Tag: nissan

Official: 2014 Nissan 370Z pricing announced, MSRP reduced by $3,000

Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Nissan

Nissan is up to something. The company announced pricing for the 2014 Nissan 370Z, 370Z Nismo, and 370Z Roadster, which isn’t out of the ordinary. What is, is that the standard, hardtop 370Z has received a $3,130 reduction in price for 2014. The upmarket Touring model, meanwhile, has been dropped $2,550.

That means, excluding the $790 for destination and handling, a base, six-speed manual 370Z is only $29,990. That is an excellent deal. Adding an automatic will bump the price to $31,290, while the Touring model starts at $35,270 for DIY shifters and $36,570 for autos. The top-of-the-range Nismo runs $43,020. The Roadster, meanwhile, starts at $41,470.

So what does this mean in the grand scheme? Automakers don’t just slash $3,000 off the price of a desirable sportscar because they’re feeling generous.Could this be a move to clear out stock before a replacement to the current Z arrives?

The current car, codenamed Z34 by Nissan, has been on sale since 2009 and was refreshed not so long ago. With the 2014-2015 auto show season about to kick off, clearing out parts and inventory by slashing prices could be a precursor to the debut of the Z35 later this year, or in early 2014. That said, there’s been precious little information about from spy shooters or internal sources on the next Z. Only time will tell if our guessing is correct. But hopefully, we’ll have our answer in the not-so-distant future. Read the Nissan press release, below.

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2014 Nissan 370Z pricing announced, MSRP reduced by $3,000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Are you the 2015 Nissan Versa facelift?

Filed under: Spy Photos, Budget, Sedan, China, Nissan, Design/Style

The current-generation Nissan Sunny – the overseas equivalent to the Versa sedan – has been around since 2010, and now it appears that Nissan has some small changes in store for it. Based on these small, dark and grainy photos from Chinese site, Auto Sohu, the Sunny could be set to receive a slight styling refresh.

From what we can tell, the biggest change will be to the headlights with the Sunny getting boomerang-style units similar those on current Nissan sedans in the US. We wouldn’t be surprised to see these changes to carry over to our Versa sedan soon. Grille and fascia changes also seem to be in the works, but it’s hard to make out any other changes from these images alone.

Are you the 2015 Nissan Versa facelift? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Meet the four horsemen behind Nissan’s GT-R engine

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Videos, Nissan, Racing

“Handbuilt by Takumi Kurosawa,” a nameplate you can find on Nissan GT-R engine blocks, describes the actions of one of four takumi who build VR38 engines for the Japanese supercar. Each of Nissan’s four artisans ensure that every twin-turbo V6 receives the utmost in care and feeding from the moment each component enters the clean room for assembly.

Takumi Kurosawa is the lead engine builder for Nissan’s halo car, and he is joined by three others, Izumi Shioya, Nobumitsu Gozu and Tsunemi Oyama. The men clearly take great pride in their work, and they should, being the only four people at Nissan sanctioned to put their names on a car.

“By putting our nameplates on GT-R engines it gives us pressure in a positive way,” says Tsunemi Oyama.

Kurosawa states that any skilled person can learn how to build a GT-R engine in three or four months, but, with 100 years of factory experience between the four takumi, they have learned how to inspect parts for quality before assembly starts and can guarantee precise fitments for each engine built – important in a car that can be used for grocery shopping and lapping a racetrack on the same day.

All the magic takes place at Nissan’s Yokohama plant, where the company was established. For your enjoyment, Nissan has made a couple of behind-the-scenes videos, which you can watch below.

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Meet the four horsemen behind Nissan’s GT-R engine originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Renault-Nissan zero-emissions car sales whir past 100,000 [w/video]

Filed under: Car Buying, Nissan, Renault, Electric

2013 Nissan Leaf - maroon - front three-quarter view

The electric vehicle has gone gold at Renault-Nissan, clocking 100,000 sales in a three-year period that began with the first Nissan Leaf being sold in Silicon Valley, California in 2010. Since then, the Leaf has become the EV champion of the world, selling more than 71,000 units so far, the majority of those in the US. The 100,000th EV sold by the Alliance was also a Leaf and also sold in the US, but on the other side of the country, in Georgia.

