Advertisement

Nissan 370Z Black Edition – only cosmetics

February 5, 2010 at 3:27 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

We’ve just saw the 20th Anniversary Limited Edition Mazda MX-5 and here’s another “edition” car, this time it’s Nissan with the 370Z Black Edition that marks the 40th anniversary of the Z-car. Available from April as a coupé only, and in a limited run of just 370 units in Europe, it comes in two metallic shades: black and quartz. Both paints use Nissan’s pioneering Scratch Shield technology which “heals” the finish in the case of stone chip damage.

You can spot a Black Edition by its dark grey 19” aluminium forged RAYS wheels, red brake callipers and 40th Anniversary emblem at the rear. Inside, there’s red leather and suede on the seats and door trim, with embossed 40th Anniversary logo on the chairs. To match that, the leather steering, centre console and knee pads come withe red stitching. Nissan’s Connect Premium combined touch-screen satellite navigation and audio system with USB connectivity (9.3GB hard disk) tops it all off.

No change under the skin. The 370Z is powered by a 324 bhp 3.7-litre V6 capable of 0-100 km/h in 5.3 seconds (5.6 seconds for the automatic version) and is Euro 5 compliant. Edaran Tan Chong sells the standard 370Z in Malaysia at RM370,000. Interestingly, our car is quoted to have 328 bhp – perhaps Nissan had to sacrifice a few horses to meet Euro 5 standards.

More pictures after the jump.
[Read more...]

26 Comments      

Renault-Nissan Alliance increase market share

February 4, 2010 at 3:20 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Nissan, Renault

The Renault Nissan Alliance, which now counts Russia’s AvtoVaz Lada brand as part of its group, captured 9.8% of the global auto market in 2009, an increase from 2008′s 9.4%. This result was achieved in a global market that contracted 4.5% last year, and desipte the decline in volumes for Renault (-3.1%) and Nissan (-9.4%). Renault and Nissan sold 2,309,188 and 3,358,413 vehicles respectively, while Lada accounted for 417,457 units.

In Western Europe, Renault reclaimed third spot, mainly due to new additions Megane and Twingo. In its home market, Renault sales increased by 7.3% and it retains the title of France’s best selling brand with a 23.5% market share. The brand also grew in Korea through subsidiary Renault-Samsung Motors.

Nissan meanwhile closed the year with total sales of 3,358,413 units or a market share of 5.4%. In China, now Nissan’s second largest global market after the US, passenger car sales increased 38.7% to 755,518 units. Sales were led by the Teana flagship model (108,504) followed by the Sylphy (96,174).

The new Teana should be launched in Malaysia this year as Nissan’s challenger to the Accord and Camry. In Thailand and Singapore, the D-segment contender can be had with two engines; the MR20DE 2.0-litre (as found in the Sylphy) and a 2.5-litre V6 with 180 bhp and 228 Nm, figures that are slightly higher than the Accord 2.4.

Nissan (Jatco) makes some of the best CVT gearboxes around and the Teana will get that instead of a torque converter automatic. Prices are bound to be much more competitive than the previous model, which only sold by the handful due to a scary sticker price.

9 Comments      


Nissan Latio replacement model coming in 2 years?

February 1, 2010 at 3:00 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

Nissan Latio

Nissan has unveiled in America that it is currently developing the replacement for its Nissan Versa and it will be ready to hit North American streets in 2 years time from its assembly plant in Mexico. The new second generation Versa/Tiida/Latio will be built on a platform that Nissan calls the global V platform. This means that we’ll be able to see a new Nissan Latio/Nissan Tiida in about the same time as well, since the Nissan Versa is basically just an American name for the Tiida/Latio. In the meanwhile, the current first generation car has been facelifted in Thailand but there’s still no news on our local model getting the facelift.

25 Comments      

Nissan Dualis – fresh air in M’sian Nissan SUV scene?

February 1, 2010 at 8:55 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Nissan

Nissan Dualis

If you’re looking for a Nissan SUV and are bored with the aging X-Trail that’s being hawked here for the longest time, you can check out the Nissan Dualis which is being imported by grey importers.

