf purifies mobility by taking emissions out of the driving experience.

The whole car has loads of blue themed in it. The introductory colour is called Aqua Globe. The interior (which at first sight looks Civic-like thanks to the format of the dual-level dash) features blue backlighting for the various displays. On the outside, the headlamps have a blue internal reflective design and are lit up by LED in order to be more energy efficient.

The Nissan Leaf’s lithium ion pack (installed under the passenger area under the seat and floor) produces 90kW and supplies power to the AC electric motor which produces 80kW (107 horsepower) and 280Nm of torque. It’s definitely not going to be a scorcher – it’s likely that due to gearing limitations, the top speed is limited to just over 140km/h and there is no 0 to 100km/h acceleration time given.

Different sockets for a regular wall plug and a quick charger

The 160km rated range is based on the US LA4 mode driving cycle. Nissan claims that this range satisfies the daily driving requirements of over 70% of the world’s drivers. At the end of the day, the Leaf can be charged overnight from a 200V power outlet in about 8 hours, or via a DC quick charger in under 30 minutes. The charging port is in front where the Nissan logo is.

Pricing for the new Nissan Leaf will only be announced later but according to Nissan, it will be priced about the same as a well-equipped C-segment car. The Leaf itself is well within the size of a typical C-segment hatch, with a wheelbase of 2,700mm. The Leaf is 4,445mm long, 1,770 mm wide and 1,550mm tall.

This means a Leaf could potentially be priced about the same as a Nissan Sylphy in Malaysia, which could put it well in reach for a sizeable amount of Malaysians, if only the government can revamp their various engine displacement based taxation systems.

Once that is settled there shouldn’t be a problem having one in Malaysia as Nissan has a right hand drive version pretty much ready. Look after the jump for a full photo gallery as well as 3 videos of the Nissan Leaf.

VIDEO: Nissan Leaf – Random Driving Footage

VIDEO: Nissan Leaf – Interior Shots

VIDEO: Nissan Leaf – Charging

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Nissan previewed its electric vehicle powertrain a few days ago and used a Nissan Latio as a demonostrator vehicle. The EV system uses an in-house developed electric motor that can produce 107 horsepower and 280Nm of torque, matched with a 24kWh laminated compact li-ion battery pack.

With the demonstrator, the battery pack is placed under the vehicle floor for better packaging – this reduces intrusions into the cabin or cargo space. It can be quite tricky to mate an electric powertrain to a normal chassis that was designed for an internal combustion engine as the requirements in terms of size, shape and other factors of an electric vehicle system can be quite different from a regular car’s. An additional frame is added to the battery pack to improve the platform’s rigidity.

Thanks to the 24kWh and a regenerative braking system, the electric Latio can go over 160km on a full charge, based on the US LA4 mode driving cycle.

Nissan will also be adding a remote control and monitoring function to its electric cars. All Nissan EVs will communicate with a central IT system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Alerts can be sent to your mobile phone. With the system, users can check the car’s current charging status and current range capacity. A map can show the current available driving radius so its easier to visualize where you will be able to drive.

You can also control the air conditioner to turn on or off at predefined times, and charging can also be set to be done only within certain timeslots even though the car is plugged in so that you can take advantage from cheaper night electricity rates in some countries.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Nissan has announced a new driving aid system called the Navigation-Cooperative Intelligent Pedal which basically uses data from the car’s satellite navigation system to help smoothen the drive when it comes to a curving road.

How many times have you approached a bend and then suddenly realised you’ve gone in too fast? Can you see ahead past a blind corner in a bend? Some bends can sharpen mid-way… and then you panic and have to deal with understeer or worse! If the system detects that you are about to do this, it sounds an audible warning.

If you persist, the system moves the accelerator pedal upwards to assist the driver to release it. Once the foot is lifted off, the system will smoothly reduce vehicle speed by braking. The system will debut on the new Nissan Fuga when it is unveiled in fall 2009. As it currently is, the Fuga is the Japanese name for the Infiniti M.

A similiar system was introduced earlier this year on the Toyota Crown Majesta, though it doesn’t work exactly the same. The Toyota system uses gear changes and engine braking to help slow the car down in anticipation of a corner (the car is aware of this via the in-car GPS system too) or a toll booth.

In addition to that, the Toyota system will activate a brake-assist function if it thinks the driver is too late in decelerating when approaching a stop sign or a junction.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Nissan has announced a new Dual Injection System that is expected to be introduced in various Nissan production cars in 2010. At first you may think its something like Toyota’s D4-S twin injection system which uses one direct injector and one port injector.

But it’s not. It’s designed to be somewhere in between conventional port injection and direct injection. As the name suggests, the new system uses one injector for each port (typically 2 intake ports in a 4 valve engine) rather than one per cylinder, making it a total of two injectors per cylinder.  This system, said to be the world’s first, helps speed up fuel vaporization and reduces the amount of unburned fuel and hydrocarbon emissions.