By comparison, Renault has sold 30,000 electric vehicles since late 2011, looking after other segments of the EV market with the Kangoo Z.E., Zoe, Twizy and Fluence Z.E. The alliance estimates that its efforts have been driven 5.2 million ion-powered miles and saved 14 million gallons of oil since they appeared. For a bit of sobering context, the US averaged 18.83 million barrels of oil per day in 2011, which is almost 791 million gallons. Per day.

So we’re getting there, albeit slowly. Quietly. There’s a press release and a video below with more details on the achievement.

Continue reading Renault-Nissan zero-emissions car sales whir past 100,000 [w/video]

Renault-Nissan zero-emissions car sales whir past 100,000 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 23 Jul 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch this mobility scooter drag race a Nissan Skyline with surprising results

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Nissan, Humor

Mobility scooter races Nissan Skyline - video screencap

Okay, so we may not be talking about a classic, all-conquering Nissan Skyline GT-R here. But the sub-Godzilla-trim Nissan Skyline GTS-T is still a car, after all. And, as a car, if someone asked you to lay a bet on it versus a mobility scooter (Hoveround, Rascal, you know the type) in a drag race, you’d probably take that action.

Unless, of course, that drag race were happening on YouTube, in which case you’d put your money away and open up your laptop. On the Internet it’s best to never bet against the wild underdog.

We don’t mean to spoil the following video for you, but come on. When you saw Skyline vs. Scooter in that headline, you had a pretty good idea of what was to come, didn’t you. Needless to say, mobility scooters fitted with Suzuki GSX-600F engines are pretty quick. Strap in and scroll down.

Continue reading Watch this mobility scooter drag race a Nissan Skyline with surprising results

Watch this mobility scooter drag race a Nissan Skyline with surprising results originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Long Term: 2013 Nissan Pathfinder: June 2013

Filed under: Crossover, Nissan, Long-Term Garage

Long-Term 2013 Nissan Pathfinder - front three-quarter view

When we say that our long-term 2013 Nissan Pathfinder has been busy, we mean it. Want proof? In the past month, the big, brown Nissan was only idle enough for us to take it in for its 11,500-mile routine service and to shoot a couple of new photos of the long-termer in Detroit.

Most recently, the Pathfinder spent a few weeks in the hands of AOL Autos‘ executive editor Sharon Carty, who used the three-row CUV to haul her entire family from Detroit to New Jersey and back… twice. That’s a pretty serious amount of miles, but it gave Sharon a really solid look into how the vehicle holds up for the needs of a family with kids of different ages.

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2013 Nissan Pathfinder: June 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Altima Coupe dead as Nissan charts the changes for 2014

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Nissan

The 2014 model year brings plenty of new designs and updates from Nissan – including the next-generation Rogue – but the Altima Coupe has been discontinued. The current generation of the Coupe won buyers over with sharp styling and, at one point, a 270-horsepower naturally aspirated V6 – the heart of the more upscale Infinity G37. It’s unlikely that Nissan plans to make another one, but keep in mind the current Coupe was released to the public about a year after the sedan hit dealerships.

The vehicles joining Nissan’s lineup for 2014 include the Versa Note hatchback, the NV200 Compact Cargo van and the next-generation Rogue compact SUV. Also new for 2014 is the Pathfinder Hybrid, but that will be added to the lineup in the fall.

Other models that are receiving enhancements are the sedan version of the Altima, which now comes standard with the CVT transmission and gets revised option packs; the Frontier, which gets updated option packs, enhanced navigation system functionality and a sliding middle rear window; the GT-R, which receives a bunch of small performance enhancements and, more importantly, initially will be offered in three versions (Premium, Black Edition and Track Edition), with another, limited special-edition model coming late in the year; the Versa sedan, all versions of which get 60/40-split fold-down rear seats and revised steering and suspension tuning; and last, but not least, the 370Z NISMO will have exterior accent color updates and a new steering wheel and tachometer.

