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  • 2012 Nissan Versa Sedan launched in NYC – it’s the Sunny!

    In Cars, International News, Nissan / By / / 49 comments

    Nissan has unveiled the Versa Sedan for North America at the ongoing New York auto show. As you can see, the Versa Sedan is the same car as the Sunny that debut in Guangzhou last year, but with a different name. In the US, Versa refers to the hatchback we know as the Latio Sport. The busy company also just unveiled the new Tiida hatch in Shanghai.

    This 2012 model year Versa Sedan is being tagged as the “Big Small Car”, one that offers mid size tech without the mid size price – it starts at $10,990. The mid size tech Nissan is talking about includes things like Fine Vision instruments, Bluetooth, navigation system with 5-inch touch-screen display, Satellite Radio and an iPod/USB interface.

    The Versa Sedan/Sunny sits on Nissan’s global V platform (V for Versatile), which also underpins the March. Compared to the Versa hatchback’s B platform, the V utilises nearly 20% fewer components and weighs around 150 pounds less. Size wise, this car’s footprint isn’t that different from its predecessor (Latio to us); width is the same while length is up by 11 mm to make 4,426 mm.

    The 2,600 mm wheelbase is unchanged. Nissan claims better rear legroom than the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5-Series and Lexus LS460. Sounds incredulous, but having sat in it before, I believe them. Sometimes, it’s not about the bare figures but the packaging.

    The exterior is identical with the car we saw in Guangzhou, down to the same rims, and the differences in the cabin is down to spec. The car we see here has steering wheel controls and electric wing mirror controls that the China spec we shot didn’t, but it looks like auto climate control won’t be available in the US – there are three rotary knobs in a triangle in place of the Sunny’s donut-like controls.

    Under the hood is the 1.6-litre HR16DE 4-cylinder engine with twin CVTC, bigger brother of the HR15DE used in the Chinese Sunny. Compared to previous versions, this latest HR gets two injectors for every cylinder. The finer spray from the smaller nozzles brings more stable combustion. The engine makes 109 hp at 6,000 rpm and 145 Nm at 4,400 rpm. The Sunny’s HR15DE has 110 hp (112 PS) at 5,600 and 139 Nm at 4,000 rpm.

    Transmission options are between a five-speed manual and the Xtronic CVT. The latter is the latest gen design that adds an auxiliary gearbox using planetary gearing, helping improve efficiency. It also has a transmission ratio of 7.3:1, broader than those of conventional CVTs and typical 7-speed autos. Friction is reduced by about 30%, weight by about 13% and overall size by about 10% versus the previous Versa Sedan’s CVT.

    To be manufactured at Nissan’s Aguascalientes, Mexico plant that also builds Sentras for the US, the Versa Sedan goes on sale this summer in the States.

    Full gallery after the jump. Click here to view the Sunny world debut in China last year.
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  • Nissan Compact Sport Concept – 190 hp 1.6 litre flash hatch

    In Cars, Concept Cars, International News, Nissan / By / / 20 comments


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    Well, here’s a cute little critter then, though perhaps it may be a bit too kitschy for many. It’s called the Nissan Compact Sport Concept, and it’s a Nissan debutant at the ongoing Auto Shanghai 2011, along with other cars like the new Latio.


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    Designed in collaboration by Nissan’s global design headquarters in Japan and the company’s new design studio in Beijing, the three-door concept hatch – which Nissan says is designed for young customers in emerging countries – certainly displays a fair bit of bling.


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    Details are minimal about the car, which is believed to sit on a Micra (March) platform (and looking like it overdosed on steroids), save the fact that it’s equipped with a direct-injection turbocharged 1.6 litre lump offering 190 hp, mated to a six-speed CVT gearbox with a manual shift mode.


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    Elsewhere, it’s all pretty much flash; the external bulges make for great eye-candy for those into such curves and flair, and the interior displays enough attention-grabbing bits too – the contrasting black and white interior features red for highlight accents and plenty of oval-shaped cues. No mention if this one will ever come into series production (the 4th-gen K13 Micra/March is only a year old, so it’s not a preview of a replacement), but you can never tell these days.

