Episode #268 of the Autoblog Podcast is here with Chris, Dan, and Zach. Topics include our favorite automotive Superbowl commercials, the pre-Geneva preview of the Fiat 500L, Honda losing a small-claims lawsuit over Civic Hybrid fuel economy numbers, and self-driving LeMons cars. Your questions and comments power the end of the 'cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We've embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #268:
Superbowl Ads
Fiat 500L previewed
Honda loses Civic Hybrid lawsuit
Driverless cars in 24 hrs of LeMons
In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Jeep Compass Latitude
2012 Nissan Maxima
Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman
Runtime: 01:32:17
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Nissan is busily putting the 2013 Altima prototype through its paces ahead of the vehicle's debut later this year and spy photographers spotted the vehicle on public streets wearing a new vinyl wrap designed to obfuscate the model's lines. Even so, we can clearly see a few more details about the upcoming sedan.
From the looks of things, the vehicle received more than a little inspiration from the Nissan Ellure Concept. With a contoured body line and headlights borrowed from the 370Z, the vehicle looks to have quite a bit more personality than in years past. Additionally, the same boomerang line found in the headlight housings also look to be transposed on to the vehicle's C pillars and tail lamps, though the look isn't as exaggerated as we saw on the Ellure.
The photogs also garnered a glimpse into the vehicle's cabin, giving us the first look at the dash in the 2013 Altima. The sedan will likely come with the same intelligent key system found elsewhere in the Nissan line, and the center stack and steering wheel have seen some love as well. Word has it the Altima will debut with a new hybrid drivetrain that makes use of a an electric motor paired with a supercharged four-cylinder engine and a lithium-ion battery pack.
Nissan will officially debut its 2013 370Z tomorrow at the Chicago Auto Show, and the changes fulfill the dictionary definition of "subtle." The new 19-inch wheels and Euro-tuned shocks on models with the Sport Package are the big news, but details like vertical LEDs, 18-inch wheels on the non-Sport Z, two new colors and a red reflector out back add just enough signals to make a difference to model-year-conscious buyers.
The refreshed 2013 370Z will come in coupe, convertible and NISMO trims, with the latter iteration getting more speakers for its Bose audio system. Oddly, though, that same trim does not get some of the changes for the new model year, including the Euro-tuned shocks that will debut on the Sport Package.
The 3.7-liter V6 with 332 horsepower carries over, as does the same 3.7-liter with 350 horsepower in the NISMO, and the new Z goes on sale in June. Check out the press release after the jump, and stay tuned to get more images and info from our team at the Chicago Auto Show.
Continue reading 2013 Nissan 370Z goes evolution, not revolution
Nissan doesn't compete in Formula One. It doesn't field a top-tier LMP1 team at Le Mans. It doesn't race in NASCAR, IndyCar or the World Rally Championship. Yet the Japanese automaker doesn't have to stretch all that far to make the association between its brand and racing. It does, after all, offer competition versions of its GT-R and 370Z for use in a number of sportscar racing series around the world. But where it really shines is in the LMP2 category.
Slotting just below LMP1s like the Audi R18, new Toyota TS030 and the lamentably departed Peugeot 908, LMP2 racers are purpose-built for endurance racing at Le Mans and related events, but tend to be fielded by privateer teams. And the vast majority of them opt for Nissan engines.
In fact, 11 out of the 18 LMP2 cars that will be on the grid at this year's running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will powered by the 3.4-liter VK-series V8 engine which Nismo (the company's motorsport division) developed specifically for this application. And in the broader FIA World Endurance Championship (running for the first time this year), six out of nine will be powered by Nissan - the rest using Honda, Judd or Lotus-prepared BMW engines.
With those kinds of odds, our money's on Nissan taking the prize once again. Follow the jump for the press release.
Continue reading Nissan power dominates LMP2 category in endurance racing
Nissan is partnering with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) to create an all new Spec Z Series that promises low costs and performance parity. The single classification series will feature 350Z models from 2003 to 2008, and prizes that part-time track warriors can really get behind.
At the regional level, podium finishers can earn up to $850 in prize money. Further, Nissan will pony up $6,500 in cash support for top Spec Z finishers at the 2012 NASA Championships. Further support will come from BFGoodrich, which will be the control tire for the series and will back a contingency price program for Spec Z.
Hit the jump to read over the Nissan press release, which includes a link that will provide still more information on the Spec Z series.