There are plenty more details to be gleaned about Nissan’s model lineup for 2014, so be sure to read the press release below.

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Altima Coupe dead as Nissan charts the changes for 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Nissan announces limited-edition 2014 GT-R in Midnight Opal

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Nissan

2014 Nissan GT-R Special Edition

Nissan has unveiled the 2014 GT-R Special Edition. Finished in Midnight Opal paint, the GT-R SE will be limited to just 100 units worldwide, with 50 earmarked for the US.

With sales slated to start this fall, the Special Edition of the 545-horsepower GT-R tacks $6,000 on to the $105,590 price of a GT-R Premium. The hand-applied Midnight Opal paint isn’t the only special item, though. Forged RAYS wheels are included in a ten-spoke design that’s never before made it to American shores, and there’s a dry carbon-fiber rear spoiler, similar in design and appearance to the one found on the GT-R Black and Track Editions. Finally, a gold-plated plaque has been fitted to single out the GT-R Special Edition from the very fast herd.

US sales of the GT-R SE are slated to begin in September. Scroll down for the official press blast.

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Nissan announces limited-edition 2014 GT-R in Midnight Opal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All of a sudden, Nissan doesn’t have enough Leafs to go around

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Manufacturing/Plants, Nissan

2013 nissan leaf

March: 2,236. April: 1,937. May: 2,138. June: 2,225.

Those are the US sales totals for the Nissan Leaf over the last four months. According to Erik Gottfried, Nissan’s director of electric vehicle sales and marketing, the numbers are a bit too high. Or production is too low. Or something. Point is, demand is apparently outstripping supply.

Nissan says it’s “going to be short on inventory all through the summer.”

Despite having a stated annual capacity of 150,000 Leaf EVs at its Smyrna, TN plant – over 10,000 a month – Leaf production in the Volunteer State has not yet ramped up to a level that can satisfy demand for 2,200 Leafs a month. According to Automotive News, Gottfried recently told dealers in Texas that, “we’re doing everything we can to get them more inventory. But it’s taking some time. … We’re going to be short on inventory all through the summer. It will be late fall before we can produce enough to satisfy everybody.”

Everybody in this case means the expanding markets outside the West Coast, where all the cool EVs have long been allowed to play. AN says that the third-largest market for the Leaf is now Atlanta, where there is only a nine-day supply of the EV. The world’s most popular highway-speed EV (over 60,000 have been sold worldwide, and around 30,000 in the US) got a big price drop earlier this year when the company started making the car in the US. Previously, all Leafs were exported from Japan.

All of a sudden, Nissan doesn’t have enough Leafs to go around originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Mon, 15 Jul 2013 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NYC says taxi drivers can choose hybrids over Nissan ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’

Filed under: Nissan, Legislation and Policy

Right about now, Nissan must be wishing it had a baked-in a shorter development time for its NV200 hybrid. Nissan started production on the taxi version of the NV200 about a year ago and has previously stated it will offer a hybrid version out by 2015.

But that’s late enough that the Japanese automaker’s foothold on future New York City taxi sales is looser than it otherwise would have been. Last week, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to allow cab drivers to buy their own hybrids as an alternative to the NV200 minivan cab, the New York Daily News reports. Two years ago, the gas-powered NV200 was named by the city government as NYC’s “Taxi of Tomorrow” because of features including available features like a glass roof and on-board cell-phone rechargers, not to mention its roominess and relative fuel efficiency.

The city was set to start pushing for the taxi-fleet switchover in October but has faced legal opposition in recent months from the state’s Supreme Court, which now says the city’s mandate is unenforceable, in part because it doesn’t offer fleet owners a hybrid alternative.

NYC says taxi drivers can choose hybrids over Nissan ‘Taxi of Tomorrow’ originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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