Archive for Nissan

We will be able to see the final production version of the Nissan GT-R at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show next week, though many argue that we’ve already seen the production version with the GT-R PROTO shown previously.

While we have an idea what it will look like, specs have been not much but rumours so far, but AN reports that the new sports car will be powered by a 3.8 liter twin turbo V6 sending power through all four wheels with an all-wheel drive system, a GT-R trademark.

Given the modern performance turbocharged engine’s usual 100 to 150 horsepower to liter ratio, expect the new Nissan GT-R to be putting out over 400 horsepower.

It will come in a few colour options: three different shades of silver, white pearl, red and black. There will also be a GT-R Black Edition and a GT-R Premium Edition, other than the normal standard version which starts at US$66,500. The Premium Edition is expected to cost US$72,000.

Source

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Nissan will be displaying an updated version of their Nissan Pivo concept, rather straightforwardly called the Nissan Pivo 2 concept.

It continues with the original Pivo’s fully rotating cabin design which makes the concept of reversing your car obsolete. The Pivo 2 adds In-Wheel 3D motors for the car’s four wheels. These wheels can turn 90 degrees to allow the Pivo 2 to move sideways like a crab as well as the normal forward and reverse movement.

The little robot thing you will see in the photos after the jump is what Nissan calls a Robotic Agent, which can communicate to you everything from basic vehicle functions through to the nearest available parking and can have conversations with you in Japanese and English.

For readers who are in Japan, you can see the Pivo 2 displayed before the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show on the 13th and 14th of October 2007 at the Nissan Ginza Gallery in Chuo-ku, Tokyo from 10am to 8pm.

More images and a video (thanks to LittleFire85) can be viewed after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Pivo 2 to debut at Tokyo 2007

Earlier we learned that a new 7-seater MPV by Nissan called the Livina will be available in Edaran Tan Chong Motor showrooms by the second half of this year. We’re pretty much right smack in the middle of the second half right now, and a few badgeless Nissan Livina MPVs has already been spotted making it’s rounds around KL. Have a look at a rear shot of a dark red Nissan Livina shown above thanks to reader Steven.

The Livina should be very promising as it would offer us another monocoque car chassis-based 7-seater MPV at under RM100,000 prices. This space is currently occupied by the Naza Citra, though reportedly there is some special deal right now involving Hyundai Trajet MPVs being sold for under RM100k.

Read more on the Nissan Livina in the linked post below to find out why a monocoque-based people transporter has certain advantages over body-on-frame constructed designs like the Toyota Avanza.

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This strange thing is the Nissan Mixim, a 3-seater microcar that will make it’s debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The Nissan Mixim is an electric vehicle with a 1+2 seating arrangement accessible via gullwing doors on either sides of the car.

The 950kg car is powered by two “Super Motors” as Nissan calls them, each powering an axle, effectively making the car all-wheel drive.

More pictures after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Mixim Concept Electric Car

We will be getting two variants of the Nissan Livina MPV here in Malaysia, according to a report by The Edge last week. The Nissan Livina will be available in Malaysia in locally assembled form with engine capacities of both 1.6 and 1.8 liters, and both models will be priced with an under-RM100,000 price tag. These engine capacities are similar to the options for the recently launched Nissan Latio – the HR16DE and the MR18DE.

Edaran Tan Chong Motor hopes to attract middle-income customers – this will put the Nissan Livina smack in the middle of the mid-sized lower segment MPV market. That would put it somewhat in competition with the Toyota Avanza, the Suzuki ER-V and the larger Toyota Innova. However, the Nissan Livina promises a better, more comfortable drive as it is based on a monocoque car chassis.

More information on the 7-seater Nissan Livina can be obtained in the related posts:

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Nissan Livina to arrive in 2nd half of 2007

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Nissan Motor Co., Ltd has developed a new catalyst for petrol engines that uses only half the precious metals of conventional catalysts.

A catalyst uses platinum, rhodium and palladium to interact with the exhaust gases causing chemical reactions with nitrogen oxide (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) – into non-toxic compounds such as nitrogen (N2), water (H20), and carbon dioxide (CO2).

However, the high temperatures of the exhaust gas causes the precious metals to cluster up, reducing exposed metal surface area, thus reducing the effectiveness of the catalyst over time. So what manufacturers have done is use excessive amounts of precious metals so that the catalyst still functions sufficiently well even after the effectiveness has been reduced.

Nissan has used nano-technology to keep the fine metal particles separated under high temperatures, so that only the necessary amount of precious metals need to be used – about 50% less. This will maintain cleaner emissions as well as reduce the consumption of precious metals – an effort of Nissan’s Green Program 2010.

