One of Nissan’s biggest goals today is to become a technology leader in the automotive industry within the next ten years. In line with this, Nissan has already revealed technological innovations such as the ‘self-healing’ paint featured on the Infiniti EX35 crossover and the bird’s-eye view camera system.
When it comes to safety tests, traditional SUVs haven’t made any excellent records. However, the new generation of today’s compact SUVs has achieved as much as four stars in the Euro NCAP test. These SUVs include the likes of the Nissan X-Trail, Volkswagen Tiguan and Lanrover Freelander/LR2.
East meets West. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. is negotiating with German auto parts supplier Robert Bosch GmbH as the Japanese automobile company sees it best to beef up its hybrid technology to come at par with other automakers, which includes fellow Japan-hailed companies Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Company, in producing those dual-powered vehicles, Tokyo-based newspaper Nikkan Kogyo said yesterday.
Bosch is known for technological finds in the aspect of diesel fuel injection systems as well as hybrid powertrains. For these credentials, Nissan saw this Germany-based automotive parts company fit to help it pursue a better future for the hybrid models and Nissan parts. With its possible alliance with Bosch, the automaker will no longer have to dwell too much on research as well as the cost for such extensive study. If plans pushes through, Nissan, along with Bosch, is set to come out with more hybrid vehicles. Well-crafted Nissan parts that will equally complement the hybrid systems of the future models of the company will also be developed and used.
Carlos Ghosn, who is the chief executive officer of Nissan, was not so keen in divulging into the hybrid technology because he believed then that it costs too much to develop but only has a small following. Things changed, however, as Ghosn and the company saw that it was time to produce dual-powered automobiles for the motorists worldwide. With this decent move being taken by Nissan, the car company could already be up on its way to becoming one of the leading automakers to produce hybrid vehicles as well as auto parts.
Details from Guardian Unlimited.
Although Infinity is Nissan’s luxury division, it will not include the new high-end sports car from its parent company christened as the GT-R.
The muscle GT-R car, which is geared with high-performing Nissan parts, is set to invade Europe early next year with a burning tag price of around £60,000. This luxury sports car, which has a twin turbocharged engine, will not be part of any Infiniti dealers because it will have a store of its own. The Japanese automaker’s latest high-end powerful vehicle, which is available in both the left and right hand drive markets, is set to be sold solely in its ‘boutique’ all over Europe by next year.
“The Infiniti network will be completely separate,” said a spokesman from Infinity, which is Nissan’s luxury division, which is well established the USA and will appear in Europe in 2008 with the Geneva Motor Show launch of the Infiniti SX.
Details from Motor Trader.
A finished Nissan car does not happen overnight as it takes months to years to develop a certain model. The products of this Japanese automobile company that are available today had definitely undergone series of conceptualization, designing, and production before they finally reach dealerships across the globe. Educating Thais the meticulous and crucial process of designing is the aim of the Nissan Design Forum and Exhibition that was held in the Bangkok-based Esplanade mall from November 10 to 12.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. pushed through with this event with aims of sharing its exhaustive stages in coming out with a vehicle, which is equipped with precision-engineered Nissan Parts, as well as enticing locals, whether students, freelance designers or automobile aficionados, to try out designing automobiles themselves.
By the end of the three-day event, participants were given the rare chance to see what goes behind designing a Nissan model. Present in the design forum and exhibition were the company’s creative men and women, who were placed in a panel discussion with Thailand’s local designers. For students, the company prepared a gathering for clay modeling and an interactive workshop, wherein the creative team from the automaker gave comments and suggestion in the various concepts designs and Nissan parts made by the local students.
Those who were not accommodated were not left behind as Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. prepared a still exhibit dubbed as the “Imagination Factory”. The company’s design and creative principles in making a vehicle were showcased in the exhibit. Moreover, present concept cars of the company had their own miniature counterparts in the display.
Thailand is only the second leg in the Nissan Design Forum series, where the opening was held in Singapore, that is aimed to visit other countries in Asia.
Details from Nissan and Auto Spectator.
Every now and then, there are countless new Nissan parts that are developed for the automobiles of Nissan. Among these new automotive finds is a new coat material for cars christened as the ‘paramagnetic’ paint that the Japanese automaker hopes to utilize in its products in the future.
Created and continuously developed by scientists, the futuristic car paint would allow any vehicle to change colors by touching just a button in a console. How does it exactly work? The bare vehicle frame will first be coated with a special polymer coat, which has paramagnetic iron oxide particles. By applying an electric current to this base coat, the formation of the crystals found in every oxide particle is then adjusted. The current color of the vehicle, which can change in a second or less, will then depend on every position and space of each particle. Whenever the engine is turned off, a Nissan model will then go back to its original color setting, which is plain white. Outside its default color, the car equipped with this futuristic coat can have as many colors that a human being’s set of eyes can see.
Paramagnetic paint can be considered as one of most sought after Nissan parts in the future. It may not be among the tough and solid auto parts but it will definitely contribute to the overall feel and look of every Nissan model. Three years from now or so, this futuristic car coat will already be utilized in automobiles and the first one to have this feature could be a Nissan vehicle.
Details from Motor Authority.
The Nissan Quest’s tough exterior Nissan parts are not the only things that define the safety and comfort of this small family van as it is now equipped with MicronAir that makes the air inside the cabin cleaner.