     

  • Bigger and curvier new Nissan Latio/Tiida hatch unveiled, 1.6L turbo performance variant has 190 hp and 240 Nm!

    In Cars, International News, Nissan / By / / 90 comments

    This is the new Nissan Tiida, unveiled at Auto Shanghai 2011 today. Produced at the Dongfeng Nissan Huadu Plant in Guangzhou, the Tiida hatchback, which we know here as the Latio Sport, will start selling next month in China. It will be launched in approximately 130 countries around the world by 2014, according to Nissan.

    The new car will have pretty big shoes to fill. The outgoing Tiida hatch, first introduced in China in 2005, sold 85,000 units last year. But it’s very well armed to achieve better, thanks to new swoopy styling (hints of Mazda3 spotted), increased dimensions and space and new drivetrains, headlined by a 1.6L turbocharged engine.

    If you’ve been in the Latio Sport, you’d have noticed the car’s impressive cabin space. The new one further builds on this. At 4,295 mm long and 1,760 mm wide, the new car is 45 mm longer and 65 mm wider. More significantly, the wheelbase has been increased by 100 mm to make 2,700 mm, leading Nissan to claim best-in-class rear knee room. The new size is now firmly in the C-segment, as opposed to the old car’s middle ground between B and C classes.

    Nissan’s HR16DE is again in service, but with added Pure Drive low-emission technologies such as dual injectors. Transmission choices include a manual gearbox and Nissan’s Xtronic CVT. However, the highlight is the 1.6L turbo variant, which makes 190 hp and 240 Nm of torque. By the way, 240 Nm is identical to what the twincharged VW Golf TSI makes, but the Nissan has a 30 horse advantage.

    In the image set we have, the red car with the black interior is the 1.6L turbo. Notice the “DIG Turbo” sign below the TIIDA mark? DIG stands for Direct Injection Gasoline. Other differences include 17-inch wheels and unique tail lamps. A Japanese rival to the 308 Turbo and Golf TSI? This is it!

    Gallery after the jump.
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  • Nissan Leaf start-up problems to be rectified

    In Cars, International News, Nissan / By / / 5 comments

    Nissan has said it will launch a voluntarily repair service campaign for its Leaf electric vehicle to address problems of some vehicles being unable to start, according to reports.

    The company has received reports from Leaf owners where the car has failed to start, and will reprogram software in the Vehicle Control Module to address incorrect diagnosis programming.

    Even though the glitch has only affected a small proportion of vehicles, Nissan says all 8,000 or so Leafs made in the US and Japan are covered by the repair service. The company says that this is not a safety-related issue (hence, it’s not officially tagged as a recall) and will not cause the vehicle to stop running while being driven, just that the car may not restart once it is off.

     

  • Strange but true! Nissan LEAF NISMO RC electric racer

    In Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Nissan / By / / 14 comments


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    Here’s another unlikely racer – the Nissan LEAF electric car. No, the “RC” in the name doesn’t make this a toy, but it stands for “Racing Competition”. This NISMO fettled EV racer is set to debut at the 2011 New York International Auto Show. It will likely make special demo appearances at various motorsports venues in 2011, as Nissan explores a pioneer zero emission competition spec series in future years.

    This LEAF is unlike any other, starting with its full carbon fiber monocoque bodywork. The three-piece bodywork includes removable front and rear sections, fixed windows, LED headlights and taillights and driver-adjustable rear wing. There are two doors less than the road version, too.

    Dimensionally, the race car features a 9.9 cm shorter wheelbase, is 2 cm longer and 17 cm wider. It also sits more than a foot lower than the production LEAF and ground clearance is limited to 6.1 cm, compared to 16 cm for the road car. And at just 938 kg, the race car weighs about 40% less.

    Inside, you won’t find rear seats, a trunk, audio system, navigation and carpeting, but a battery pack, electric motor and inverter located in a mid-ship position. Like the production LEAF, the NISMO RC is powered by a lithium-ion battery composed of 48 compact modules and a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor that generates 107 hp and 280 Nm.

