Carlos Ghosn Hints at a GT-R Based Infiniti

Nissan’s luxury offspring, Infiniti, already has a sports car, the G37 coupe. But lately there has been a lot of talk about cooperating with Red Bull now that the latter is considering entering the car-making business.

In addition, Nissan’s boss, Carlos Ghosn, is teasing us with a rather exciting prospect: an Infiniti version of the amazing Nissan GT-R. At least that’s what he hinted at during an interview in CAR magazine.
The two companies belong to the same group, so platform and parts sharing is common practice these days and Infiniti could definitely use a halo model to combat the M’s and AMG’s of this world. The Essence concept would be a great idea for coating the GT-R's hardware with a sexier outfit.
Like all CEOs, Ghosn was being coy: “If you ask me ‘are we going to do that’, I would say ‘no, I don’t think so’. But if your question is ‘could we do that, I would say ‘yes’. The idea of using existing technologies on the body of an Infiniti… All technologies developed for Nissan are available to Infiniti”.
So, he didn’t say they will do it, by he didn’t deny it either. Chances are they won’t, at least not now, as Infiniti has other priorities: “I think we need to go step by step” says Ghosn. “We have the FX, the M, the G. Then we have the high-end 4x4 QX in the US. We have the electric car and a sub-G smaller car coming”.
No GT-R Infiniti dreams, then? “The idea makes sense. The technology and platform are readily available. The GT-R is a great car. Is it a project now? No. But I don’t want to give you the impression we’ll never do that. But don’t think it’s coming in the next two or three years”.
It’s okay, Mr. Ghosn. We can wait a little longer…

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VIDEO: AMS Performance’s 1,309WHP Nissan GT-R Completes ¼ Mile in 9.05 Sec!

We’ve seen some insanely modified Nissan GT-R R35s, but Chicago-based tuning house AMS Performance, has really lifted the bar with its newest creation, the ALPHA 12.
The heavily tuned Nissan GT-R ALPHA 12, which is still in the development and testing phase, was placed on a dyno where it produced an incredible 1,309-horsepower and 994 lb-ft (1,384Nm) of peak torque at all four wheels!
The team over at AMS Performance took the real Godzilla over to a local drag strip, and despite the unfavorable conditions (90 degrees track temperature), the ALPHA 12 managed to return a record quarter mile time of 9.052 seconds with a top speed of 166.7mph (268 km/h). The V-box also recorded a 60-130mph time of 3.46 seconds.
The tuning company said that it plans to return to the drag strip under “better track and weather conditions” to further improve the GT-R ALPHA 12’s time.
AMS Performance hasn’t released details and pricing on the ALPHA 12 package, but for comparison, the ALPHA 10 kit that pushes the GT-R’s output to 1,000 horsepower on 93 octane and over 1,100 ponies on race fuel, is priced at $63,995.

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Nissan Raises 2012 Leaf Prices Between $2,420 and $3,530!

Well, that didn’t take long did it? Only a year after launch and while the Leaf is leading the eco-friendly sales race against GM’s Chevrolet Volt, Nissan today announced that it is lifting the base price of the 2012 model year version of its pure-electric hatchback between 7 and 11 percent, depending on the trim grade!
In particular, the entry-level 2012 Leaf SV is now priced at $35,200, or 7.38% more than the 2011MY’s $32,780 sticker. The higher grade Lead SL enters the 2012MY priced at $37,250, an increase of $3,530 or 11.3% more over the 2011MY.
Neither price includes an $850 destination and handling fee. Notably, US buyers can cut $7,500 off the sales price via a federal tax credit.
The monthly lease price for the 2012 Leaf has also been increased and now starts from $369, up from $349.
Nissan justified the price hike by saying that the 2012 model comes with additional standard equipment including quick charging and cold-weather features.
In Nissan’s own words, the 2012MY Leaf's added features include:

• DC Fast Charge capability standard on Nissan LEAF SL: The vast majority of MY11 consumers have opted for the DC fast charge port, which allows the vehicle to be charged at 480V – reducing charging time to under 30 minutes for charging the vehicle to 80 percent from a fully depleted state. As DC fast charge stations proliferate across the country, Nissan expects this feature to become even more popular. For 2012, fast-charging capability will be standard on the SL trim level.
• Cold weather features standard on Nissan LEAF: As the Nissan LEAF rolls out to U.S. markets with colder climates, cold weather features become standard equipment on all trim levels of the Nissan LEAF. These include a battery warmer, heated steering wheel, and heated seats in both the front and rear.

With the introduction of the 2012MY Leaf, the Japanese company is also expanding the availability of its all-electric car that will now be available for order in the Southeastern United States and Illinois.
“In the fall, orders from existing reservations and new reservations will begin in Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York,” Nissan said in a statement.
“By the end of the year, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island will be added as markets where the Nissan LEAF will be available for order,” the company added.

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Nissan Versa Hatchback Enters 2012MY

After revealing prices on its low-cost 2012 Versa sedan, today Nissan announced pricing on the five-door hatchback version of its sub-compact series. Even though the Japanese company has launched a newer version of the hatchback model in certain markets including China, in the States, the five-door variant continues in the new model year with its first-generation design.And just to add to the confusion (…), we’ll note that the U.S. market 2012 Versa sedan is based on a smaller platform architecture than the hatchback, and in particular, the Micra supermini.
With that out of the way, let’s see what’s new for the 2012 Versa hatchback. Refinements for are limited to equipment changes that include the addition of the previous Premium Package content as standard equipment on the SL model and the presentation of four new packages for the S model.
These include the Convenience Package, the 15-inch Aluminum-Alloy Wheel Package, the Nissan Navigation Package and a “Special Edition” Package that combines the three previous packages at a savings of $900 if ordered separately.
Furthermore, the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system is now standard on all models (previously SL only).
Both the 1.8 S and 1.8 SL models are motivated by a 122-horsepower 1.8-liter engine. The S is offered with a choice of 6-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, while the SL is available solely with Nissan’s Xtronic CVT transmission.
Prices, including a $760 destination and handling fees, are set at $15,140 for the 1.8 S 6MT, $16,140 for the 1.8 S 4AT and $19,150 for the 1.8 SL CVT.

