Archive for Nissan

Nissan has unveiled details on its upcoming 350Z-replacement: Nissan 370Z at the Nissan 360 press event in Portugal earlier this month. The 370Z will remain a two-seater and will continue the 350Z’s general shape, but will get more muscularly-sculpted body panels to give the car a more aggressive look, using flame surfacing perhaps?

Like you can probably guess from its name, the 370Z will feature the new VQ37VHR engine (shown above) from the Infiniti G37 coupe, producing over 326 horsepower and 366Nm of torque at 5,200rpm. This is 0.1 liter and two turbochargers down from the VR-series engine in the Nissan GT-R, but over 300 horsepower is still a very decent figure. The engine marks the debut of Nissan’s throttle-less VVEL technology.

Autocar also reports that the new car will ride on a new platform that has a shorter wheelbase than the current 350Z, not a big issue since it is a 2-seater, and will likely result in a better driving experience, with the car likely to feel more agile.

The new Nissan 370Z will be unveiled at the 2008 Los Angeles auto show in November.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Bajaj Auto will form a new joint-venture in India, held 50% by Bajaj Auto, 25% by Renault and 25% by Nissan. The new joint venture will develop and produce a new low cost car called the ULC, which would have a price tag of USD2,500 onwards. Not sure what ULC stands for at this moment, but I’m guessing something to the lines of Ultra Low Cost.

The Bajaj ULC will most likely be a production version of the Bajaj Lite concept car (shown above) displayed at the New Delhi Auto Show earlier this year. The Bajaj Lite concept featured a 2-cylinder engine and driven to the wheels via what Bajaj says is a new type of transmission that is a cross between a manual and an automatic.

That sounds like a manual with a computer controlled clutch like the Savvy’s AMT gearbox to me, but we’ll see what Bajaj has up its sleeves. Could a centrifugal clutch like a bike’s (Bajaj is a bike maker) be used on a car? Actually, it has been used in the past, but we’re talking about cars from the 1930s here.

Bajaj managing director Rajiv Bajaj was quoted referring to the Lite concept to say, “It will be priced competitively but not sell on the pricing. Offering the customer twice the fuel economy is more effective than offering half the price.”

Two more photos of the Bajaj Lite concept after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Renault-Nissan and Bajaj team up for USD2,500 car

The sales manual for the upcoming all-new Nissan Teana has been leaked onto the internet and shows us that the new Teana will be a toned down production version of the Nissan Intima concept displayed at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.

The new Teana still maintains the Intima’s CLS-like banana car look. The aggressive split headlamps have been replaced with more traditional looking ones, and the front bumper has been changed to one that offers much more airflow to the engine bay as compared to the concept’s. The suicide doors are gone, as expected.

Look after the jump for 2 more scans featuring the new Teana’s side profile and two different interior colour schemes.

Related Posts:
TOKYO 2007: Nissan Intima Concept

Click here to read the rest of Next generation Nissan Teana sales manual leaked!

Naza World has brought in 3 new cars - the Nissan GT-R, the latest Subaru Impreza WRX and the Nissan Dualis SUV. These cars are priced at RM728,999, RM302,999 and RM229,999 respectively.

The Nissan GT-R really needs no introduction, with publications all around the world raving about the 911-killing supercar. Under the hood is a twin turbocharged 3.8 liter V6 putting out 450 horsepower and 502Nm of torque, hooked up to a transaxle twin clutch gearbox mounted at the rear for optimum weight distribution. Of course, the GT-R must have the ATTESA E-TS all wheel drive system. 0 to 100km/h takes 3.8 seconds.

The latest generation Subaru Impreza WRX with a hatchback body instead of the previous generation’s sedan body is powered by a 2.5 liter boxer engine. The new boxer is 22.6kg lighter than the previous model and produces more low end torque. Peak horsepower and torque are 224 horsepower and 306Nm.

Price at over RM200K, the Nissan Dualis will be an alternative to those who are jaded with all the Muranos going around. The Nissan Dualis is the Japanese/Australian market name for the Nissan Qashqai. Naza is bringing in the 5-seater version.

The Dualis has a 4WD drivetrain and a 2.0 liter engine producing 137 horsepower and 198Nm of torque. It has 6 airbags and stability control. It has a 200mm ground clearance, 30.2 departure angle and a 19.2 degrees approach angle for those who are concerned about some off-roading related numbers.

More images of the cars after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Naza World brings in GT-R, Impreza WRX and Dualis

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Edaran Tan Chong Motor has introduced a limited run Impul kit for buyers and owners of the Nissan Latio. The kit costs RM10,500 on top of the standard Nissan Latio and consists of the following items:

• Impul Aerokit - consists of a front grille, front rear and side skirts, and wing spoiler
• Impul Sports Suspension System - absorbers and springs that lower ride height by 25mm and like most factory tailored sports suspensions, they are supposed improve handling while keeping ride comfort to a decent level
• Impul Blast II Exhaust Muffler - a stainless steel exhaust muffler that improves engine response and gives the engine a sportier note
• 17 inch Impul NS GTII alloy wheels - gold-coloured wheels that weigh 6.48kg wrapped with Dunlop Formula D 01 205/45R17 tyres

Impul performance parts are also available to existing Nissan Latio owners. Shown in the image above is the Nissan Latio Sport hatchback version of the kit, but the kit is also available for the sedan version of the Latio.