Pure comfort is said to be guaranteed by the MicronAir, which is produced by the Filtration Division of the German company Freudenberg Nonwoven, for the Nissan Quest passengers. According to studies done by Freudenberg, the air inside an automobile is actually more polluted that the air outside. The enclosed confine of a vehicle provides a very limited area for the air to circulate, thus more impurities stay put. Special air filters like MicronAir can be just the solution for this cabin air problem.
Well-crafted specialty automotive filters are used in order to sift through the air that comes into the mini van’s cabin. This special feature of the Nissan Quest provides passengers with a cleaner air compared to those that are not equipped with it. The HVAC System of MicronAir prevents contaminants to enter such as dusts and other noxious gases, which are not only harmful to the atmosphere but to human lungs as well.
Aside from keeping the cabin of the Nissan Quest clean, MicronAir also prevents other air impurities that can trigger numerous health problems, like allergies, asthma, and bronchitis, to enter the confines of the van. In this way, passengers that have health issues do not have to worry for sudden allergy attacks, for example, because of this additional product.
“We are pleased to provide Nissan with our combination cabin air filters for the Quest minivan,” said Barry F. Kellar, who is the Filtration Division’s vice president and general manager. “The filters trap a broad range of microscopic particles, harmful gases and strong odors to help make time in the car more pleasant and healthier.”
Along with the other Nissan parts, the Nissan Quest is all geared up with the essentials to provide its users with utmost comfort on the road.
Details from PR Newswire.
Every Nissan vehicle undergoes numerous stages before it is sent to actual production. Building the four-wheel machine is an important stage for the company, which hails in Japan, but an equally crucial part in making a good automobile is designing it well. Thus, Nissan added another prime place to come up with new model designs – the Yulon Nissan Design Center (YNDC), which started operation last November 5.
To date, the San-Yi-based YNDC is the very first design Center of Nissan in Taiwan. Still the youngest in the company’s creative team, the latest addition will join five established studios: the Atsugi and Harajuku centers in Japan, a London studio in the United Kingdom, and the Detroit and San Diego design centers in the United States.
In the 3,300-square meter YNDC, about 40 employees that has optimum creative skills in coming up with concepts for cars and new Nissan parts are housed in this design center. Each person has specialties in different aspects of designing automobiles. The Yulon Nissan Design Center divides expertise according to Digital Design, Design Research & Management, Exterior Design, Clay Modeling, Interior Design, and Color Design.
Behind every model of Nissan are dedicated and skilled men and women that are being harnessed in these centers scattered across the globe. Yulon Design Center, along with the other sites, will be tasked to come up with new concepts every now and then for the company’s new range of products.
Details from DueMotori.
Things look good for Nissan, which is one of Japan’s top automobile brands, as it continues to break records and establish its name in the United States after ending the month of October with as much as 8.8 percent in its year-to-date sales.
Last month, the Nissan North America, Inc. sold a total of 84, 947 units for the combined of Nissan and Infiniti models purchased. Such number posted an impressive 8.8 percent increase for the overall one year sales comparison. Only 75,095 units were bought from the company exactly 12 months ago.
For the Nissan range, the Altima, with precision-engineered Nissan parts, had the most number of units sold for October. Its record-high month equaled to as much as 21, 778 cars sold. The 41.9 percent increase in this model included the Altima Coupe’s 3,117 units and the Altima Hybrid’s 927 cars, among others. The medium-built sport utility vehicle Rogue, on the other hand, is also another best-seller in this western country as this model managed to amass as much as 5,038 units, which exceeded the expectations of the Tenesse-based Nissan North America.
Infinity, which is the luxury division of Nissan, proved to be another promising find of the company as more Americans geared themselves with this high-end model last month. On a daily basis, there was a decent 1.8 percent increase for the luxurious vehicles of Infiniti. Among the models, the G Sedan had the biggest units sold that totaled to 3, 652 (or a 26.7 percent increase). The G Coupe, on the other hand, had 1,887 units sold (or a 29.9 percent increase) while bulky QX56 van had 1, 127 units (or a 18.2 percent increase) under its name.
The impressive months of Nissan North America is expected to continue for the next weeks of 2007.
With facts from PR Newswire.
Precision-engineered Nissan Parts are not the only things to look forward to in the sport utility vehicle from Nissan. Nissan, which is one of the giant Japanese automakers, has recently jumped in the bandwagon of collaborating with equally big tech-geared company in developing new products as it partnered with NEC Corporation to come out with the NEC Nissan X-Trail Laptop.
Nissan X-Trail is a staple for all those inconsistent terrain adventures. Amidst the unpolished disposition of this SUV, it can still go against the luxury vehicles because of the NEC Nissan X-Trail Laptop. The high-end technology added in the four-wheel machine gives the X-Trail an air of elegance paralleled with its off-road tasks. Although experts say that it does not have the same as its perennial rivals, the laptop is still a great additional find for the Nissan X-Trail no matter what.
Like Nissan, NEC is also an established international Japanese company. Together with Nissan, NEC manufactured this crimson-red laptop suited for the off-road adventures of the SUV. It has a monitor that is 12.1 inches big with a Nissan X-Trail logo at the front. With the waterproof nylon case of the NEC Nissan Laptop, this gadget is surely protected from unavoidable puddle splash courtesy of the inconsistent terrains. Other features include: a notebook with an Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 processor, a dual layer burner, and a Vista Home Premium. This product produced by the partnership with two giant companies, however, is not for sale in tech stores or dealerships because this one has to order the laptop first. For a tag price of $2000, one can already have his or her own laptop.