During this year’s 62^nd Frankfurt motor Show, Nissan will be introducing its Mixim Concept Car. This is a compact vehicle intended for young drivers who are mostly focused on their computers and looking at the world through the internet. The driver sits in the center, in between two seats, and its steering wheel and controls are inspired by the interfaces that are familiar to computer gamers.

This is powered by Nissan’s ‘Super Motor’ electric motor/generator and it uses compact lithium-ion batteries. Because of that, it has an unusually rapid performance together with a usefully extended range. One Super Motor powers the front axle and a second fuels the rear axle, making the Mixim an all-wheel drive.

Mixim is provided with the latest electric vehicle (EV) technology and it is presented in the form of a svelte and distinctive coupe shape. It has a wraparound windscreen which is inspired by the crash helmet’s visor. This dominates the profile while the swept back windscreen, the flowing roofline, and the sharply truncated rear reflects a sporting performance that’s unusual for an electric vehicle.

It has a diamond-shaped styling features inside and out, particularly on the twin air intakes to the back of the doors and the front LED driving lights. The upper triangular side windows connects to the roof’s gentle slope with a dramatic angular slash that flows through the center of the doors. One would see that it has a large trunk are behind the three seats when then rear hatch is opened. There is also an occasional fourth seat located behind the front seat module.

The Nissan Mixim has a 2530mm wheelbase and is 3700mm long, 1800mm wide and 1400mm high. The Mixim is lower and shorter than the Micra but a little wider and weighs just 950kg.

The Mixim as of the moment is still just a concept car and without assurance if it will be turned into a series production model. However, the development of Mixim is in line with the Nissan Green Program, the automaker’s publicly stated motive to create a more sustainable mobile society.

The Mixim will be driven from a low stage via a ramp to an elevated display platform on the Nissan stand throughout the Motor Show.

Nissan North America will have an encore performance on ‘Heroes,’ one of NBC’s hit series, acing again as the only TV advertiser, with limited disruption, during the series’ second season which will premiere on the 24^th of September. But that’s not all as the automaker will also be in the show.

Nissan North America will introduce their new compact SUV, Nissan Rogue, in the season premiere of ‘Heroes’ this September, according to Steve Kerho, Nissan’s Director for Interactive Marketing and Media. The automaker will have four minutes of advertisement time during the first episode of the series and its Rogue will appear in the program throughout the season. This is part of the product integration deal.

The automaker was pleased with the first deal it has with the first season of the series. The viewers of the show were twice as likely to remember the Nissan models spots as compared to the ads from rival automakers and it’s click-through rate from NBS.com was three times its average.

Mr. Kerho said, “This year’s multiplatform media buy, from Omnicom Group’s OMD West, Los Angeles, repeats a heavy online presence.” . It includes a one-day roadblock on NBC.com during the premier, a two-day roadblock on the “Heroes” section of NBC.com and NBC’s first one-day roadblock the day after the premier on NBC Rewind (an area on NBC.com where viewers can see shows the next day) .

NBC will get five Rogues from the automaker and this will each be driven and in a way personalized by one ‘Heroes’ cast member. This will also be given away nightly in a sweepstake the week of September 24. According to Mr. Kerho, the network will promote the sweepstakes on the air as well as via non-broadcast elements.

NBC is also planning on making a music video of ‘Heroes’ that includes the Rogue compact SUV, to be distributed over NBC 2 Go, the network’s wireless platform. The automaker is also studying whether to extend one of the bands that will appear in the music video to shoot a live concert for the co-branded “Nissan’s Live Sets on Yahoo Music, according to Mr. Kerho.

Nissan is also given the right to use the artwork from the graphic novel of ‘Heroes’ and TV program logos in its other advertising programs and promotions.

The first season of ‘Heroes’ has already been released on DVD on August 27, in which Nissan has a trailer. Nissan will also join the world tour of the cast of ‘Heroes.’

Mr. Kerho, however, did not give any details on how the automaker spent for the deal. According to TNS Media Intelligence, the automaker spent $36 million in measured media across NBC TV properties last season from Sept. 1, 2006, to May 1, 2007.

