Archive for Nissan

Nissan is bringing forward its electric vehicle debut for the US market by 2 years, which means the first Nissan EVs could hit American streets by 2010. Its original plan was to start utility and commercial sales of EVs in 2010 and begin consumer retail sales in 2012, but according to Nissan director of product planning and strategy Mark Perry, some consumer US markets could be ready for the EVs sooner than 2012. Nissan says as long as the market is ready, they will go in earlier. And by ready, this includes charging infrastructure.

Nissan’s electric vehicles will be powered by NEC lithium ion batteries. It will have a range of about 100 miles or 160km between charges. Nissan and NEC are planning to build an EV battery plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, and have requested to take out a low-interest loan from the feds to do so.

Nissan has revealed the Qazana 5-door crossover concept in Geneva. Said to be inspired by motorbikes and beach buggies, the Qazana concept is expected to showcase the design language of an upcoming small crossover; a baby brother to the Qashqai.

This all wheel drive concept which measures 4060 mm in length, 1570 mm tall, 1780 mm wide with a wheelbase of 2530 mm features rear-hinged rear doors, two lower circular lamps set within the bumper with a pair of daylight running strips mounted high on the wings on either side of the bonnet as well as a full width grille up front. If you think that the front seem “roundish”, the rear end of the Qazana speaks the similar language as well.

Sitting on 20 inch black chrome alloys, the concept is treated to a red/white futuristic interior that is inspired by the fuel tank and seat of a motorbike. It has ‘floating’ seats that are centrally mounted over a one-piece rubberized floor covering as well as a centrally mounted touch screen display which allows the driver to control many features of the car, and which also displays the navigation system.

Nissan also revealed that the all wheel drive system features the next generation fully electronic ALL MODE four-wheel drive with torque vectoring system. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

Click here to read the rest of Geneva 2009: Nissan’s Qazana crossover concept

For those of you in the land below the winds, in Tawau in particular, Nissan will be conducting a test drive event at the Edaran Tan Chong Motor Tawan Branch at the Ba Zhung Commercial Center on Jalan Tawau Lama. Both CBU and CKD Nissan models are available for test drive. These include the Nissan March, the Nissan Murano, the Nissan Teana, the Nissan Navara, the Nissan X-Trail 2.5, the Nissan Sylphy, the Nissan Latio 1.6, the Nissan Latio Sport 1.6, the Nissan Grand Livina 1.8 and finally possibly the most exciting of all, the open top Nissan 350Z Roadster which is still on sale in Malaysia. Note that the 350Z has been replaced internationally by the 370Z which is more compact but with a larger engine.

Scrapped small car project could have been the Dodge Hornet

Chrysler and Nissan originally planned to expand their current cooperation of marketing the Nissan Versa in South America as the Dodge Trazo with another two cars – another Chrysler-designed Nissan (Japanese)-built small car (dare we say this might be the Dodge Hornet?) and a full-sized Nissan pick-up based on a Chrysler (next gen Nissan Titan). But right now in face of a depressing economy and unfavorable dollar to yen exchange rates, that plan has been put on hold. The Versa project will go on as planned.

Other than the Versa, there are also other third-party sourced small cars sold there, such as the Hyundai Atos and the Hyundai Accent, sold as the Dodge Atos and Dodge Attitude respectively. Word is that the Versa-based Trazo will replace the Attitude as Hyundai has officially entered the Mexican market.

The word is that the cancellation/postponement of the other two vehicle projects have nothing to do with the recent involvement of Fiat in the American company, but it’s just that the projects were a deal done during better times, which unfortunately have ended what feels like a long time ago.

No, the image you see above is not an early sketch of the Kia Soul. It’s actually a teaser image for a new Nissan concept car due for the 79th Geneva International Motor Show called the Nissan Qazana concept. Nissan describes the Qazana as being a small 5-door hatchback crossover vehicle with large wide wheelarches and suicide doors.

We all know automated manual transmissions handle everything to do with gear changes, and that many AMT transmissions have a neat throttle-blip feature that helps rev-match your transmission on downshift so that the transition will be smoother and easier on the clutch too. Even some automatic transmissions do this.

Rev matching can help reduce clutch and synchro wear and tear as the gearbox doesn’t have to match the revs of a lower gear by force. Nissan’s recently unveiled Nissan 370Z has a manual transmission with a Synchro Rev Match feature, which means despite it being a pure manual, the gearbox is still able to assist you with downshifts by rev-matching the engine speed to match the higher speed it needs to be at when you shift to a lower gear. The driver can turn this off if not desired of course.

But how does the Synchro Rev Match transmission work? Peter Bedrosian, senior manager for Nissan’s product planning team explains briefly in a video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Nissan 370Z Synchro Rev Match Transmission

Well, the eagerly awaited Nissan GT-R SpecV has finally been revealed by Nissan, but details are sparse about how much more powerful it is.

All that Nissan reveals at this point of time is that a “high gear boost control device” increases torque over mid to high rev ranges, but doesn’t go on into detail if this just means the torque curve is much more flatter with peak torque sustaining over more revs, or whether peak torque actually goes up.

The bulk of the changes are in the equipment. The suspension has been upgraded and its settings are exclusive to the Spec V. The Spec V gets lightweight forged aluminium NISMO wheels that have already been sold by NISMO since September 2008, but on the Spec V it’s standard equipment. These wheels have lighter unsprung weight. The brakes have carbon ceramic discs by Brembo. Finally, a titanium-coated exhaust system graces the rear end of the car.