As part of Naza’s Chinese New Year sale, a 2007 Nissan Dualis can be had for RM151,000, and a newer 2008 model is priced at RM166,000. And from what I hear these prices are negotiable at the showroom if you’re really interested. I don’t expect the Dualis to be available from Tan Chong directly anytime soon as across all ASEAN markets except for Singapore (where it is known as the Qashqai), the only SUV being offered is the X-Trail.

Nissan Qashqai

Nissan calls the Dualis a ‘hatchback’. It’s a crossover based on the Nissan C platform. The body does look like a hatchback but its ride height is higher, putting the Dualis right in the middle of the definition of a hatchback and an SUV. It is a proper ‘crossover’ in true form, instead of just slapping any vehicle with a coupe-like roofline with compromised rear headroom and calling it a ‘crossover’.

In the engine bay is the MR20DE mated to a CVT transmission that we are already quite familiar with since it has been introduced in the Malaysian market installed in the Sylphy.

As part of the Dualis launch promo in Japan, Nissan actually commissioned Shoji Kawamori (of Macross and Robotech fame) to design a robot (mecha) version of the Dualis. The robot Dualis stands 3.5 meters tall. Check out these Dualis mecha videos which Nissan produced as part of a promo campaign in Japan – after the jump!
[Read more...]

24 Comments      

Tommy Kaira’s “Silver Wolf” Nissan GT-R

January 18, 2010 at 6:17 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

This is the Silver Wolf, Japanese tuner Tommy Kaira’s take on the Nissan GT-R. Fans of racing game series Gran Turismo should be familiar with this Kyoto based tuner, who interestingly started out by modifying Mercedes cars! The company has since focussed on Japanese models, and its latest project is the mighty GT-R. Honestly, which tuning house can resist tinkering with the greatest performance car to come out from Japan in recent times?

Tommy Kaira shows a lot of sense by not attempting to improve on the GT-R’s twin-turbo V6 engine, instead focussing on upgrading the brakes, suspension and exhaust system. There’s also a wide body styling pack made from carbon fibre. The Silver Wolf looks decent and not too over the top, but why not call it “Black Wolf”? We’re also not sure how much “improvement” can be made on a car as good as the Nissan GT-R, and if the differences can be felt by the average car enthusiast. What do you think?

More pictures after the jump!
[Read more...]

35 Comments      

2010 FIA GT1 spec Nissan GT-R finds customers

January 16, 2010 at 11:50 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Motorsports, Nissan

This is the GT1 Spec Nissan GT-R that will run in the 2010 FIA GT World Championship. The GT-R will race in the top tier GT1 class along the likes of the Maserati MC 12, Corvette Z06, Ford GT and Saleen SR7 (GT2 class features lower powered cars like the Ferrari F430, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Aston V8 Vantage). Nismo campaigned a GT-R last year, but Nissan’s motorsports outfit has found two customer teams for 2010 – Sumo Power GT (UK) and Swiss Racing Team. The season starts in April at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.

The 2010 spec GT1 GT-R is powered by a 5,552cc V8 engine with 600 bhp (the regulation limit) and “over 650Nm” of torque. Power goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed transaxle gearbox. The race car only weighs 1250 kg, so you can imagine the performance of offer even though Nissan doesn’t give any figures. Brakes have six-piston calipers with carbon discs and pads all round.

Go ahead and download a new wallpaper from the hi-res gallery after the jump!

[Read more...]

47 Comments      

New Nissan Sylphy Luxury Navi Package trim level adds in-dash GPS navigation system

January 15, 2010 at 4:18 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Nissan

Nissan Sylphy
Click to enlarge

The Nissan Sylphy is now available as a new variant called the “Luxury Navi Package” variant which includes an in-dash touchscreen GPS navigation and entertainment system. The system is the TCAT Multimedia Navigator System which boasts some interesting specs.

From doing a little research it appears that the system runs on the SpeedNavi SQ software, which was created by M&Soft, a Hyundai-related company. The touchscreen player uses a 7 inch truecolour touch screen with 800×480 resolution – that’s some pretty impressive resolution so text and graphics should appear quite crisp.

The GPS navigation’s mapping system includes 3D junction view and 2.5D building view for a better idea of exactly which junction you have to take. Maps have 15 zoom levels and are for both Malaysia and Singapore, while language options include English, BM, Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai, Japanese and Korean.

