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Nissan
Youth Mobile 2030 - designers dream up hip cars for the kids of the future
20:25 November 24, 2009 PST
Each year as part of the Design Los Angeles Conference held at the LA Auto Show, creative types from major car companies get to stare into their crystal balls and let their imaginations run wild in designing the car of the future. In 2007 the theme was the car 50 years from today, last year the challenge was to envision how motor-racing will look in 2025 and this time around, the brief is to look at what young people will be driving in the year 2030. Read More
Nissan leases first fuel cell vehicle in North America
By Darren Quick
19:14 November 24, 2009 PST
Following on from the successful use of its Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs) in demonstration fleets in Japan and California, Nissan has announced its first commercial FCV lease in North America to Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc. In an advantageous brand tie-in the zero emissions X-TRAIL FCV will be used by the bottler for sales calls and public events in the Sacramento area in promotion of its Coca-Cola Zero soft drink. Read More
Narrow track vehicles - the convergence of the car and the motorcycle
By Mike Hanlon
01:22 November 19, 2009 PST
Since Nicholas Negroponte first came up with his landmark teething ring visualization of the coming together of communication, computing and content, the term convergence has become the uber buzzword. Now there’s convergence going on in the personal transport industry, with the car and the motorcycle morphing as car makers attempt to downsize their vehicles to make them better suited to the world’s increasingly crowded roads. This article begins with Nissan’s tandem two-seat, half width tilting car, the Landglider, and examines all the other work being done around the world as narrow track vehicles seriously begin to make their case. Read More
Nissan licenses self-healing paint for mobile phones
By Mike Hanlon
14:33 November 11, 2009 PST
Self-healing paint has been with us on automobiles since Nissan released its “Scratch Shield” in 2005. Scratch Guard is a highly elastic resin that self-heals fine scratches and is capable of restoring the vehicle’s paint surfaces overnight or up to a week’s time in more severe cases. Now Japan’s major Telco, NTT DoCoMo, has announced it will license Scratch Shield for use on mobile phones as a value-add feature for Japanese customers. Read More
Renault announces production sites for Z.E. electric cars
By Gizmag Team
23:35 November 8, 2009 PST
Renault's Zero Emissions (Z.E.) range really captured our attention at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show and now the company has confirmed plans to unleash two of the radically designed EVs onto the streets from 2011. Read More
Nissan joins personal mobility field with ‘Segway-skis’
By Darren Quick
22:23 October 27, 2009 PDT
The fact that the streets aren’t exactly swarming with Segways seven years after they went on sale hasn’t stopped some major players taking tentative steps (or wheels) into the personal mobility arena with their own device prototypes. As we’ve seen previously Toyota is working on the Winglet, while Honda recently displayed its U3-X experimental vehicle at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. Now Nissan is getting in on the act with its own prototype developed in partnership with Japan’s National Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (AIST). Read More
Like a fish out of water - Nissan unveil EPORO robot car concept
By Mick Webb
21:13 October 7, 2009 PDT
Taking its cue from under the sea, Nissan has revealed the latest offering in its ongoing Safety Shield line of research and development, aimed at making our roads and vehicles safer and smarter. Programmed to think and move like a school of fish, Nissan’s EPORO robot car prototypes move in unison as a group while communicating to avoid collision. Read More
Nissan to show half-width 'Land Glider' tilting electric vehicle at Tokyo Motor Show
By Mike Hanlon
16:25 October 7, 2009 PDT
The term convergence normally refers to the merging of consumer electronics, entertainment and media, but if recent trends are anything to go by, it could equally apply to the melding of the car and the motorcycle. BMW’s enclosed C3 motorcycle is now emerging as a road safety pin-up vehicle and at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month both Volkswagen and Renault exhibited tandem half-width cars that looked for all the world like four-wheeled motorcycles. Now comes news that Nissan is to unveil an electric tandem four-wheeled “Land Glider” concept at Tokyo Motor Show, and the wording of the press statements looks like Nissan is very confident the vehicle will reach showrooms. Read More
Nissan's Forest AC a breath of fresh air
By Jeff Salton
23:38 August 4, 2009 PDT
Nissan's new Fuga vehicles will have an air conditioning system that emulates forest scents and refreshing breezes to make driving more comfortable. The company says the air conditioner uses a number of technologies to control cabin temperature, ventilation, aroma and humidity. It can even detect bad smells from outside and shuts its vents to prevent their entry. The system is based on the results of a joint research study with the Tokyo University of Science on the effects of aroma on human mental activity. Read More
