Nissan Extrem concept: Brazil gets its own Juke

The Nissan Extrem may have been designed specifically for Brazil, but it borrows a lot, including a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive, from Nissan's other crossover coupe.

What if you like the Nissan Juke, but don’t like the styling? Nissan may have a solution. The company unveiled a new concept car, the Extrem, at this week’s São Paulo Motor Show. Like the Juke, it’s a sporty runabout that combines elements of a coupe and crossover, but it looks completely different.

Make that different and smaller: the Extrem is 151.6 inches long, making it significantly shorter than the Juke, which measures 162.4 inches. Nonetheless, the Extrem shares the Juke’s 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine, along with a choice of front-wheel drive or torque-vectoring all-wheel drive.

Nissan says the Extrem is a 2+2, meaning the back seats are only fit for short trips or kid duty. Given the Juke’s relatively cramped quarters, and the fact that the Extrem is shorter, that seems about right. It might be better to think of the Extrem as a two-seater with some storage space behind the seats.

What really sets the concept Extrem apart from the production Juke is styling. The Juke has always been a polarizing car, and without a grinning face and cartoonish headlights, the Extrem looks oddly normal in comparison.

Normal is a relative term, of course. The Extrem’s 19-inch wheels look gigantic on such a small car, and the position of the taillights and resulting tiny backlight is, well, extreme. The roof rails look like they belong on a Mini Paceman, though.

The bottom line is that, for cars that are essentially the same mechanically, the Extrem and Juke couldn’t look more different. Where the Juke is bulbous and curvy, the Extrem is sharp and edgy. It is up to buyers to decide which approach is better.

The Extrem was designed specifically for Brazil, but Nissan says it will appeal to the same types of people the Juke does in other markets.

“It was created to appeal to the country’s growing band of city-based young professionals who are passionate about design and want to make a personal statement. The lightweight two-door 2+2, has a dynamic stance, fresh surfacing, and a clear rugged ability to tackle the urban jungle everyday,” Nissan senior vice president and chief creative officer Shiro Nakamura said in a statement.

Despite having a production-ready engine and Nissan’s V platform (which also underpins the Cube and Leaf), the Extrem probably won’t see production. Like most concept cars, its mission is to set a precedent for future models with its outspoken styling.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Nissan Leaf sales take a dive through August

The Leaf all-electric hatchback is having a hard time finding buyers, putting Nissan's plan to sell 20,000 Leafs in 2012 on hold.

The Nissan Leaf electric hatchback has been having a tough time finding buyers, despite the promise of zero emission motoring. Leaf sales have been on the decline in 2012, right through the end of August.

Nissan has delivered just 4,228 Leafs in 2012, which is a 31.5 percent decrease from 2011. In August, just 685 Leafs were sold, a 50 percent decrease from the previous year.

Nissan hopes to sell 20,000 of the electric vehicles in the United States in 2012, but that seems increasingly unlikely. To meet that goal, the company would have to sell 4,000 cars per month through September, October, November, and December.

In comparison, sales of General Motors plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt have skyrocketed. Chevy sold 2,831 Volts in August, and has shifted 13,497 cars so far this year.

Toyota moved 21,111 Priuses in August 2012, compared to 9,491 in August 2011. However, that number includes multiple models (Prius, Prius C, Prius V, Prius plug-in), some of which were not available in 2011.

This is a surprising turnaround because, in some respects, the Leaf looks like a better deal than the Volt. The Chevy starts at $39,995, a price many potential buyers sneer at, while the Leaf starts at $35,200.

Nissan mocked the Volt’s use of a gasoline engine-generator in ads featuring a gasoline-powered dentist’s drill, but that may have been premature. Leaf owners will never have to buy gas, to the car’s range is limited to 79 miles, much less than that of any conventional car or hybrid.

Other than that, the Leaf doesn’t seem to have many drawbacks. Unlike the tiny Mitusbishi i-MiEV, the Leaf is an EPA-rated midsize car, with plenty of room for the average person. While the Volt had to contend with a battery fire scare that ultimately proved baseless, the worst recorded quality issue with the Leaf was a claim by Arizona owners that excess heat damaged the batteries.

While disappointed, Nissan is redoubling its efforts to sell the Leaf to America.

“We had a significant increase in Leaf sales in August over the prior months and we are moving in the right direction,” Nissan spokesman David Reuter told The Detroit News. “Our actions to widen availability, train dealers and broaden exposure for Leaf are yielding some positive results and move us closer to meeting our high expectations for the vehicle.”

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

2013 Nissan Sentra: Altima’s little brother claims 40 mpg highway

New, Altima-like styling and improved fuel economy should make the 2013 Sentra a sensible alternative to the compact mainstays.

