06-30-01
Can the new Z's looks be improved? After releasing the first (virtual) Z body
kit, a lot of our community members say "no."
But a lot of them also say "yes." Well maybe our new front body shot
would convince the naysayers to say "yes." Check
it out!
06-21-01 At the annual
shareholder's meeting, Nissan President Carlos Ghosn received the title of
CEO in addition to being President. Long time Nissan executive, Yoshikazu Hanawa,
who held the titles of chairman and CEO until Thursday, will remain as chairman
according to Nissan. More...
06-19-01 Infiniti hasn't released much info
about the new G35 but here's what we know from the Japanese market Skyline. Top
of the line Skyline models will have a direct injection 3.0 liter VQ30DD instead
of the G35's 3.5 liter VQ35DE (with conventional fuel injection). With the
VQ30DD, Nissan reckons the car will have around 260 bhp. A model with 2.5 liter
VQ25DD is also offered with around 215 bhp. We're estimating our G35 will have
at least 250 bhp and perhaps as high as 280 bhp. The 5 speed automatic is
similar to the Q45's sport shift with a dedicated up-down gate for shifting
gears. The Skyline boasts what maybe Nissan's most aerodynamic vehicle with a Cd
rating of 0.27. The Skyline also boasts a fairly balanced front to rear weight
ratio of 52:48. The car also sports a new true multilink suspension to be shared
with the new Z car (and also similar in design to the new 2002 Altima).
As for dimensions, the overall length is 184 inches (the I30 is 193 inches)
wheelbase is 112 inches (the I30 is 108.3 inches). So it appears the G35 and I30
are near similar in exterior size. Aproximate weight is around 3,250 lbs which
is fairly respectable (the I30 is almost 100 lbs heavier). Stay tuned to
FreshAlloy.com for more information!
06-18-01 Die hard Nissan enthusiasts are known
for calling the vehicles by their product platform code. Our Nissan source tells
us the new G35 is known as the L52A, the 2003 Z car is the X52C. Or the G35 will
become the P12 when it starts production.
06-17-01 One of our community members (Mav1178) spotted
two new 2002 Altimas on a transport truck and managed to snap some excellent
pictures including an quick underbody shot. Go
here...
06-16-01 The Skyline is coming to the United States! Well
okay, admittedly it's not the coveted blistering, turbocharged all wheel
drive Skyline GT-R; but it's essentially the same car as the next generation
Japanese Skyline for the Japanese market. And remember, the FR (Front
engine/Rear wheel drive) XVL platform is also being used for the Z car.
Infiniti's new sport sedan will be arriving in the U.S. as the new Infiniti G35.
The G35 is derived from the XVL concept
first shown in January 2000. The pictures we've seen look very similar to XVL -
not much has changed from the concept. The new car sports the same aggressive
headlight array and the inclusion of an I35 like grille. Even the alloy wheels
appear to be the same. As for performance, expect the VQ35DE V-6 (a deviation
from the traditional inline-6 engine used in past Skyline cars) good for over
250 bhp. Expect at least a 5 speed automatic transmission. No word yet on
whether or not a manual transmission will be initially offered in North America.
Infiniti may choose to follow what Lexus did with the IS300; waiting a year to
release a manual transmission model. Ironically this car may arrive here next
spring 2002 as an early 2003 model even though it was annouced much later than
the new Z (which will be available late 2002 summer). The G35 may give us the
first preview of how good the handling of the new Z will be like.
Infiniti is expected to release more information on the G35 this Monday to
concide with the announcement of the new Skyline in Japan. Stay tuned to
FreshAlloy.com for the latest news!
Below are some teaser pics from our Japanese source of the new Skyline (G35)...
06-03-01 Who says that Infiniti is only a North
American brand? While archrival Toyota has been establishing Lexus as a luxury
brand here and begining the process in Europe, some would say Nissan's Infiniti
division has been a few steps behind. It's no secret that Nissan wants to
eventually introduce Infiniti to other regions. However, Nissan North America
officials have been cautious in talking about this topic.
We recently stumbled across an official
Infiniti site for the Middle East; specifically the oil-rich countries of
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain. While the Middle East isn't any where near
the size as the European auto market, it's interesting that Nissan chose to
spend the effort to build this relatively small site. This site only features
two vehicles; the 2002 Q45 and 2001 QX4; two of Infiniti's strongest offerings.
Also of note is that the new Q45 is being offered in Hong Kong as the Inifniti
Q45 and not the Japanese market Cima name. The car is being sold as right hand
drive model, perhaps a first for Inifniti name brand. Also expect the Q45 to
arrive in Singapore soon. Could it be that Inifnit is slowly tentacling it's way
across the globe?