“Heroes” turned out to be NBC’s top-rated scripted show last season, with an average of 14.3 million viewers per episode. “TV is still a very important medium for us,” Mr. Kerho said. “No other medium scales as well.”

The design and entrepreneurship program for the underserved youth, Sweat Equity Enterprises (SEE), has just recently teamed up with Nissan North America (NNA) to help with the design of a one-of-a-kind vehicle for young drivers. The partnership made a team of 18 high school students from New York City and Providence, RI in order to develop a concept low-cost vehicle that aims to target the young drivers in metropolitan areas. These students worked with Nissan Design America designer Bryan Thompson from February to May to perform market research, forecast upcoming trends, and create detailed and professional-quality designs for the interior elements, accessories, and exterior of the vehicle.

The students came up with six designs as they work in teams and these were presented to Nissan for competition. The Pure concept vehicle which was designed by Chris Jones, Paul Ayala, Alex Rodriguez, and Shakirra Torain was the one that Nissan chose. Because the designs were well-received, Nissan created digital animated models for all the six designs, and made a 3-foot professional model for the Pure concept vehicle. This will be revealed on November at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The 16-year old SEE designer Chris Jones said, “The goal of the Nissan Pure is to be as iconic as the original Mini Cooper, as legendary as the Nissan Skyline and as economical and fun as the Datsun 510. The Pure gives you that classic car feel and all the right things to bring the essence of what made us fall in love with cars in the first place.”

Thompson said of the SEE designers, “It has been such an amazing experience for my colleagues and I to work with SEE. When you combine talent with opportunity, the results are magic. SEE really understands how to develop the sometimes untapped genius of our underserved youth in America. Nissan is proud to partner with such a unique and fruitful organization.”

SEE was founded in 2004 and their partnership with Nissan is already the seventh project for the organization. Over the years, participants have designed bags and outerwear for Marc Ecko, marketing and electronics for RadioShack, watches for Callanen/Timex, shoes for Skechers , skateboards for Zoo York, packaging for Dr. Miracles and graphic design for New York Cares.

SEE Co-Founder Nell Daniel said of SEE’s vision, “SEE’s vision is to invest in the limitless imaginations and entrepreneurial potential of underserved youth. We aim to build on the proven capacity of design education to give students valuable transferable skills that can be used in every area of their lives, whether professional, socio-emotional or academic. At the same time, our corporate partners gain fresh ideas and market research while enhancing their brands through sustainability and cultivating a talented and diverse workforce for the future.”

The participants of SEE gain intensive design, training in technology and entrepreneurship as they develop original graphic, apparel designs or products from concept to prototype for partner companies. The student participants were thoroughly selected through application process that requires a written essay, and they are compensated for their contribution with either a school credit or pay.

The latest automaker to participate in the small car band wagon in India is Japanese car maker Nissan. Nissan is the sister company of Renault and Nissan will be offering the auto market a vehicle in the A2 segment by 2009-2010 while Renault prepares to launch its small car, with a possible collaboration with Bajaj. Renault holds 44 percent of Nissan’s stakes and both of the automakers are considered to be part of the same group and thus, are under a common management.

In the next few years, Nissan will possibly introduce one small car and a mid-size sedan in the domestic auto market. General Motors has already launched its small car which is the Chevy Spark, and Ford, Honda, and Skoda are also expected to soon introduce their share of vehicles for the small car segment.

The auto components industry sources report that the small car model of Nissan India would compete in the A2 segment as defined by the automobile body SIAM, basically the Zen, Alto, WagonR, Swift. The model will have a 1.2-liter three cylinder petrol engine and it will have excise duty benefits. The code name used by Nissan for their small car is W02A and the market to which it will be initially offered is in India.

It will possibly be launched on the market on 2009-2010 and it will be manufactured at the plant in Chennai, which is a facility being set up in partnership with Nissan’s sibling company Renault and home-grown M&M. the expected price of this car is at the level in which Swift and Getz brand is priced. The Nissan India Marketing & Sales director Neeraj Garg verified the development.