(UPDATED - VIDEO) Nissan LEAF: 100 mile range, mid-size production EV revealed
By Gizmag Team
20:05 August 2, 2009 PDT
Last month we looked at the Nissan's latest prototype EV and the infrastructure it hopes to put in place to support the "electric future". Now production plans have been revealed with the company taking the wraps off a fully-electric mid-size vehicle which it intends to launch in Japan, the United States and Europe in late 2010. With a name to compliment its green credentials, the LEAF is a five-seat hatchback powered by lithium-ion batteries which deliver a range of 160km (100 miles) on one full charge. The electric motor delivers 80kW (107bhp) and 280Nm of torque with top speed slated at 140kmh (around 90mph). Read More
New driver-assist systems from Nissan help straighten out curvy roads
By Jeff Salton
19:07 July 31, 2009 PDT
We've been covering a raft of new technology from Nissan this week and one of the most interesting is its innovative assisted steering system, which synchronizes navigation, engine, braking and steering systems to help drivers make smoother (and safer) turns. By linking Nissan’s existing Distance Control Assist System to on-board navigation map data, the Navigation-Cooperative Intelligent Pedal can help the driver decelerate or brake as the car enters a curve based on real-time navigation information. Read More
Nissan's next generation CVT claims world's highest transmission ratio
By Jeff Salton
18:14 July 30, 2009 PDT
Nissan and its transmission supplier Jatco have developed a next generation CVT (continuously variable transmission) that promises better fuel economy and performance in a compact and lightweight package. The new CVT combines conventional CVT belt operation with an auxiliary gearbox and has a significantly increased gear ratio range – roughly 20 percent higher than other CVTs and among the world's highest for production vehicles according to Nissan. Read More
Nissan’s 2010 EV in detail
By Jeff Salton
07:34 July 29, 2009 PDT
Nissan has showcased its electric vehicle (EV) platform on a Tiida-based hatchback model. The Nissan EV-11 prototype seats four-five adults, has a top speed of around 87mph (140kmh), a cruising range of 100 miles (160km) between charges and, being a full EV, produces zero local CO2 emissions. The in-house developed electric motor delivers 80kW (107hp) for “high response and powerful acceleration”. Nissan has also plans some clever IT for its EV platform, like remote ON/OFF charging via a cell phone or the Internet, useful mapping features including automatic updates on the nearest charging stations, a global data center providing 24/7 support and a scheme that could even see non-contact charging introduced in carparks. Read More
Nissan's 'smarter' navigation system assists with safer, greener driving
By Jeff Salton
19:24 July 23, 2009 PDT
Nissan's new enhanced on-board navigation system will provide drivers with more information to make safer and greener driving decisions. The company is launching an automotive navigation system that uses intelligent transportation system (ITS) infrastructure and other advanced technology to warn drivers of low-visibility intersections, school zones, and navigation-linked speed control. The navigation system can also recommend faster route calculations, which can lead to fuel savings. Read More
Nissan Dual Injector System for improved fuel efficiency in small-displacement engines
By Gizmag Team
05:24 July 14, 2009 PDT
July 14, 2009 Nissan today announced it has developed a Dual Injector system designed to improve fuel efficiency in small-displacement gasoline engines. The new fuel delivery system, claimed to be the first of its kind, uses an injector for each port rather than one per cylinder – speeding up fuel vaporization, reducing the amount of unburned fuel and reducing hydrocarbon emissions. Nissan will put the system into production vehicles beginning twelve months from now. Read More
Nissan GT-R sets another Nurburgring Lap Record
By Mike Hanlon
13:45 May 14, 2009 PDT
Though being criticised by some senior motoring journalists as lacking "character", Nissan's GT-R continues to take all before it in the real world, and there is no greater testimony to this than yet another lap record at the infamous "Green Hell" - the renowned Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit. We reported a few weeks back that the GT-R had created a new lap record of 7 minutes 27.56 seconds on April 15 and was continuing to attack the record. It seems Nissan is as adept at manipulating the media as it is at building cars because today it announced that it set a new record of 7 minutes 26.70 seconds - the record was set on April 23, a week after it broke the last one and a full three weeks ago! Read More
Nissan GT-R takes new Nurburgring Record
By Mike Hanlon
22:21 April 15, 2009 PDT