Some other trivia: Nissan offered the previous A32 platform Maxima as the
Inifniti I30 in Taiwan but the advent of the new A33 caused the I30 nameplate to
be dropped; But it was re-born as the Cefiro (the I30's virtual twin in Japan).
Interestingly enough the U.S. body style Maxima is offered along with the Cefiro
but the Maxima positioned as a high performance sedan versus the Cefiro's luxury
and elegance branding. And finally, the Infiniti I30 has been and continues to
be available in Turkey but Nissan's marketshare there is relatively small;
although Renault has an established history there.
06-03-01 Nissan said its North American sales fell 6.9%
in May to 63,042 vehicles. The Sentra leads sedan sales with 9,933 units, up
33.9% versus last year. Sedan sales rose 6.4%, but truck sales fell 22.1%. The
Altima posted sales of 13,374 units (slightly higher than last year) and Maxima
posted sales of 10,629 units (also slightly higher than last year).
Truck sales were down compared to last year. Frontier had sales of 8,818 units
(versus 9,742 units from last year). The Xterra reported sales of 6,882 (quite a
drop from last year's 9,000 units). Pathfinder recorded sales of 4,800 (versus
6,6163 units from last year). Lastly, the Quest posted 2,879 units (versus 4,560
units for last year).
The Infiniti division division reported Q45 sales at 686 units, a 99.4 percent
increase versus last year. The rest of it's vehicle line up didn't fare as well.
The I30 posted sales of 2,801 units, a 15.6% decrease versus last year while the
QX4 suv posted sales of 1,216 units, a 41.9% slide from last year. The G20
posted sales of 1,005 units, a 16.0% decrease versus last year. Overall the
Infiniti Division reported a 17.9 percent decrease versus last year.
Honda and Toyota enjoyed a fruitful month with respective gains of 5.4% and 9.7%
from last year. However, Ford, Chyrsler, and Isuzu joined the depressed sales
month club along with Nissan.
05-18-01 A lot of readers have emailed us in the past few
weeks asking about the upcoming 2002 Maxima. Here's what we know from various
sources. A lot of clues can be derived from it's twin or cousin, the Infiniti
I35. Official specifications and details were released for this car a few weeks
back at the New York auto show.
Both the 2002 I35 and Maxima models will definitely have the 3.5L VQ V-6
engines. In I35 trim with a beefed up standard automatic transmission, it's good
for 260 horsepower and 246 lb-ft of torque. Maximas equipped with the same
automatic transmission should be rated for that amount or a bit less (to keep
the Infiniti higher up on the totem pole). The real magic should be if Nissan
continues its sports sedan icon reputation with a manual transmission.
With the new Sentra SE-R getting a 6 speed manual, who knows? Maybe the Maxima
will get a 6 speed as well. But who knows if Nissan is going to put in the time
and money, considering there's only one more model year after 2002 in this
current platform. There have been strong rumors that Honda's Acura division is
to offer a 6 speed manual with in it's four door 3.2 TL Type S. Don't forget the
horsepower bragging rights; could a 2002 manual transmission Maxima offer
perhaps even more power than 260 bhp? Purists would lament at the fact that a
front drive car should even have this much power.
Speculation aside, we know the new Maxima will have a refreshed exterior and
interior. Expect an in dash 6 disc changer with the optional Bose system. The
new Maxima will have sets of new alloy wheel style options, improved brakes, and
larger stabilizer bars. There's also the possibility of an optional GPS
navigation system which blends the Maxima into I35 territory but then again, top
of the line Pathfinders come with one.
We should have more concrete information by late summer. Stay tuned to
FreshAlloy.com
05-18-01 We were fortunate enough to get a copy
of Carlos Ghosn's speech
at yesterday's year 2000 financial report press conference. Even though it's
quite long, those of you follow Nissan's business and finanical progress will
find it quite interesting.
05-17-01 Call us crazy but we stayed up to watch Nissan's
live web cast. As analysts predicted, Nissan would report a profit; to be exact
"consolidated net profit after tax of 331.1 billion yen ($2.7 billion USD)."
The global market conditions were not kind as the volatile US Dollar and Euro to
Yen exchange rate absorbed $674.2 USD million of potential profit.
Highlights of the report include:
Increased sales to go back to
profitability, global sales still increased 4.0% from 2.530 million to 2.632
million units. Nissan reported sales of 6,090 billion yen ($49.1 billion USD).
Ironically, Nissan's weakest market is Japan where the company sold 733,000
units, down 3.6%. In North America (USA and Canada) volume rose 5.3% to 793,000
vehicles despite a softer U.S. market in the second half. Sales in the extremely
competitive Europe increased 3.5% to 533,000 units from last year. Sales in
other global markets totaled 573,000 units, up 14.1%, including a 28.3% increase
in Mexico.