The 2013 Nissan Sentra joins big brother Altima in the fight for fuel economy and market dominance. Nissan says the newest incarnation of its compact sedan will return 40 mpg on the highway, which has become the new benchmark for compact car fuel efficiency. Nissan also tried to give the 2013 Sentra a more expensive feel, with styling from the Altima and a revamped interior.

The Sentra will achieve 40 mpg on the highway, but only when properly equipped. The big 4-0 only applies to cars with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and the FE+ fuel economy package.

The FE+ package includes grille shutters and other aerodynamic aids; it’s similar to the Focus SFE and Cruze Eco fuel economy specials offered by Ford and Chevy, respectively. Non-FE+ models with the CVT are rated at 39 mpg. A six-speed manual transmission is also available in base models.

The Sentra’s 34 combined mpg rating should make it the best in its class. The Nissan bests the Focus SFE and Cruze Eco by one mpg, although a diesel Volkswagen Jetta TDI automatic will also return 34 combined mpg.

Coupled to the CVT is a new 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 130 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque. That puts the Sentra pretty close to the bottom in its class in terms of power. Base Cruze models have 138 hp; the Focus comes with 160 hp. The Sentra does beat or equal the base engines in the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla, respectively, but each offers a more powerful engine option.

It may have a horsepower deficit, but Nissan seems to have put most of its efforts into upgrading other parts of the Sentra. The exterior styling is taken straight off the 2013 Altima, so if you like the bigger Nissan, you’ll probably like this one. LED headlight accents and taillights help give the Sentra a premium feel, and keep it in step with the latest automotive fashion.

On the inside, the interior looks less like that of a rental car, and can be trimmed in optional leather with wood accents. The Sentra grows slightly in length for 2013, but is actually shorter and narrower than the 2012 model. Regardless, Nissan says the 2013 Sentra has more usable interior space, and is about 150 pounds lighter.

Nissan also upgraded the Sentra’s technology suite. Navigation (which can warn drivers of curves and changes in the speed limit) is an option, as is a NissanConnect system that allows drivers to read and reply to text messages with voice commands.

NissanConnect also encompasses Pandora and Bluetooth functions. Paired with the navigation system, it can enable Sirius XM traffic and weather updates and point-of-interest information from Google. It’s all controlled through a 5.8-inch touch screen.

The 2013 Sentra excells in every area except one: desirability. It’s hard to see buyers getting excited about fuel economy, and the styling isn’t as dynamic as other cars. Still, most compact car buyers will probably be satisfied with this sensible sedan, even if they aren’t excited.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Poised for Paris: Nissan electric SUV concept to debut at Paris Motor Show

The electric car scene is beginning to take shape, and reports suggest Nissan could be readying an all-electric SUV for the market.

Right now, the amount of all-electric vehicles available to consumers is rather limited, and the ones that are available — or on the horizon — range from moderately expensive (Nissan Leaf), unfortunately expensive (Tesla Model S), and so expensive that we should totally be friends so we can borrow your (Audi R8 e-tron).

That said, automakers are slowly getting behind EVs. And one of the leaders in this field happens to be Nissan. The company played a key role in the resurgence of the modern electric car when production of the Leaf kicked into gear back in 2010. And now,  it looks like the Japanese automaker will debut another battery-powered car — only this time it will be of the SUV variety and is set to debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show.

Speaking to motoring.com.au, Jeff Fisher, Nissan Australia’s General Manager of Media Inquiries, revealed the company’s plan for the upcoming show.  

“At Paris…[Nissan will] have an SUV concept, with zero emissions; so an electric SUV concept vehicle,” said Fisher.

Right now, the electric car market is primarily three-tiered, with compact, midsize, and sportier performance-based electrics the only true choice for consumers. If Nissan is indeed contemplating an all-electric crossover it would fill a much needed void in the current EV market. Ironically enough, though, the introduction of an all-electric CUV from Nissan would see it lose its position at the vanguard of consumer-bound electric vehicles, and  follow in the footsteps of upcoming 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV and Tesla Model X crossover. The former will enter limited production later this year, while the latter will begin shipping out in 2013.

While nothing has been confirmed, the notion of Nissan introducing a more utility-centered electric vehicle makes sense. The Japanese automaker already showed off its Hi-Cross hybrid concept (pictured) at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, which featured a direct-injected 2.0-liter gasoline engine backed by an electric motor.  A purely battery-powered model would by all measures scrap that motor for the 80-kilowatt variety found in the Leaf. Needless to say, we should gain a clearer picture of things to come at this year’s Paris Auto Show.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com