Have a look after the jump for a picture of the sedan version and some prices.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Latio tuned by Impul available in Malaysia!

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Nissan will be adding another Nissan Livina variant in the China market, called the Nissan Livina C-Gear. It’s essentially a jacked up Livina with a SUV-style bodykit to make it look more attractive and less MPV-like. In the interior, a sportier colour scheme matches the more rugged outlook. The predominant colour will be black, with silver trim.

After China, the next stop for the Nissan Livina C-Gear will be Indonesia, where it will be known as the Nissan Livina X-Gear.

Nissan has added a new three row 7-seater version of the Nissan Qashqai to its model lineup. The new SUV is called the Nissan Qashqai+2, aptly named because it is the Qashqai essentially with two more seats in the third row.

The new Nissan Qashqai+2 only shares body panels with the Qashqai at the front up to the A-pillar, after of which it looks like the same SUV, but only a longer, extended version. The wheelbase has been extended by 135mm while length has been extended by 211mm. The new Qashqai+2 is also taller by 38mm.

The third row is designed to fit humans up to 1.6 meters tall, which should be fine for children. The third row can be folded down to enlarge the boot area.

Engine options range from a baseline and probably underpowered 1.6 liter petrol, up to a 2.0 liter piezo-injection turbodiesel with 148 horsepower and 320Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.

Tan Chong now has an interesting model here that can be slotted into the same segment as the Hyundai Santa Fe and Chevrolet Captiva 7-seater SUVs currently occupy.

More photos after the jump.

Related Posts:
2007 Nissan Qashqai unveiled with photos

Click here to read the rest of Nissan Qashqai now available as a 7 seater

Edaran Tan Chong Motors has revised the prices for 9 of its models, with all of the revisions involving an increase in price ranging from a few hundred dollars up to a RM2,000 increase, especially for the popular Nissan Grand Livina 7-seater MPV models.

All prices are for West Malaysia OTR private registration, and effective from the 7th of April 2008 onwards. All bookings before the 7th of April will enjoy the old price, so you still have a few days more.

The Malaysian media had a chance to get acquainted with Mr Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. recently at Tan Chong Motors Assemblies Plant in Serendah, Selangor.

Built at a cost of RM230 million over a 47.3 acre site, it currently produces Nissan models like the Latio, new Grand Livina and the soon-to-be-launched Sylphy.

The Serendah plant has been up and running in less than a year from end of construction. Plans are afoot for production to run a 2nd shift by September, thereby doubling up roll-off to 2,400 units a month.

Read the report by Dr. Long after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Carlos Ghosn and Nissan in Malaysia

Picture by Dr Long - click to enlarge.

Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd has officially announced that the Nissan Sylphy will be launched sometime in Q2 2008. Members of the media were given a sneak preview today at Edaran Tan Chong Motor’s Serendah assembly plant in Hulu Selangor.

The Serendah assembly plant was built at an investment of RM230 million and employs 624 people. Serendah capacity is currently at 1,440 units a month with a single shift. By September 2008, a second shift will be up, increasing total capacity to 2,400 units. It assembles the Nissan Latio sedan and hatchback, the Nissan Grand Livina and soon, the Nissan Sylphy.

The Nissan Sylphy is known as the Nissan Bluebird Sylphy in other countries. It is available in both 1.5 liter and 2.0 liter variants, and Malaysia will likely get the 2.0 liter variant, powered by the MR20DE engine. This is evident from the 2.0 CVTC badge on the preview car’s boot lid. The 1.5 liter model would not fit into the current Nissan line-up. Nissan aims to sell between 200 to 500 units of the new Nissan Sylphy per month when launched.

The 2.0 liter engine produces 133 PS at 5,200rpm and 191Nm of torque at 4,400rpm, with 90% of the torque, or about 172Nm available from 2,000rpm onwards. This is the tuning most commonly installed in Sylphys around the world. Other variants of the MR20DE like the one found in the Nissan Qashqai produces 140hp at 5,100rpm and 193Nm of torque.

Read the linked related posts below to see spyshots of the Nissan Sylphy on test, as well as other articles about the Sylphy. Look after the jump for more live preview images of the Sylphy.

Related Posts:
2006 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy photos and specifications
Nissan Bluebird Sylphy spotted in Malaysia
Taped up Nissan Bluebird Sylphy spotted again!

Click here to read the rest of ETCM: Nissan Sylphy coming in Q2 2008