NCS

[2HD]

Has anyone seen the NCS Nissan Concept Sedan. I think it's a great idea! It has limousine style seating which I think is the best part about it.

Go to:
http://www.nissan-usa.com/21st_century/

to see it.

The design is kind of weird, but that can be
fixed.

I also believe a car like this would better serve the Infiniti line up then the Nissan line up.

If they put a tv/computer in their, latest technology and the right price they could have a hot selling product.

What do you think?

[This message has been edited by 2HD (edited 02-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by 2HD (edited 02-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by 2HD (edited 02-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by 2HD (edited 02-09-2000).]

[This message has been edited by 2HD (edited 02-10-2000).]

[noelsaw]

Renault has a similar product called the Avantime that's supposed to be half GT sports and half minivan.

It's all the rage in Europe!

[GTR]

any images anyone?

[mcervantes]

Images of the Avantime or the NCS???

[noelsaw]

>Images of the Avantime or the NCS???

I'll find some and post them soon.

[This message has been edited by noelsaw (edited 02-09-2000).]

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Did you guys know that the Avantime will be coming to the US badged as an Infiniti.

[GTR]

what is the avantime? ive checked the uk and japanese nissan sites and both dont list it.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GTR:
what is the avantime? ive checked the uk and japanese nissan sites and both dont list it.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The Avantime is a Renault vehicle and is here.... http://www.avantime.renault.com/index.phtml

[GTR]

uh... that as an infiniti model... i think not.. nothing about it says infniti. not even nissan. its definitely renault. i must put my foot down and say NO NO NO. that cannot even be an infiniti. u think the maxima's styling is contraversial, watch what'd happen if they badged that as an infiniti...

[**DONOTDELETE**]

In terms of ugliness, the Renault van can only be rivaled by Dodge and Pontiac, otherwise its peerless...



[This message has been edited by R34 (edited 02-11-2000).]

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nismo:
http://forums.freshalloy.com/forum//images/icons/shocked.gif yeewwwuuuggghhh... shuddering badly over here. That thing is friggin ugly! It looks more like a wild-n-crazy concept vehicle; hard to believe it's actually in production somewhere. Maybe I'm just too set in my ways. Lord only knows what they'll be driving 50 years from now.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I am sure if the Avantime was ever brought over here as an Infiniti it would be restyled.

[GTR]

im sure the car is pretty nice technologically speaking, and is probably pretty nice as a vehicle. i dont think the US market is ready for anything resembling that renault though. if it is restyled, what are they going ot do? make all new sheetmetal for the whole car? i dont really see how that vehicle shape could work as an infiniti.

[GTR]

btw, nissan has to update their 21st century nissan page. there's errors up the wazoo (says the next z will have 8 inch wheels), and not to mention that there's been updated concept models of what the z will look like. as for their ncs, i can picture it without that bubbly thing sticking out above its ass. now that i picture it like that, it kinda looks xvl'ish doesnt it?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GTR:
im sure the car is pretty nice technologically speaking, and is probably pretty nice as a vehicle. i dont think the US market is ready for anything resembling that renault though. if it is restyled, what are they going ot do? make all new sheetmetal for the whole car? i dont really see how that vehicle shape could work as an infiniti.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Remember that Chrysler managed to get away with wild designs like the Viper (when it first came out), the Prowler, etc.

I some ways Nissan is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Some people say their cars are boring. Some say there cars are styled too wildly. There's always the common ground of simple classic designs which some off-the wall people call middle America boring design.

I personally like the new I30 and think it's has a blend of form and function.

[2HD]

Are you guys talkig about the NCS being ugly or the Avantime.

If your talking about the NCS it could use some help,(from the side it looks like a saturn).

But if your talking about the Avantime ugly is right. I can't imagine that thing in Nissan or Infiniti. They would have to at least redesign the exterior, but what would be the point of bringing it to the USA. It looks to much like a minivan to be in the Infiniti line-up, which they don't need. But if you think thats ugly check out the Espace thats suppose to replace the Quest.

[GTR]

ncs- not that ugly, just needs to get rid of that tumor-bubble thing in the back.
avantime- fugly imho.

[2HD]

Does anyone know if the quest will get a restyling before the Villager/Quest venture is over?

Also are they going to change the name quest.
I hope they don't thats one of the best names they got in their line-up.

[mcervantes]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 2HD:
Does anyone know if the quest will get a restyling before the Villager/Quest venture is over?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If the venture lasts until the contract is up, then there should be a mild refresh maybe next year. But the venture could end sooner than planned.

[This message has been edited by mcervantes (edited 02-12-2000).]

[2HD]

Bad News!!! The Avantime could very likely get the go ahead to come to the U.S. as an Infiniti. READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE!


"GENEVA, March 1 (Reuters) - Renault's Avantime could be just the cult car needed in the United States by Infiniti, the luxury brand for Renault's Japanese affiliate Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. &lt;7201.T&gt;, industry officials and analysts said on Wednesday.