Nissan Design Europe has unveiled this new NV200 small van concept that is set to make a real life debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in October this year. It was a joint effort between Nissan Design Europe and Nissan Design Center Japan.

The NV200 small van concept is designed to have a customisable interior to suit different usages, but this concept was designed specifically to be used by a professional underwater photographer as an example of it’s versatility.

It has a pod which is divided into ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ storage zones for diving and camera equipment. The pod is latched inside the load area when the van is being driven. But when static, it can be slided out rearwards to allow access to the storage zones.

As the pod withdraws from the van, the area left behind is transformed into a mobile office. The front passenger seat swivels backwards on a curved rail to face a computer table, which drops down from the side of the van.

“A light commercial vehicle has a specific job to perform, but thats no reason to design a purely rational vehicle with no warmth. For NV200, function becomes the aesthetic. Our concept is a highly efficient tool but one with a human touch,” says Nissan’s senior vice president and chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura.

NISMO has a 300 unit limited run of a special edition tuned up Nissan 350Z called the NISMO Fairlady Z Type 380RS that has it’s engine displacement up to 3.8 liters from the original 3.5 liters of the VQ35HR engine.

This 3.8 liter engine is a detuned version of the 400 horsepower 380RS-Competition club racer 350Z, putting out a lower 350 horsepower at 7,200rpm and 397Nm at 4,800rpm, but still higher than the facelifted 350Z’s original 313 horsepower.

More photos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of NISMO Fairlady Z Type 380RS – 3.8 liter 350Z

Here is inspiration for any of you whose booked the Nissan Latio Sport 1.6 liter hatchback that went on sale recently. This is the Impul Tiida, based on the Nissan Tiida in the Japanese market which is basically the same car as the Latio Sport here in Malaysia. There is an Impul bodykit as well as a “shopping trolley” spoiler like the one on the Impul March, but what’s interesting is the performance enhancements.

The Impul tuning kit is for the 1.5 liter Nissan Tiida, but the only engine variant that is offered here in Malaysia for the Nissan Latio Sport is the 1.6 liter HR16DE. But perhaps the same supercharger kit can be fitted to the 1.6 liter engine block?

The HR16DE engine in the stock Latio Sport makes 109PS at 6,000rpm and 153Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. Impul’s Compressor kit (supercharger) boosts power up 35 PS, so the 1.6 liter block could end up with 144PS, the equivalent of a modern 2.0 liter.

The supercharger must be coupled with an Impul high power control unit (uprated ECU) as well as better Iridium spark plugs, and you can also fit a high flow Blast II design Impul stainless steel muffler.

Some other options to complement the car’s greater acceleration are better brakes – we’re talking about 6 piston calipers for the front on 282×21mm rotors fitted with Impul performance brake pads, which should definitely be more than enough for a 144PS car.

I am not sure where you can purchase this Impul forced induction kit for the HR15DE, or whether it can fitted to the HR16DE or not, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to adapt it.

Click here to read the rest of Impul Tiida – supercharged Nissan Tiida/Latio Sport

Just as previously promised, the Nissan Latio is now in Edaran Tan Chong Motor showrooms nationwide. The following are the prices for the Nissan Latio sedan and the Nissan Latio Sport hatchback, non-inclusive of insurance.

Nissan Latio 1.6 ST (M) – RM79,900.00
Nissan Latio 1.6 ST (A) – RM85,300.00
Nissan Latio 1.6 ST-L (A) – RM90,300.00
Nissan Latio 1.8 Ti (A) – RM97,100.00
Nissan Latio Sport 1.6 ST-L (A) – RM92,900.00

Too bad the sporty hatchback only comes with the HR16DE 1.6 liter engine, as the 1.8 liter would have been more excited and suited to the car’s sporty appearance. The manual model comes equipped with a 5-speed manual, while the automatic models have 4-speed auto gearboxes. Anyway, only the 1.8 Ti sedan and 1.6 ST-L hatchback model has Nissan’s intelligent key system for keyless entry and start. The 1.8 Ti also has bi-xenon headlamps, with an auto headlights system which turns the headlamps on automatically when it is required.

All variants come with a predominantly beige interior, however the lower end models use tricot seat and door trim, as well as silver trim for the instrument panel and shift knob, while the higher ened ST-L and Ti models use wood trim.

As a quick recap – some performance stats. The 1.6 liter HR16DE-equipped cars make 109PS at 6,000rpm and 153Nm of torque at 4,400rpm. The 1.8 liter MR18DE-equipped cars put out 126 horsepower at 5,200rpm, and 174Nm of torque at 4,800rpm. Both engines have 16 valves, twin cams, and continuously variable valve timing.

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Supercharger kit for Nissan Latio Sport