Friday, April 27, 2012

Nigel Barker & Jon Brancheau Discuss Nissan's Most Innovative Year Ever

The all-new 2013 Altima is the first of five new models Nissan will launch in the next 15 months. America's Next Top Model judge & photographer Nigel Barker caught up with Jon Brancheau, VP - Nissan Marketing, at the New York International Auto Show to discuss how the Altima will lead the way for the brand and change the status quo in the midsize sedan segment.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox_5dGA6RNk&feature=youtube_gdata

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Nissan GT-R 24h Nrburgring race car caught testing

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Nissan GT-R Nurburgring Racecar

Nissan announced earlier in the month that it would be fielding a factory team in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, piloting a 2012 GT-R. The car is reportedly a Club Track Edition, a race-ready derivative sold in Japan, and our spy shooters have spotted it out in the wild.

The car is only lightly camouflaged, with coverings over parts of the the front fascia, hood, and rear windows. We will admit that your guess is as good as our as to what might lie beneath the wrapping, but given that Nissan has said the only changes from production car to race car are some added downforce in the front and a new rear wing, we'll just go with "nothing" as our answer.

Nissan GT-R 24h Nrburgring race car caught testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Inside the All-New 2013 Nissan Altima with Nigel Barker & Al Castignetti

Nissan introduced the all-new 2013 Altima April 4th at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. America's Next Top Model judge and photographer Nigel Barker was on hand to catch the unveiling live and hopped inside the new Altima with Nissan's Al Castignetti for a quick chat about its luxurious updated interior and new safety features.
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Time:02:53More inAutos & Vehicles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66e0cDv7r3o&feature=youtube_gdata

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Inside the All-New 2013 Nissan Altima with Nigel Barker & Al Castignetti

Nissan introduced the all-new 2013 Altima April 4th at the 2012 New York International Auto Show. America's Next Top Model judge and photographer Nigel Barker was on hand to catch the unveiling live and hopped inside the new Altima with Nissan's Al Castignetti for a quick chat about its luxurious updated interior and new safety features.
Views:262
8ratings
Time:02:53More inAutos & Vehicles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66e0cDv7r3o&feature=youtube_gdata

Monday, April 16, 2012

2013 Nissan Altima Next Generation CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)

Nissan's amazingly smooth Xtronic CVT is an innovation for more fuel-efficient performance. And it's been updated for the All-New 2013 Nissan Altima.
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Time:02:36More inAutos & Vehicles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW8581VRJlk&feature=youtube_gdata

Nissan entering stock GT-R in 24 Hours of Nrburgring

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Nissan GT-R at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring

There are plenty of ways to test a vehicle's durability. You might hand the keys to your average teenager for a week or plop a journalist behind the wheel for an hour. Or you could simply enter the machine in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Nissan has opted for the latter option for the company's upgraded-for-2012 GT-R. The automaker's development team want to fully stress the supercar's systems by putting it through one of the world's most grueling endurance races. Of course, the fact that Nissan wants to one-up Porsche in its own backyard certainly doesn't hurt, either.

Nissan has thrown a bit more downforce at the vehicle's front end and the factory wing has been replaced as well, but the engine, transmission and suspension all remain unaltered from the factory Club Track edition. The competition vehicle will wear slightly wider tires, as well as safety cage and a larger fuel cell to accommodate the race regulations. The factory brakes have also been swapped out for more aggressive hardware.

Nissan says some of the changes may make their way to production in the near future as the company pushes the vehicle to break the seven minute lap time barrier at Germany's most famous track. Scroll down to see the video for yourself.

Continue reading Nissan entering stock GT-R in 24 Hours of Nrburgring

Nissan entering stock GT-R in 24 Hours of Nrburgring originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, April 13, 2012

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Nissan teases new Sentra, Rogue and more

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New Nissans teased

The next year and a half will be an interesting period for Nissan. The automaker has announced that it will launch five new models over the course of 15 months, starting with the 2013 Altima that made its debut at the New York Auto Show last week. What's next? Take a close look at the image above and those mysterious shapes under the white sheets aren't exactly tough to decipher.