He said, “When we start production at our Chennai plant in 2009-2010 we will come out with a car in the A2 segment. We have not decided how many cars we plan to launch, but we will decide that after evaluating the market response.”

He added that Nissan India might introduce a vehicle model to take advantage of the excise duty benefits wherever the automaker can.

Sources, however, add that the plan of the company may be to have more than one vehicle to offer in the small car segment. According to one source, “It is likely that the product range in the Swift/Getz segment will have more that just one model.”

These sources also pointed out that Nissan will introduce a sedan for the Indian market. They said, “With a 1.5-litre engine, Nissan’s sedan will also hit markets in the next three years.” Even though the model will be designed in japan, it will still be based on the feedback from India.

This small car offer from Nissan will possibly be offered to both the domestic and international markets. Garg said, “Initially we will produce for the domestic market from the Chennai plant. But we will evaluate the situation as we go ahead, post the launch. Just like our Maruti tie-up, we could explore other ventures in the Indian market, but we have not decided anything so far.”

Mahindra, Renault, and Nissan had announced this February that they would set up a plant in Chennai with an investment of Rs 4,000 crore. This plant will be manufacturing models for all the three partners and it has a capacity of 4 lakh units. Besides that, the plant will also have a power train facility for both Renault and Nissan. These two automakers are known for their technically superior and successful small cars globally, and some of the famous small cars are Clio and Twingo.

In mid-September, auto showrooms will be graced with the arrival of Nissan’s new compact crossover, the 2008 Nissan Rogue.

Its design clearly reflects that it intends to level with the likes of Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV. It’s the first ever small car-based crossover from the top 2 Japanese automaker.

During a press conference to introduce the 2008 Rogue, officials of Nissan said that its target buyers are men more than women, unlike the Toyota’s RAV4 and Honda’s CRV which are owned by women more than men.

According to Mike Drongowski, Nissan regional product manager, the exterior of Nissan was designed to have more styling appeal than the boxes that is evident in this segment. “It has sports-oriented styling in a segment that’s traditionally more conservative in design,” he said. “It’s not a minivan, and it’s not a grocery-getter.”

That styling, along with the vehicle’s sporty handling characteristics, should help make it appeal to male consumers more than vehicles such as the CR-V and RAV4 do, he added.

But Drongowski admitted that even if Nissan succeeds in drawing in male buyers, the Rogue will still have a large percentage of female buyers. He said that a 50-50 split would be deemed as a success. With the other vehicles in this segment, women make up 60 percent or more of the purchasers.

He also said, “Men and women in the target age group (late 20s to early 30s) are ‘responding well’ to the Rogue in advance marketing efforts.”

The Rogue appears much less-boxy than most of its competitors, including the RAV4, CR-V, Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, Mazda Tribute, Mitsubishi Outlander, Chevrolet Equinox, Pontiac Torrent, Saturn Vue, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

Its overall look appears to be like that of a smaller Nissan Murano, a midsize crossover that also broke from the pack with its innovative, sleek styling.

2008 Nissan Rogue’s Specs:

Key features: Edgy styling aimed at men; a roomy interior with seating for five; and standard amenities such as power windows/mirrors/door locks, air conditioning, and side-curtain air bags.

Under the hood: A 170-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, connected to a continuously variable automatic transmission.

EPA fuel economy: 22 mpg city/27 highway (front-wheel drive); 21/26 (all-wheel drive), using the new 2008 formula.

Prices: None announced yet, but expected to begin in the low $20,000s.

On-sale date: Mid-September.

This is considered as the ultimate Nissan as it will be the successor to the very popular and highly respected Nissan Skyline. This car has such a following that a lot of people are importing a few older models to Canada by the boat-load. This is the reason why many are seeing more and more on the road.

Three trim levels are expected to be available when Nissan GT-R arrives - Stock, V Spec, and EVO Spec. The EVO will be available in limited quantities and one year or so after the initial launch. All models will have the same engine specs. Expect a 3.8L Twin Turbo V6 (not 3.7L), VQ37HR that will produce in the area of 450hp. 20-inch rims wearing 255/40 tires at the front and 285/35 at the rear will be lifted right off of the concept car. The wheels and engine will be linked together by an AWD and 4WS (4-wheel-steering) systems.