Other features include a reverse camera system with night vision compensation (which auto-engages during reverse), and an audio and video player which streams audio to the car’s 6-speaker audio system through an FM transmitter. Video and audio can be loaded through either an SD card or a USB data drive.

The Luxury Navi Package trim level is only a RM1,500 premium (RM120,380.00) over the Luxury package which I feel is quite good value. If you purchase the TCAT Multimedia Navigator system along with the reverse camera and etc on its own the RRP is RM3,500.
[Read more...]

53 Comments      

Nissan Qazana crossover concept is ready for debut – production car to be called Juke

January 8, 2010 at 12:33 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

This is a teaser image of Nissan’s Juke crossover, which will be unwrapped for the media next month. It is basically the Qazana crossover concept that Nissan showed off at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show which looks to have survived the transition from concept to production car unharmed. We can see that the glasshouse, mega wheel arches and lights that sit ON the bonnet are all retained, although we can’t really tell if the concept’s rear-hinged “suicide doors” are incorporated.

This means that the Juke, which will be made alongside the Qashqai at Nissan’s Sunderland UK plant, will be one of the most distinctive cars on the road once it goes on sale in October. It is positioned between the Note compact car and the Qashqai in Nissan’s range.

According to Nissan’s customer research, a large proportion of European compact car buyers’ needs are not met by “copycat hatchbacks” which they perceive to be uninspiring options. This is where the funky Juke comes in.

To view pictures of the Qazana concept, click here.

14 Comments      

Renault-Nissan to set up battery plant in Portugal

December 9, 2009 at 11:45 am By Danny Tan Filed Under International News, Nissan, Renault

nissan-leaf-1

Renault-Nissan’s electric car battery production site will be in Portugal. The new plant, which will manufacture lithium-ion batteries for the Alliance’s upcoming electric cars, will be located at the Renault CACIA industrial complex in Aveiro, 250km north of Lisbon. Nissan will be forking out €160 million for the project. Construction will start next year with production commencing in 2012. Projected annual capacity is 50,000 units.

The host country will work with Renault-Nissan to implement a zero emission mobility program from 2010. In this plan, the latter will supply its electric vehicles from January 2011, while the Portuguese government will set up a network of 1,300 recharging stations across the country over two years.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance – the world’s third largest automotive group by volume – is postinioning itself as a leader in the electric vehicle movement. Starting with the Nissan LEAF in late 2010, it has already announced plans for seven EVs to be mass marketed under Renault, Nissan and Infiniti brands. In addition to Portugal, the Alliance has also confirmed battery production locations in France, Japan, USA and UK.

7 Comments      

Facelifted Nissan Qashqai revealed!

December 5, 2009 at 12:24 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, International News, Nissan

qashqai-nissan

Nissan has just unveiled its facelifted Qashqai mid-sized crossover, a car positioned in Europe as an alternative to traditional VW Golf class hatchbacks. Since its March 2007 launch, the Qashqai has exceeded Nissan’s sales expectations, with the 500,000th customer delivery set to take place before the end of 2009. Last year saw the introduction of the Qashqai+2, a seven-seat long wheelbase version of the original. The Qashqai is called the Dualis in Japan, and a few of those can be found on our streets as grey imports.

The biggest visual change is at the front with a new bonnet, front bumper, wings, grille and headlamps. Behind, the redesigned light clusters retain the same shape but are tweaked to reduce drag, while the tail lights are now of the LED variety. Two new five-spoke rim designs are available as well. Coefficient of drag (cd) has dropped from 0.34 to 0.33.

Inside, the cabin features a new dial design for added clarity while the redesigned trip computer with white text display sits between them. Further improvements include ambient lighting around the front footwells. New cubbys have been added too. Nissan claims improved isolation against noise, vibration and harshness, achieved by adding multi-layer insulation material around the front bulkhead, plus the fitment of an ‘acoustic’ windscreen. Wind noise around the A-pillar has also been lowered. Finally, the suspension has been tuned for improved ride comfort.

Joining the two petrol (1.6 and 2.0) and two diesel (1.5 and 2.0) models is a 1.5 dCi Pure Drive variant that produces only 129g/km of CO2. This is achieved via weight reduction, aerodynamic wheel covers, blanking of the fog lamp sockets, low rolling resistance tyres and lengthening of the final drive ratio.

More pictures after the jump.

[Read more...]

44 Comments