Left to right, first up is clearly the Versa hatchback, the five-door follower of the not-so-highly regarded sedan that launched late last year. Want another glimpse of what could be in store for the large-rumped Versa? Have a glance at its overseas cousin, the Tiida. The North American model will no doubt be different, but the Tiida indeed previews what could be in store.

The next two models aren't really a surprise - that big crossover is the Pathfinder that we've already seen in just-about-done concept form, and the middle car is the midsize Altima sedan. Moving one more space to the right, there's a smaller CUV that is, without question, the next-generation Rogue. Lastly, that's the new Sentra hanging out at the far right. The next Sentra has already been tipped to receive an Altima-like front fascia, and that's immediately noticeable even under the white sheet.

The 2013 Pathfinder will go on sale later this year, following the launch of the new Altima. As for what's next, your guess is as good as ours. As Car and Driver reports, the fact that Nissan has confirmed that one of these cars is the new Sentra makes us think it'll be the next one to arrive, not to mention the fact that it's the one most desperately in need of replacement.

Nissan teases new Sentra, Rogue and more originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Nissan renews talk of sub-370Z sports car to take on Subaru BRZ

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2013 Nissan 370Z - close to dead-on front view


Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S got you excited? Well, it appears the new Toyobaru twins might be moving the needle at other automakers, too. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the pair may have challenged Nissan to once again reinvestigate its on-again, off-again plans for an affordable, lightweight sports coupe of its own. Nissan's Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura, says his employer is looking at downsizing its Z sports car, though it isn't clear if that would mean the Japanese automaker would field two separate Z models or just replace the current 370Z with a smaller, less costly model.

"I much prefer smaller sports car," Nakamura tells the Herald. "It is the time to look at that. With 370Z, we still don't know next generation will have a larger or smaller engine."

If Nissan were to reduce the size of the 370's powerplant, it would be the first time that model's displacement has dropped. Since the Z gets its model designation from the size of its engine (3.7 liter V6), Nissan could have a problem marketing a smaller Z called the 300Z, since the last time a new 300Z was sold in the States was way back in 1986.

More likely would be the revival of long-forgotten nameplates like 200SX or 240SX. Either would almost certainly be direct competition for the Subaru and Scion rear-drive coupes.

Nakamura reminded fans that even if the 370Z loses some cubic inches, Nissan will still have the young but already legendary GT-R. When asked if Nissan would be willing to support three sports cars, Nakamura says, "If there is a market, we will do it."

Nissan renews talk of sub-370Z sports car to take on Subaru BRZ originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, April 6, 2012

2013 Nissan Altima is ready for the midsize sedan showdown

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Harmless as it may seem, the new-for-2013 Nissan Altima actually packs quite a punch. Rated at an estimated 38 miles per gallon, it boasts the best four-cylinder fuel economy of any midsize sedan, and that's without the use of any electric motors, turbochargers or even direct injection. Impressive stuff, and considering that the sleek new Altima starts at a cool $21,500 (not including $760 for destination), it should prove to be a worthy opponent for rivals like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

The engines - a 2.5-liter inline-four and 3.5-liter V6 - carry over without many changes, but the big powertrain news is that the Continuously Variable Transmission has been heavily massaged. It's the smoother-running transmission's revised gear ratio spread that is largely what allows for that huge fuel economy win. The fact that the Altima is 79 pounds lighter than its predecessor - the lightest car in its class, actually - certainly helps, as well.

With the Altima, Nissan also debuts its new infotainment platform, Nissan Connected, which seems to be like, well, just like every other new infotainment system that's come to market lately. The Altima is also available equipped with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring and moving obstacle detection that's all wrapped in to one single wide-angle camera mounted on the car's rump.

Check out our live shots of the Altima direct from the New York show floor, and click here to read our in-depth deep-dive of Nissan's new midsizer.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan Altima is ready for the midsize sedan showdown

2013 Nissan Altima is ready for the midsize sedan showdown originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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