There is an unconfirmed news which is now spreading out the Nissan GT-R will have a power unit from the VQ engine family. But instead, a variation of the engine LeMans-developed R390 GT1 racer could find its way under the hood. Well, car enthusiasts should just wait for the launch of Nissan’s new mnodel to find out more about the engine used.

The Concept was designed with functional aerodynamics and identifiable character lines that reflect the previous versions of GT-R and their overall shape. The GT-R has the status of a legend just about everywhere in the World; people want one much like there are Corvette fanatics here. When it comes to North America, Nissan may have to work hard to convince those that can afford a GT-R to actually buy one. Younger enthusiasts, most of them without the necessary funds would not need to be convinced. Nissan may reserve the option to sell the GT-R as an Infiniti in the US and maybe even offer it with a V8 for marketing purposes.

Nissan Motor Corp., Ltd. announced that during the Tokyo Motor Show in October, it will be unveiling its latest and highly innovative small van concept, which it calls the NV200. The concept turns the conventional light commercial design inside out.

This small van concept was jointly designed and developed by the Nissan Design Center in Japan and Nissan Design Europe (NDE), which is situated in Paddington, London. Both teams initially had no idea on hat form the concept van should take so they just designed a radical, futuristic, but a very practical new concept.

Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. said, “A light commercial vehicle has a specific job to perform, but that’s no reason to design a purely rational vehicle with no warmth. For NV200, function becomes the aesthetic. Our concept is a highly efficient tool but one with a human touch.”

The most striking feature it has is its storage pod which runs from the load area of the van when the vehicle is parked. When the pod is deployed, the now empty load bay is converted into a mobile office. . Although NV200 answers the specific needs of a professional underwater photographer with ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ storage zones in the pod for diving and camera equipment, the basic concept could be tailored to suit different customers.

When the van is being driven, the pod is fastened to the load area. But when the van reaches its destination, it slides out reaerwards to allow easy access to the storage zones. When the pod is taken from the van, the area that it left will be transformed into a mobile office. The front passenger seat swivels backwards on a curved rail to face a computer table, which drops down from the side of the van.

“The NV200 continues the excitement of the brand and demonstrates new design directions and potential future technologies. We are refreshing our brand with products that consistently reinforce our commitment to thrilling performance and design. This concept provides an early indication of the bold and thoughtful Nissan light commercial vehicles which will be present in the Middle East”, commented Reza Alavi, Head of Light Commercial Vehicles Business Unit at Nissan Middle East.

Japanese automaker Nissan has made it a point to take their Maxima into a whole new level for this year’s edition, which is already the sixth generation for the Maxima. Its interior has been made more refined and a whole lot of features have been added to it, so that it could now be considered as one of the top large sedans in the automotive world.

Nissan Maxima is now much like Toyota’s Avalon, as it now offers a more comfortable spacious interior that’s present in the Avalon. But of course, it is still a little more different than the Avalon as there’s a few more strings attached to it. These strings are the sporty styling features and road handlings that can level up to that of other expensive sport coups.

Nissan’s flagship Maxima embodies a nearly-perfect combination of comfort, handling, and styling. This is because Maxima targets buyers who love driving, but would still want to have something of a practical family sedan. That’s where Nissan Maxima has its edge over the other large sedans. Its roominess is reflected in its capacity to seat five people and still have room for their luggage.

If the Nissan Maxima of before is greatly designed, then buyers would now be more amazed as Nissan has definitely put its effort into making it even more standout among its lot of large sedans. This effort is clearly reflected in both the Maxima and Altima. These two Nissan models may have shared chassis platforms before but now, the 2007 versions of each model have come out differently. This is because the two have been extremely redesigned and now Altima comes in a slightly smaller platform. Now, the Maxima has its own platform, and not just a plain upscale edition of the Altima.

The uplevel Nissan Maxima SL has a base price of $30,300 plus $605 freight. It comes with the standard facilities like leather seats, wood-tone interior trim, Nissan’s intelligent key system, an eight-way power driver’s and four-way passenger’ seat, a Bose premium audio system with six-disc CD changer and the “SkyView” glass roof.