Continue reading Nissan and NASA announce 350Z-based spec series
Nissan is headed to the Geneva Motor Show in March with a brand new hatchback concept. Called Invitation, this five-door should give us an idea of what the Japanese manufacturer has planned for its next B-segment contender. The concept borrows a bit from the likes of the Honda Fit, though that's no bad thing. With a clean, athletic design, the Invitation is a refreshing break from some of the automaker's more questionable exteriors.
Nissan hasn't divulged any drivetrain details as of yet, though the company has said each of the Invitation derivatives will be eligible to wear the company's Pure Drive badge. That means the production-version Invitation will be among the most efficient and economical vehicles Nissan produces. We do know the hatch will boast the ever-cool around-view monitor system along with a full slate of tech goodies. Hit the jump for the full press release and be sure to keep an eye open for our Geneva show coverage of the concept's official unveiling.
Continue reading Nissan Invitation Concept peeks out ahead of Geneva debut [w/video]
Volkswagen has the honor of being this year's top producing North American automotive manufacturer by a wide margin with its Puebla, Mexico facility. The factory managed to produce 510,041 units last year, beating out second-place Nissan and its Aguascalientes, Mexico plant by a staggering 149,245 units, according to Ward's Auto. Nissan jumped from third to second place after Toyota and its Georgetown plant dropped from the top five. Toyota and Honda both saw themselves ousted from the leader board after a year pockmarked by disruptions from earthquake and tsunami activity in Japan and flooding in Thailand.
The Japanese automakers' vacancies made room for Hyundai and its facility in Montgomery, Alabama with 338,127 units to take fourth place. Ford, meanwhile, moved from fifth in 2010 to third in 2011 with 344,446 units from its Dearborn Truck plant. Nissan rounded out the top five last year with the company's plant in Smyrna, Tennessee taking the automaker's second spot on the list.
Ward's Auto reports Volkswagen enjoyed a boost from the popularity of the Jetta. That model alone helped push the company's Puebla facility to a 75,356 unit gain over last year's figures. Head over to Ward's to see the full report.
During the automaker's Quality Forum, reporters were told that Nissan had reduced "nonconforming deliveries," a euphemism for bad batches of parts from vendors, by 85 percent from 2007 to 2011. Yet problems remain, according to a report in Automotive News, with suppliers in North America - both the U.S. and Mexico - who account for 70 percent of Nissan's global nonconforming deliveries.
That statistic presents another challenge to Nissan's North American expansion plans. The company built a quarter of its global production here last year and it just announced a new complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Additionally, it has already confirmed a deal to build engines for Daimler and it has already suggested that it and Daimler will do more than just cooperate on small cars.
Nissan hasn't named suppliers, nor did it get into the kinds of issues it was having. It also isn't immediately clear what - if any - of these "nonconforming" parts are being assembled into vehicles that are shipped to dealers without getting flagged at a quality checkpoint somewhere along the assembly process. Even if all of the bad parts are caught ahead of delivery to customers, remedying the problem is likely to be costly and time-consuming.
Even so, Nissan is on the case, with AN reporting that the Japanese automaker has already cut the rate of nonconfirming deliveries by 85 percent globally since 2007.
When is a Nissan Juke not a Nissan Juke? When it's the 480-horsepower, Godzilla-powered Juke-R, that's when. Then it's a supercar-beater. And to prove the point, Nissan UK took its one-off super-crossover down to Dubai for a little street racing action.
So what did Nissan pit its Juke-R against? No, not other crossovers, but a pack of the leanest, meanest supercars on the market: the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. We first saw video footage shot from the sidelines a couple of weeks ago, but since the publicity stunt proved so popular, Nissan responded by releasing an official, high-quality version, complete with in-car footage and plenty of tire squealing. Follow the jump to check it out.
Continue reading Nissan releases official footage of Juke-R supercar street race in Dubai
The world would be considerably less entertaining if we could all predict the future. Even so, the classic car gurus at Hagerty Insurance have cast a few chicken bones in an attempt to figure out which vehicles produced today might eventually turn collectible.
The company restricted entrants to hardware with a price tag of less than $100,000, so the list isn't populated with too many wild exotics. While vehicles like the Nissan GT-R Black Edition, Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Porsche 911 are low-hanging fruit, the list also featured a few surprises.
For starters, it begins with none other than the mighty Buick Regal GS. Hagerty says the vehicle is a win because it's the first Buick with a manual transmission since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. The Fiat 500 Abarth also makes an appearance alongside an even hotter hatch, the Volkswagen Golf R. Of course, we're simply thrilled to see the sinister Audi TT RS make a showing. Hit the jump for the full list or view each vehicle in our gallery above.
Continue reading Hagerty predicts this year's future classics