Most likely sold under the Infiniti brand, the futuristic luxury coupe-cum-limousine, on display at the Geneva Motor Show, could be the French automaker's re-entry into the U.S. passenger car, officials said. Renault, which abandoned the U.S. market in 1987 with the sale of American Motors Corp. to Chrysler, expects to announce a decision soon.

"In that rarefied atmosphere of the upper segment, you're always going to find customers that would be interested in standing out from the crowd and having something quite unusual," Patrick Le Quement, Renault's chief designer and the Avantime's creator, told Reuters.

"As long as the vehicle is perfect in terms of reliability and offers the type of fit and finish that you expect in the upper
segment, then there are always going to be enough customers to be found," he added.

The flowing lines of Avantime's nose contrast with the design of the back end, surmounted by a hemispherical rear window.
The lower part of the car, which goes on sale in Europe later this year, has sharp edges, while the top flows more and sports a panoramic glass sunroof.

PANORAMIC VIEWS

Another twist is the side windows, which form a panoramic sweep with no centre pillar separating them. To appeal to luxury buyers,
Avantime includes leather-upholstered seats and generous interior space.

If Avantime is sold in the United States, it will be at low volumes, Le Quement said. It's a wonderful vehicle, for example, to travel through the Rockies because you will have a fantastic view," he said.

What some call unique, however, others call odd or worse. "Nissan dealers (in the United States) hate the vehicle," a source familiar with the plans said. "They think it's beyond ugly. It looks like a moon unit."

Nissan's North American executives have been told they have to sign off on any vehicle sold in that region and they are not likely to accept one not designed for the U.S. market, said the source, who asked not to be identified.

In addition, the vehicle would be too much of a risk for a company that left the U.S. arket because of a reputation for rusting, low-quality cars, the source said. If Renault chooses wrong, it could end any hope for another chance in the world's biggest auto market for many years.

"For such a polarising vehicle, it's too much of a risk for a first entry," the source said.

Indeed, there are doubts within Renault that selling the vehicle in the U.S. market under the Infiniti name could work. Officials worry it could muddy the distinction between the two automakers' brands.

UNWANTED LOW-COST LUXURY IMAGE
AutoPacific analyst James Hall doesn't buy that. He said selling Avantime at volumes below 1,000 in select markets such as southern California, Chicago and the eastern seaboard could be just what Infiniti needs to break from its unwanted image as the low-cost luxury brand.

"They could turn it into a rather sophisticated cult car," he said. "If Infiniti had an image of being the
unconventional luxury brand, it would
get some clear space in the market."

Hall added such a plan would probably require Infiniti to move from Avantime to selling other unique vehicles in low volumes, while boosting the quality and character of the brand's existing lineup.

He acknowledged Renault and Nissan probably don't see a business case for the car, but said they were missing the point that changing Infiniti's image would be invaluable.

Ford Motor Co.'s group vice president for global product development, Richard Parry-Jones, said the move just might work. "Interior space is a luxury and that's one of the things Renault is emphasising," he said. "There will be a small volume for it."

[This message has been edited by noelsaw (edited 03-03-2000).]

[noelsaw]

I am going to start a new subject...
the Avantime to keep on track.

It will be on the Nissan Past, Present, Future (General) section above this topic.

[This message has been edited by noelsaw (edited 03-03-2000).]

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Renault's Avantime could be just the cult car needed in the United States by Infiniti<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Avantime as a cult car? Whoever wrote that must be on dope. I see it as nothing more than a minivan with ugly styling. I doubt it would sell here, even with a Nissan or Infiniti badge.



[This message has been edited by Fairlady Z (edited 03-03-2000).]

[jochi]

This has nothing to do with NCS, but I am concerned to what Nissan is gonna do for a minivan...... No company is sucessful in North America without a North American minivan. Vans imported from Japan just don't work here; example, Nissan Van, Nissan Axess, Toyota Van, Toyota Previa, 1st gen. Honda Odessey..... I sincerly hope Nissan doesn't bring a Japanese model here, like the Bassara, which is nice and all in its own right, but just totally off the mark for North America.

[2HD]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jochi:
This has nothing to do with NCS, but I am concerned to what Nissan is gonna do for a minivan...... No company is sucessful in North America without a North American minivan. Vans imported from Japan just don't work here; example, Nissan Van, Nissan Axess, Toyota Van, Toyota Previa, 1st gen. Honda Odessey..... I sincerly hope Nissan doesn't bring a Japanese model here, like the Bassara, which is nice and all in its own right, but just totally off the mark for North America.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well it's either one of Renults minivans or Nissans and I would prefer one of Nissans (better quality and looks). What nissan needs to do is make there minivans larger. If they bring the Bassara to the North America give it that 210hp superchagered engine, put in a navigation system, change that rear that looks like the sienna, put in other unique qualities and still keep the cost down it will be a successor to the odessey (not to mention better quality too).