The system has a number of benefits including, reducing the diameter of the fuel droplets by about 60%, resulting in smoother, more stable combustion, reducing system production cost by about 60% compared to direct-injection engines of similar displacement and more. Nissan says direct injection has been hard and expensive to use on small displacement engines because of high pressure pumps that complicate system design, thus making the component layout less cost-efficient.

The system also features a continuous valve timing control on the exhaust side which Nissan says is to help improve heat efficiency, reducing pumping losses and raising fuel efficiency by up to 4%, compared to Nissan’s other gasoline-powered engines in the same class. The new system also uses half the amount of rare metals in the catalyzer while maintaining the efficiency of the catalytic conversion system.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

According to UK-based Autocar, Nissan will reveal an electric vehicle prototype on August 2nd this year, the day when the Japanese auto maker opens its new headquarters in Yokohama, Japan.

Not much has been revealed regarding the new prototype, but rumor has it that it would be a mid-sized, five door hatchback. The prototype is expected to offer twice the power offered by a traditional “li-lo” battery, while maintaining power and reliability.

The advanced lithium-ion battery pack will be developed by Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), which is a joint-venture company involving Nissan, NEC Corporation and NEC TOKIN Corporation, a subsidiary of NEC.

Apparently, the production version of the prototype could be produced by winter this year with an output target of 50,000 units. The production version is expected to be officially unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Edaran Tan Chong Motor brings its “tuned by Impul” model offering up to three with the new Nissan Sylphy tuned by Impul, which will be exhibited at the SIC this weekend in conjunction with Round 4 of the Super GT International Series Malaysia.

The most obvious addition is the aerokit, which consists of a front grille, front and rear lips, side skirts and a rear wing spoiler. The kit also includes an Impul sports suspension kit which lowers the Sylphy by 25mm compared to the standard model, and features uprated shocks and springs. At the rear complementing the rear lip is an Impul Black II muffler with a polished finish. The Impul Sylphy rides on 17 inch Impul Aura SX-10 Black & Polish Finish Alloy Wheels, wrapped with Dunlop Formula D-01 205/45R17 Tyres. On the inside, the seats are wrapped in black leather with matching Impul black mats.

Nissan Sylphy tuned by Impul 2.0 Comfort RM123,900
Nissan Sylphy tuned by Impul 2.0 Luxury RM127,900

The prices above are OTR inclusive of insurance, road tax and misc other fees for the Peninsular Malaysia, and come with a 3-year or 100,000km warranty. That’s actually quite a premium over the regular Sylphy which goes for RM112,800 for the Comfort and RM116,800 for the Luxury. That’s a RM11,100 premium but it doesn’t sound too bad considering you get wheels, an exhaust and the suspension as well.

Those who already own a Sylphy but would like to fit the Impul kit can also do so but of course you won’t be able to package it inside your car hire purchase installment loan.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Japanese-based Nissan has unleased the NISMO-tuned 370Z Coupe. The in-house tuner has performed a number of upgrades on the NISMO 370Z which includes modifications on key areas including the exterior, suspension, and most importantly, under the hood.

On the outside aerodynamic body pieces are evident with an extended front nose design with a canard design at each corner for improved downforce and a fully integrated chin spoiler, special side sills and a unique rear bumper as well as a rear spoiler that helps increase downforce. Available in five body colours including Pearl White, Brilliant Silver, Magnetic Black, Solid Red and Platinum Graphite, the NISMO 370Z looks more aggressive thanks to a lower and wider stance. Just like the standard 370Z, this up-rated version comes with “boomerang” shaped headlights (with High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon design with an auto on/off feature) and tail lights.

Minor modifications were performed on the interior, with the NISMO logo visible on the seats which were finished with black/red fabric and red stitching, a NISMO tachometer, steering wheel with red stitching, leather-wrapped shift knob and aluminum trimmed pedals. As standard the NISMO 370Z comes with front seats with 8-way driver’s/4-way passenger manual adjustments and adjustable front seat Active Head Restraints, Nissan’s Intelligent Key with Push Button Start, power windows with one-touch auto up/down feature, power door locks with auto-lock feature, a center console box with a new non-intrusive cover design, automatic climate control, rear window defroster with timer, two 12-volt power outlets, four cupholders, dual overhead map lights and a AM/FM/CD/AUX 4-speaker audio system with illuminated steering wheel-mounted controls.

Safety and security fitments are made up by Nissan’s Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant classification sensors, front seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags, roof-mounted side-impact air bags, seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, Active Head Restraints, Nissan’s Vehicle Immobilizer System, Vehicle Security System and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System.

Now onto what is under the hood. Well, first of all, the NISMO 370Z uses the same 3.7 liter V6 powerplant found in the standard 370Z, but with upgrades to help offer a higher output figure. These upgrades include a H-configured exhaust system design and muffler tuning, along with optimized ECM (Engine Computer Module) control. This means, power is up to 350HP (at 7,400 revs) from 332HP and torque is now rated at 374Nm (at 5,200 revs) instead of 366Nm.