    It can be charged up to 80% of full capacity in 30 minutes using the quick charging port located inside the rear cowl. Unlike other race cars, the NISMO RC has no tailpipe, no emissions and no sound.

    The motor drives the rear wheels. The RC has all round double-wishbone suspension and driver-adjustable brake balance. It rides on 18-inch 6-spoke wheels and P225/40R18 Bridgestone racing rubber. In testing, it made the 0-100 km/h sprint in 6.85 seconds and a top speed of 150 km/h. Nissan says that it can run for 20 minutes under racing conditions.

     

  • Tan Chong initiates service campaign for Nissan Grand Livina, Latio and Latio Sport to fix inaccurate fuel gauge

    In Cars, Local News, Nissan / By / / 45 comments

    Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has initiated a service campaign for 32,100 units of the Nissan Grand Livina produced from December 2007 to June 2010 and 9,300 units of Nissan Latio and Latio Sport produced from May 2007 to June 2010 in Malaysia.

    There has been some cases in which the fuel gauge (meter) may not show an accurate reading, especially at the lower end (might still show that there’s petrol left, even when there’s none). Upon investigation, it was found that such incidents may have been caused by “electrochemical migration on the resistor-card in the fuel gauge being affected by a combination of environmental aspects, fuel variation and etc”.

    Owners of the abovementioned models can contact the nearest Tan Chong Express Auto Service Centre or ETCM’s Customer Service Hotline toll free at 1800-88-3838 to book a service appointment. Alternatively, the fix can also be done during your scheduled service. Not all vehicles may have the issue, but this service campaign covers all 41,400 units of the models stated above.

    “Customers are always our top priority. We initiated this service campaign to cover all the vehicles produced during the mentioned period even though not all the vehicles may be affected. All labour and replacement parts for this less than an hour exercise will be free-of-charge,” explained ETCM’s Executive Director, Dato’ Dr Ang Bon Beng.

    In the meantime, to avoid the inconvenience of an empty tank, ETCM advises owners of the three models to constantly keep their vehicle’s fuel level at “half tank or more” pending replacement of the parts.

     

  • Nissan planning to produce second eco-car in Thailand

    In Cars, International News, Nissan / By / / 11 comments

    The Nissan March has been a success in Thailand. The first eco-car to hit the market, the March propelled itself into the top ten vehicle sales chart of 2010, despite not having a full year of sales (it was launched in March 2010). 18,367 units of the bug eyed hatchback found new homes in 2010, making it the fifth most popular passenger car in Thailand, trailing only the Vios, City, Altis, Civic and Mazda2.

    Thanks to affordable pricing, the March’s popularity shows no signs of slowing, and we reckon that Honda’s smaller Brio won’t be doing too much harm to Nissan. Now, Nissan wants to repeat the trick. A report by Bangkok Post says that the automaker wants to produce a second eco-car in Thailand.

    “We expect to launch a new model this year after the March’s debut last year,” an exec at Nissan Thailand told the paper, adding that once the new model’s production starts, Nissan’s Thai output of eco-cars will top 100,000 units this year. With that figure, Nissan would have met the eco-car project’s volume requirements. Production of the March will be sustained at 80,000 to 90,000 units, including Japan bound cars.

    “The parent firm is about to start production of this new model in China, but those they are going to produce in Thailand will be for export to Japan in addition to the domestic market,” she added, noting that existing production of the March platform in Thailand eased the deal.

    Shared platform with March and production in China? Smells like the new Sunny! We were at the Sunny’s world debut at Guangzhou last December, one of the few English language publications worldwide to cover it live. Click here to read the report and view the gallery.

     

  • Renault Samsung SM7 Concept – 2nd-gen on the cards

    In Cars, International News, Nissan, Renault / By / / 37 comments


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    The unveiling of the Renault Samsung SM7 Concept at the Seoul Motor Show means only one thing – the replacement for the first-generation SM7, which was introduced in 2004 in the Korean market, is due.


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    The upcoming replacement is set to be introduced in the latter half of 2011. The original sat on a Nissan Teana/Maxima FF-L platform, and the second-generation offering will be no different, underpinned by a D platform meant for the Teana/Maxima.