If buyers would want a bit less than the Maxima SL, then Nissan has an entry-level Maxima SE that costs about $28,050. This model is still well-equipped just minus the leather seats, power passenger seats or the Bose stereo. But the other features are still present like the dual-zone automatic climate control, keyless entry/start system, and the glass roof.

Nissan Maxima’s specs are great as its maximum power output is 255 horsepower from its 3.5-liter V6 engine. It also produces 252 pound-feet. It is connected to the new Nissan Xtronic continuously variable automatic transmission. This new transmission replaces the conventional automatic on last year’s model.

Using the 2007 EPA formula, its fuel economy is quite decent seeing that it is a large sedan. The recorded fuel economy is 21 miles per gallon in the city and 28 miles per gallon on the highway.

Nissan Maxima’s audience is the much younger people but the age of its buyers fall under late 30s to early 50s.

Nissan Motor Corporation has announced that it will add in fuel-efficiency meters to their new models. This is to create awareness of more economical driving habits. This move is part of Nissan’s efforts to introduce a wide range of environmental technologies for its mid-term environmental action plan, the Nissan Green Program 2010. This new Nissan feature will also be included on existing models when minor model changes are made.

The fuel-efficiency meter will show instant fuel-efficiency and average efficiency. Through this, drivers become aware of their fuel efficiency and the direct consequences of their style of driving on the fuel economy of their vehicles. When Nissan tested this new feature, it revealed that it improves the vehicle’s fuel economy by approximately 10 percent.

Nissan continues to offer navigation systems that show the instant and average fuel efficiency. The Japanese automaker Nissan hopes that if a meter showing this is placed on the main instrument cluster, then they could be more effective in bringing fuel efficiency awareness to drivers and then help them practice eco-driving habits.

Nissan has added a new feature to its CARWINGS information service, which supports greener driving habits in January, as stated in the company’s Nissan Green Program 2010.

1. Currently on the SKYLINE, LAFESTA, ATLAS in Japan, and ALTIMA, INFINITI G35 in the U.S
2. Average of results obtained through in-house observations; figures vary by driving style.
3. Services include listing the average fuel-efficiency of CARWINGS members on the CARWINGS website in the form of monthly rankings, and weekly web advice about green driving techniques.

For three consecutive months, the Nissan Navara, the award-winning pickup truch of Nissan, has been the top selling pickup truck in United Kingdom. It is ahead of its rivals for the fiscal year 2007/2008 as it’s selling 3369 units, which translates to 28 percent market share. As there are upgraded models that are presently arriving in showrooms it success appears to continue.

The volume of sales is only one part of the story as the sales mix has been overshadowed by the higher end models. 94 percent of the Navaras sold are double cabs and 53 percent of thos are particularly in Aventura trim, of which 41 percent requested to have automatic transmission. 34 percent are Outlaw and the remaining percent are SE and standard versions.

42 percent f the color is Metallic Black, which makes it the most popular choice of color, followed by Storm Grey, which accounts for 22 percent and Starburst Silver accounts for 20 percent.

The latest range of Navara builds on the lifestyle image of the vehicle with the addition of integrated indicators and puddle lamps that are within the door mirrors together with the new six spoke alloy wheel design.

Other changes to Nissan Navara include Bluetooth hands free mobile phone system across all grades, complete with a caller ID display, 100 names and numbers storage along with digital processing guaranteeing the clearest possible quality of sound. There are aluminum kick plates on the front door openings and also on the tailgate access, also the addition of footwell illumination add to the premium feel of the Outlaw and Aventura. Emotion Red, which is a new color, has also been added to the range.

There is also a ‘Die-Hard’ special edition which went on sale just last month and it proved to be a very popular choice among buyers as the full 444 allocation were snapped up before they even arrived in the showrooms of the dealers. The deliveries are expected to happen between now and September.

Nissan Navara carries a price tag that starts at £17,615. also, this all come with Nissan’s comprehensive 36 months or 60,000 miles, 12-year anti-perforation and three year paint pan-European warranty.