Continue reading for the rest of the report and to view an image gallery.

The engine is mated to a 6-speed close ratio manual that comes with the SynchroRev Match function as standard. With a body structure that is more rigid, the NISMO 370Z features specially tuned double-wishbone front suspension and a 4-link rear suspension to offer better handling. The front spring rates have been dialed up 15%, rear spring rates 10%, front stabilizer bar rate upped by 15% and the rear stabilizer bar is 50% stiffer. The roll stiffness rate has also been increased by 15% and front and rear damping factors have been increased by 40% and 140% respectively.

The NISMO 370Z comes standard with 5-spoke 19-inch RAYS forged aluminum-alloy wheels wrapped with Yokohama ADVAN Sport Y-rated high-performance tires (P245/40ZR19 front, P285/35ZR19 rear). Other standard fitments include NISMO Sport Brakes with large diameter 14.0-inch front and 13.8-inch rear vented rotors with 4-piston front and 2piston rear aluminum calipers, Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), Viscous Limited-Slip Differential (VLSD) as well as Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC).

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.

Nissan has officially revealed the drop-top version of its Nissan 370Z sports car, and this new roadster is offered in two forms: the standard Roadster and the Touring Roadster. The top-less 370Z which is shorter in terms of its wheelbase length by 101.6 mm over the model it replaces features a fold-able soft top that takes 20 seconds to open or close. Sharing most of its other features and design elements with the 370Z Coupe, the roadster also comes with an aluminium hood, door panels and trunk to help reduce weight. At the same time, the body structure has been extensively revised, improving rigidity and stability. The 370Z Roadster includes additional structural reinforcement over the 370Z Coupe, in both the A-pillars and side sills.

Other features include long nose/short cockpit proportions, vertical door handles and distinctive headlight/taillight treatment, which features a fierce “boomerang” shape. There are also High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional Xenon headlights with auto on/off feature, and the option of choosing between seven body colours including Solid Red, Magnetic Black, Brilliant Silver, Platinum Graphite, Pearl White, Monterey Blue and Black Cherry.

Over on the inside, the 370Z Roadster features black woven “Carbon” cloth seats with 8-way manual driver’s/4-way manual passenger’s seat adjustments. With the Touring Roadster, buyers would get unique leather-appointed “net” seats with 4-way power/4-way manual operation on the driver’s seat with 4-way power on the passenger’s seat plus heating and cooling.

Other standard interior fitments include Nissan’s Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition, power windows with one-touch auto up/down feature, power door locks with auto-lock feature, automatic climate control, two 12-volt power outlets, three cupholders and an AM/FM/CD/AUX 4-speaker audio system with illuminated steering wheel-mounted controls. With the Touring Roadster, you also get a 6-CD Bose audio system with eight speakers and MP3/WMA playback, XM Satellite Radio, Bluetooth connectivity, HomeLink Universal Transceiver and aluminium-trimmed pedals.

Just like the 370Z Coupe, both models of the roadster are powered by the 3.7 liter DOHC V6 with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control (VVEL) that is able to output 332HP at 7,000 revs and 366Nm of torque at 5,200 revs. The powerplant can be coupled with either a 6 speed close-ratio manual transmission or a 7 speed automatic that comes with Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) and Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) that are designed to offer quicker shifting when operated in manual mode. Buyers can also optionally add the SynchroRev Match function for the manual with the Sport Package. This basically does the rev-matching for the driver during up-shifts and down-shifts.

With both transmission options, the 370Z Roadster delivers 18 miles to the gallon for city driving and 25 miles to the gallon for highway. With double-wishbone front suspension and a stiffer and lighter 4-link rear suspension, the roadster comes with 18-inch aluminium-alloy wheels wrapped with P225/50R18 front/P245/45R18 rear Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires. With the Sport Package, potential buyers will get 19-inch RAYS forged lightweight aluminium-alloy wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A P245/40R19 front/P275/35R19 tires.

Continue reading for the rest of the report and to view an image gallery.

As standard, the roadster comes with Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA), Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant classification sensors, front seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags, door-mounted curtain air bags, and seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters.

Other standard equipments include Active Head Restraints, Zone Body Construction with front and rear crumple zones, Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System, Vehicle Security System and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Stopping power is provided by 12.6-inch vented disc brake system, while the Sport Package includes Nissan’s Sport Brakes with large diameter 14.0- inch front and 13.8-inch rear discs with 4-piston front and 2-piston rear aluminium calipers.

There is also an optional Navigation Package which includes the touch-screen Nissan Hard Drive Navigation System with XM NavTraffic, real-time traffic information, 9.3GB Music Box hard drive for digital music storage and playback and a USB port for iPod connectivity.

© 2009 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 21 Nov 09 07:56:53 +0800.