The exterior gets carbon fiber bits such as a spoiler, a grille, and brake ducts. A special colour is available exclusively on the GT-R called Ultimate Black Opal. On the interior, the seats have a carbon fiber frame, and the carbon fiber treatment continues in the rear center box storage, instrument panel and various other trim areas.

The new Nissan GT-R Spec V will go on sale in Japan on the 2nd of February 2009, and later in Europe later in the year. There are no plans for it to be sold in North America yet at the moment. Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery and a video clip.

Click here to read the rest of New Nissan GT-R SpecV promises to be quicker

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Nissan is spicing up the popular Nissan Grand Livina 7-seater MPV with this new edition that features accessories from Impul. Called the Nissan Grand Livina Tuned by Impul, it is fitted with a bodykit comprising of a new front grille, lips for the front and rear, side skirts, and an Impul rear wing spoiler.

The MPV is also fitted with the Impul sports suspension system which lowers ride height by 25mm and are tuned for a sportier drive with reduced body roll and pitch. The sporty look is completed with an Impul Blast II exhaust muffler, and 17 inch Impul Aura SX-10 alloy wheels wrapped with Dunlop Formula D 01 205/45R17 tyres.

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All components are made in Malaysia except for the alloy wheels, which helps Nissan offer the Impul Grand Livina at only a RM10,500 premium over the standard Nissan Grand Livina as there is no prohibitive import taxes.

Those who already own a Grand Livina and wish to fit the Impul kit as an aftermarket item can also do so from Nissan. For aftermarket purchases, the front grille goes for RM800 while the all-round bodykit including the spoiler costs RM3,400. This is inclusive of installation and painting. The Impul sports suspension goes for RM2,800 with installation. The Impul Blast II exhaust tailpipe goes for RM1,800. The 17 inch Impul wheels go for RM4,500 for a set of 4 inclusive of center caps, air valves and installation, but tyres are not included as they cost an additional RM350 per tyre, and excludes wheel balancing and alignment. Aftermarket fitment only has a 90 day warranty for material defects while the factory Impul Grand Livina has a 3 year warranty.

The following are the prices for the Impul Grand Livina:

There are four body colours for the Grand Livina exclusively available for the Impul version only, which are tungsten silver, sapphire black, brilliant white and twilight gray.

Click here to read the rest of New Impul Grand Livina now available in Nissan showrooms in Malaysia!

Nissan has produced a promotional video for the new smaller but faster Nissan 370Z aimed at the Japanese market. Look at the video after the jump to check out the techno-ish video that shows the new 370Z in action as well as some footage of interior details like the meter panels in action.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Japanese market Nissan 370Z Promo

Nissan’s new 2009 370Z Coupe has arrived, having being just unveiled at the LA Auto Show last week, though we’ve already previously seen leaked product shots on the net before the show.

They’ve intentionally given the new Z a more retro-ish styling that they say pays homage to the original 240Z from the 70s, though there’s nothing retro about that odd headlamp design (that debuted on the new Maxima) that comes with a matching taillamp design. Unlike other cars which seem to grow larger with each generation, the new Nissan 370Z is actually smaller than the Nissan 350Z.

The new car’s wheelbase is a whole 99mm shorter than the 350Z – 2550mm versus 2649mm and its also shorter by about 2.7 inches and lower by 0.3 inches. However it’s wider by 1.3 inches and the rear track also increases by 2.2 inches.

The chassis has also been strengthened, with the front torsion rigidity up by 30% and rear torsion rigidity up by 22%. Rear body vertical bending rigidity is also up by 30%. A new front suspension crade reduces front body lateral bending, while an underbody V bar reduces rear lateral bending. Also, don’t forget the new radiator housing which uses carbon fiber composite.

More aluminium has been used on the 370Z than ever on a Z car before this – for the first time the Z car has aluminum door panels, along with an all-aluminum hood and an aluminium hatch. The front double wishbones also use aluminium and are lighter, while the 4-link rear supension is also stiffer and lighter with the cradle now made of a single piece with no welding.

The engine is the VQ37VHR that debuted in the Infiniti G37 with 332 horses at 7,000rpm and 366Nm of torque at 5,200rpm, but what’s interesting is the transmissions that are mated to this motor. The automatic choice has 7 cogs, a quick lock-up function, automatic throttle blipping on downshifts, and paddle shifts for a closer resemblance to what a manual feels. In manual mode, a quick-shifting mode is activated allowing 0.5 second shifts.

The manual option is a 6-speed manual with what Nissan calls a “SynchroRev Match” feature (it’s an option with the Sport Package, not standard), which automatically rev-matches your engine speed for downshifts. You still operate the clutch and the gear lever normally, its just that the transmission automatically blips and rev-matches for the downshift. Yes, heel and toe is no longer necessary, though you can still do it yourself if you want to by disabling the SynchroRev Match feature.

There are also some differences with the pedals. For one, the aluminium pedals use a new rubber insert material for better grip. The accelerator pedal is now floor mounted like BMWs or the new Honda Civic, while the brake pedal now has a new variable ratio design for easier operation.

The standard wheels are 18 inchers with Yokohama Advan Sport 225/50R18 tyres at the front and a wider 245/45R18 size at the rear. Optional are 19 inch RAYS forged aluminium-alloy wheels wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A rubber in 245/40R19 and 275/35R19 sizes for the front and rear respectively.

The roadster model will debut sometime in 2009 for the 2010 model year. Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery of the new 2009 Nissan 370Z.

Click here to read the rest of 2010 Nissan 370Z: Official Details and Photos