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    No specifications have yet been announced for the vehicle, which features a design concept called “Man in Tuxedo,” but engine options won’t run far from that offered for the Nissans wearing the same legs, undoubtedly – the current SM7, built in Busan, comes in 3.5 V6 and 2.3 Neo VQ versions.

     

  • Next generation Nissan Tiida (Latio) hatchback spotted in China, and it looks good!

    In Cars, China, Nissan / By / / 84 comments

    It looks like China is the country to look at when it comes to checking out the latest and greatest stuff from Nissan for the average layman (not the expensive stuff like the 370Z, GT-R, etc). The new Nissan Sunny made its world debut in China, and we also saw a revised design for the Nissan Teana. And now we have this, an all-new Nissan Tiida, known as the Nissan Latio in Malaysia.

    These images from Chinese website Auto Sohu show a very attractive looking new Nissan Tiida hatchback, whichh has now become a full fledged C-segment vehicle rather the B/C segment car that was the current generation Tiida. Nissan’s B-segment sedan and hatch offerings are now officially the March and the Sunny.

    According to Auto Sohu, wheelbase for the new Tiida is now a Sylphy-matching 2,700mm, one of the longest in the C segment, which should translate into decent interior space. I wonder if this look will translate well onto a sedan body. A sedan based on this platform and wheelbase length can be used to replace the Bluebird Sylphy.

    Apparently the Latio will also get a hot hatch version powered by the 1.6 litre turbo engine that you can currently find in the Nissan Juke. The MR16DDT makes 188 horsepower and 240Nm of torque, which will transform the new Tiida into an interesting competitor for the likes of the Golf GTI and the Mazda 3 MPS.
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  • SPOTTED: New Nissan March with manual transmission, but it doesn’t belong to Tan Chong!

    In Cars, Local News, Nissan, Spyshots / By / / 123 comments

    How apt for this to have happened in the month of March – this Nissan March in the hero orange colour was spotted by reader Kai Lit in Kota Damansara this afternoon.

    A peek into the interior reveals that this particular car has a 5-speed manual transmission, which if Tan Chong decides to bring into Malaysia will be the most affordable offering. The question is, how affordable will affordable be? In Thailand, the price range is from 375,000 baht (RM38k) to 537,000 baht (RM54k).

    As the March is built in Thailand, it will probably already be acclimatized to this region’s weather. We also think the March will more likely be a CBU import from Thailand instead of assembled in Tan Chong’s plants.

    This PURE DRIVE badge on the rear made its debut on this model, which for Nissan signifies cars that focus on eco-friendliness and efficiency. The March is also classified as a Thai Eco Car, which means it achieves at least 20 km/l and emit less than 120g/km of CO2. Engine capacity must not exceed 1.3 litres if petrol-powered and 1.4 litres for diesels.

    If a car is a Thai Eco Car, the manufacturer is rewarded by the Thai government with a 50% cut in excise duty, no income tax for eight years and no import duty for factory machinery imports.

    UPDATE: Sharp-eyed reader Kent pointed out that the number plate on this car has been previously spotted on a Japanese Domestic Market Toyota Passo Sette. Follow the link to see which car we’re talking about – we know that’s a Passo Sette and not an Alza because it’s a JDM car with black tinted rear windows. In addition, the CKD Nissan Teana which had been undergoing testing prior to launch featured trade plates that began with the letter W (Wilayah), instead of B (Selangor).

    Just like how some of us suspected that that Toyota Passo Sette was not being tested by Perodua but instead could be a benchmark exercise by Proton, we suspect this Nissan March might just be owned by Proton. This Nissan March and the JDM Toyota Passo Sette’s number plate is B2368A, and we’ve seen B2367A in the past on a Proton Waja CPS being tested.

    This makes sense – after all, Proton is officially in talks with Nissan on a technical collaboration, as revealed by a signed MoU recently. There was word in the past that Proton was interested in using Nissan’s V platform, which so happens to underpin this Nissan March, to engineer the Proton EMAS.

    Look after the jump for the rest of the spyshots as well as image galleries of the Nissan March, or Micra as it is called in some markets.
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