We recently wrote up the Nissan GT-R Spec V with its lofty price tag, but proof it is good enough in lesser trim is the news it has set another lap record at the famous Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany. Nurburgring was nicknamed The Green Hell by Jackie Stewart, and is widely considered the toughest and most demanding purpose-built race track in the world. A Japanese specification GT-R, running on Dunlop tyres with RAYS forged alloy wheels (V-spec equipment) recorded a blistering 7min 27.56 secs yesterday. Only eight cars have ever gone faster, and they all cost a lot more than a GT-R, though the Radical SR8 is probably the best on a bang-per-buck basis. Read More
600 hp Infiniti Essence: the World's most powerful hybrid car
By Paul Evans
17:15 March 9, 2009 PDT
To celebrate 20 years as a brand Infiniti has produced a stunning concept car for the 2009 International Motor Show in Geneva. The Infiniti Essence is the world’s most powerful Hybrid car with a total of 600 horsepower combined output from its V6 twin turbo and electric motor. The luxury sports car hybrid offers enormous power on the open road and zero emission driving in urban settings. Read More
Nissan releases GT-R Spec V: no more horsepower, but an additional US$65K on the price tag
By Mike Hanlon
01:02 March 4, 2009 PST
Nissan has announced a new limited-production Nissan GT-R Spec V model which we’re still having trouble wrapping our collective brain cells around. The GT-R was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007, and it has taken all before it since then - it is a technological masterpiece that looks like a relatively normal car, but outperforms cars worth double, triple and more. In Japan it sells for 8.6 million yen, translating into the cheapest production supercar the world has yet seen. Now, the Spec V is being shown at Geneva and has already gone on sale in Japan for 15,750,000 yen (JPY) – an increase of 83% in price – and the engine produces NO more horsepower. So what do you get for an extra US$72,000? Read More
Nissan NV200 people carrier and light Commercial NV200 production details
By Mike Hanlon
12:42 February 24, 2009 PST
We first glimpsed Nissan's NV200 small van at the 2007 Tokyo Show when it displayed one of the most intelligent design concepts we've seen for a commercial vehicle. Now, the wraps are off the production version of the global small van and although three versions of the NV200 will be available, the box-within-box concept is sadly gone. Despite feeling we've been short-changed, the NV200 has an intelligent layout with seats that fold unconventionally to offer the largest load space (4.1 m3) in its class, petrol or diesel and a low cost of ownership. Read More
Nissan updates GT-R for European market
22:40 December 14, 2008 PST
Nissan has made a series of subtle tweaks to the performance, paint work and pricing of its flagship GT-R sports car ahead of its introduction into the European market in 2009. The European spec GT-R's hand-built 3.8-litre V6 twin-turbo engine gets a slight power boost of around one percent thanks to some electronic fine tuning along with a new, lighter pearl white exterior colour and Dunlop SP Sport 600 DSST tyres fitted as standard. Read More
World first imaging system to shed light on engine lubrication
23:01 November 12, 2008 PST
Yesterday we looked at the promising future of liquid crystal based lubricants in dramatically improving engine efficiency, now the other side of the equation - how to improve engine design. A neutron imaging system developed by Nissan and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) that can see through lightweight metals may help uncover some of the answers by providing researchers with unprecedented visualization of oil flow in an engine operating at high speed. Read More
New Nissan Z set for Los Angeles debut
17:11 October 30, 2008 PDT
Nissan has released images of the new 370Z Coupe ahead of its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 19 November. The 2009 incarnation of the legendary Z represents its first full redesign since its reintroduction in 2003. Read More
Paris round-up: Nissan's compact future
By Darren Quick
23:44 October 26, 2008 PDT
In addition to the futuristic Nuvu concept car premiered in Paris, Nissan also provided a taste of what's in store for the more immediate future with the new Pixo - a five-door, four-seater that boasts very low fuel consumption and emissions - a revised version of the Note compact car and the introduction of an all-new combined satellite nav and infotainment system known as Nissan Connect. Read More
2008 Paris Motor Show round-up
19:37 October 19, 2008 PDT
As the curtain falls on the Paris Motor Show for 2008 we take a look back at some of the biggest surprises and brightest innovations to emerge from this massive global automotive extravaganza. As a starting point it's hard to go past Lamborghini, which emulated its 2007 most-talked-about crown by showing its Estoque concept. As a mid-engined four-door coupé with a V10 motor and permanent four-wheel drive, it's not really eco-inspired but a weapon to behold for the family man. Mazda definitely made our short-list for the most striking design with the aerodynamic Kiyora Urban compact and Citroen also floated some compelling concepts including the colorful Hypnos luxury hybrid crossover and the virtual-meets-real-world GTbyCITROEN which will appear on-screen in the next installment of Gran Turismo. Read More
Freedom Glen
- November 25, 2009 @ 02:47 UTC