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New Generation Y Buyer Survey Spells Trouble for Detroit

Auto pricing website TrueCar studied the car buying behaviour of four million Gen Y (18 to 27 year-old) over a twenty-four month period and here’s what they found.

Scion took the crown for top brand, with 37.4% of the market and for top model (the tC coupe), with 21.2%, while second place went to Mitsubishi (32.1%) and their Lancer sedan (20.3%).

Mazda was the third most visited brand for Gen Y buyers, though only 17th in terms of model. The top four vehicle choices were Japanese, with a German in seventh place and a South Korean in ninth.

American carmakers secured fifth place in the model line-up with the Ford Focus Coupe, even though Ford only scored a mere 5.1% of the market overall.

Nissan and Toyota scored big on Gen Y appeal, with Hyundai and Honda following close behind. Kristen Andersson, one of TrueCar’s automotive analysts describes the generation thusly:

“Generation Y buyers want vehicles that look distinct and can be tailored to their individual tastes. Buyers from this generation are also looking for vehicles that have the technology features they are accustomed to built into the vehicle at an affordable price.”

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2012 Nissan Versa Price

According to Nissan, the second generation of its Versa sedan features “the lowest MSRP in America” at $10,990 (not including a destination fee), with the sub note that the company’s aforementioned assessment is based on “MY12 competitors at time of print”.

Some of you will say, and you’re right. But what we did learn today is the pricing of the entire Versa range that includes three more models aside from the cut price, entry-level S trim.

The 2012 Versa, which was introduced to America at the New York Auto Show this past April, is based on the latest Micra’s platform with all four variants powered exclusively by a 1.6-liter gasoline engine delivering 109-horses at 6,000 rpm and 107 lb-ft of peak torque at 4,400 rpm.

For those of you not lured by the $10,990 price tag of the based 1.6 S model that comes with a five-speed manual gearbox returning a fuel economy of 27mpg city, 36mpg highway and 30mpg combined, Nissan offers the same trim with a Xtronic CVT transmission priced at $12,760. The latter is rated at 30 mpg city, 38 mpg highway and 33 mpg combined.

The two other available and better equipped versions are the Versa 1.6 SV CVT and 1.6 SL CVT priced at $14,560 and $15,560 respectively. All the aforementioned MSRPs exclude applicable tax, title, license fees and destination charges.

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Nissan Leaf Outsells Chevy Volt in Electric Car Battle

The battle for supremacy in the electric car category has begun –even though at present there are only two prime contestants. According to Bloomberg, the Nissan LEAF sold 3,875 cars the first half of the year, compared to 2,745 of GM’s Volt over the same period.

From January through May, the Volt was only 17 cars behind the Leaf, but in the following month, sales of the Volt plunged to just 561 cars, while those of the LEAF took off with a record 1,708 units, giving Nissan’s EV the lead. The LEAF costs $33,000 before a $7,500 federal tax credit, while the Volt costs $41,000 before government incentives.

Nissan’ CEO Carlos Ghosn predicted that Evs will account for 10% of global sales by 2020. He added that he expects his company to sell 12,000 LEAFs this year in the US, and predicted that this number may climb as high as 200,000 units –though he declined to specify a timetable.

Analysts, however, don’t share Ghosn’s optimism. George Peterson, president of consulting company AutoPacific in California, says that “we ‘re not going to see thousands of these on the roads soon. Rechargable vehicles may rise to about 3% of total US car sales in a few years”.

Nevertheless, GM plans to manufacture 16,000 Volts in 2011, with the production rising to 60,000 cars in 2012 after the Hamtrack plant upgraded is finished.

The two automakers had better hurry, because their competitors plan to enter the arena real soon. Next year Toyota will introduce a plug-in version of the very popular Prius and electric versions of the RAV4 SUV and the Scion iQ city car, and Honda plans to launch both a battery-only version of the Jazz/Fit supermini and another, yet unnamed, midsize plug-in vehicle.

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Nissan Celebrates Production of 1 Million Qashqai Crossovers

Four years, six months and 23 days after the first Qashqai small crossover rolled off the Sunderland Plant’s production line in the UK on December 5, 2006, Nissan has passed the 1 million milestone.The Japanese automaker said the Qashqai is “easily the highest-volume car produced in the UK” adding that no other car in Britain has reached the one million mark in such a short period.
“The Nissan Qashqai has been a phenomenal success since its start of production just four and a half years ago,” said Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan Vice President for Manufacturing in the UK.
The company plans to put the landmark vehicle, a silver 2.0-litre diesel TEKNA Qashqai, on display at The O₂ Arena in London and then have one lucky person win the special car. Nissan said it will soon announce further details on the competition.
Currently, around 1,200 examples of the Qashqai are built every day at the plant, or about one every minute that the production line is open, with more than 80 percent of the vehicles destined for export to 97 markets across the world.
The Qashqai is the fourth best-selling model in the C-segment, which includes cars like the VW Golf, Renault Megane and Ford Focus, across Europe in the 2010 Fiscal Year. Its top five markets were the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain and France.

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