Nissan can almost re-claim it's title as Japan's second largest automaker, as
it sold more cars worldwide than Honda last year. However Nissan's revenues
still trail Honda.
Nissan also reduced purchasing costs by 11% with close cooperation from it's
suppliers. Those who were not able to reduce help costs were cut. Ghosn said the
company reduced parts suppliers by 30% and its service suppliers by 40%.
Moreover, Nissan now owns shares in only 33 parts companies, down from 113. The
remainder of these shares will be sold this year, Ghosn said.
Ghosn's speech was insightful and passionate.
He said, "We are not ready to cast off the mindset of an underdog. We have
moved from the emergency room to the recovery room...We are as passionate about
our current achievements as we are about our future goals."
To view Carlos Ghosn's speech, click
here (added 5-18-01)
To view Nissan's official press release, click
here.
To view Nissan's visual presentation, click
here.
To view Nissan's financial results web cast, click
here.
05-16-01 Nissan will release their 2000 year financial
results tonight at 11:30 pm PST (3:30 pm Japan time). Analysts expect
Nissan to report a profit of $2.3 billion USD which is quite an improvement over
the net loss of $6.4 billion for the previous year.
As part of the Nissan Revival Program (NRP), the company has begun to develop
more attractive vehicles, lower parts and operating overhead, and rebuild a
strong brand identity. Nissan president Carlos Ghosn has vowed that Nissan will
become a profitable company otherwise he would step down. Last Thursday, Nissan
also announced plans to boost global auto sales to 3.6 million units by 2006, up
1 million from the current level.
To view Nissan's live financial results web cast, click
here.
05-07-01 Everyone laments the fact that Nissan was an
icon for Japanese manufacturing prowess but the mid-90s marked a dark period for
the manufacturer. Here's a good article
from the Detroit News with a bit of insight and commentary thrown in about
Nissan's obsession with automation and high tech manufacturing.
04-24-01 There's been a lot of talk about the
fuel economy of the new 2002 Altima in our community forums; No wonder, with gas
prices nearing the two dollar mark.
Nissan's press materials states: "A 20 gallon fuel tank provides a long
range between fill ups - 400 miles for the 4-cylinder and 360 miles for the V6
model (EPA highway mileage)." Using a handy calculator, we figure that
would mean the 4-cylinder QR25DE averages at 20 mpg while the V-6 VQ35DE
averages at 18 mpg.
We think Nissan is being extremely conservative with the numbers and doesn't
want to reveal better numbers until the near release of the car.
Note that Nissan went on a crusade against heft and weight utilizing aluminum
for the hood, trunk, and some front suspension components. We predict the car
will weigh in around 3,200 pounds even though it is larger than the current
Maxima. One source indicates that the 4-cylinder Altimas will probably average
around 28-32 mpg for those who aren't lead-footed as others. As for the V-6,
expect a more palatable 25 mpg for highway driving.
04-22-01 Here are some excerpts from a Japanese
business newspaper article written by Nissan President, Carlos Ghosn. The
article focuses mainly on Japan's current economic woes...
"The Japanese are
facing a bad economic situation, but I have no doubts that the Japanese
are capable of quickly resolving their problems.
Media and analysts in the United States and Europe often criticize Japan
for being slow in undertaking reforms, but I don't agree with such
criticism.
I came to work in Japan two years ago, when I drew up a plan to
revitalize Nissan Motor, which was ladened with deficits. The speed with
which the plan was executed demonstrated how quickly the Japanese can
respond to situations and implement reforms."
"In Japan, people
take longer to come up with ideas and make decisions, but they are
extremely quick and efficient when it comes to deployment and execution.
On the other hand, people in France are quicker at making decisions, but
the deployment and execution of these decisions are more chaotic and
take longer."
Ghosn goes onto say that that while he thinks "stability in leadership is
important" but change is important as well. He adds, "Even I do not
know whether I will be able to contribute to Nissan in three or five years. I
believe it is necessary to change leaders once in a while."
04-13-01 Infiniti's new tag line, Accelerating the Future, marks a new direction and
velocity for Nissan's luxury brand. Infiniti has just released a radically new
Q45 and stylishly souped I35. Also two new SUVs, a full size SUV and a smaller
crossover based on the FX45 were announced at the New York Autoshow. Don't
forget the XVL concept based sports sedan and possibly another even sportier
rear wheel drive sedan.
04-11-01 The wait is over! Months of rumors and speculation have ended. Nissan
unveiled the 2003 Altima at the New York Auto Show. Does the new Altima marks
the rebirth of Nissan's breakthrough sedan?
04-08-01 Infiniti's first sponsored IRL event didn't produce any victories for it's
name-sake. but it was a proving ground for the new Infiniti 35A engines. Eddie
Cheever Jr. finished the race in 9th place while Robbie Buhl's car suffered
electrical problems early in the race.
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