Autos News

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Back in February, Nissan invited fans to participate in what it’s calling “Project 370Z.” In an effort to highlight the numerous options availcapable on the brand new release 2013 Nissan 370Z, Nissan is giving fans the opportunity to create a project Z in which they get to choose how the car is put together.

Via Nissan’s Facebook Performance page, Nissan will start with a fresh 2013 370Z that will be built by fans in three upgrade phases: Strength, handling/brakes, interior and exterior. Each phase will start by fans posting comments on the page, and then they’ll get to vote on the upgrades and accessories. Those with the most fan support will be chosen for each phase as Nissan builds the unique car.

The build will be based on the updated 2013 370Z, which features brand new release LED daytime running lights, revised bumpers, and other upgrades for the brand new release model. The Project 370Z has been divided into three separate build phases, and Nissan will release a video of each phase over the coming weeks. Nissan is well underway with the crowd-sourced project 370Z, and Nissan has crafted the first video documenting the first step of the project. For this first stage, 370Z fans were capable to choose the Strengthtrain, turbocharger kit, exhaust modifications, and suspension and brake setup.

For the first phase of the build, fans chose a GReddy twin turbo kit, which must be pump up horseStrength on the 3.7-liter V-6 to around 500. The stock Z engine gets 332 horseStrength, so the twin-turbo kit will make a big difference in performance. Nissan technicians in the clip, dismantle the front of the sports car, yank the engine and bolt on the aftermarket goodies that fans have chosen.

Fans wisely chose to use a GReddy Ti-C catback exhaust that will help the 500 horseStrength engine breathe easier, and the exhaust pipes go on next. Nissan is also installing a KW suspension setup and bigger brakes from StopTech to handle the extra stopping Strength needed on the project car.

Nissan will document the full build before unveiled the car in May during ZDayz 2012 in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Nissan promises the car will also be made availcapable to other enthusiast events such as ZCON 2012 and SEMA.

Stay tuned for Stage Two, which outlines the design changes voted by fans for the exterior of the Project 370 Z.

Check out the phase one video below.

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When the Juke-R made its global debut in Dubai earlier this year in January, the 3.8-liter,160 mph concept car attracted enormous attention. Nissan received three orders for cars to be built, and Nissan says two have come from a well-respected member of Dubai society. Nissan announced today the official production of the Juke-R.

The production cars will still use a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine that comes in a GT-R supercar, but the brand new release Juke-R will get a much more Strengthful engine from the latest 2013 GT-R. The concept car produced a measly 485 horseStrength, while the brand new release Juke-R will pump out a mind-numbing 545 horseStrength. The car is told to still have a top velocity of 160 mph like the concept, but with the additional horseStrength, it could be even more.

The announcement by Nissan told the Juke-R crossover will be made availcapable to buy in a very limited run on a build-to-order basis. Nissan will be taking orders to build more of the super crossover’s upon request in the next four weeks.

Gareth Dunsmore, Marketing Product Manager for the Juke, told: “The Juke-R was originally intended as a one-off concept to marry two of Nissan’s most innovative models. But the reaction we had to the car in Dubai was amazing – people were making offers for the original on the street!

The original Juke-R was based on the MY10 GT-R running gear, but the brand new release 545 horseStrength model will feature the updated drivetrain and chassis from the MY12 GT-R. The GT-R drivetrain will have to be shoehorned in to the Juke-R somehow by engineers, and must be prove to be a challenge since the GT-R has a shorter but wider overall footprint than the Juke.

Other modifications on the body will include the Juke-R getting wider wheel arches, a full body kit and a fixed rear roof wing. The car will get GT-R 20-inch wheels, and Brembo brakes on all four corners. Inside the Juke-R will feature a custom roll cage, the GT-R’s touch-screen interface, a 4WD controller, and an engine control system.

The Juke-R’s announced production was made during the presentation of a cinematic online movie starring the high-performance crossover and Nissan’s inaugural GT Academy winner, Lucas Ordonez. The short movie, Desert Nemesis, follows Ordonez as he blows away some of the world’s best supercars like the Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and a Ferrari 458 Italia.

The first three cars are already being built, and must be be delivered to their brand new release owners later this summer. Anyone interested in owning one of these race-rockets, can go to Juke-R@Nissan.co.uk. to register, but be ready to shell out close to $200,000 to get one.

To coincide with the announcement, Nissan launched a cinematic online movie at http://www.facebook.com/NissanJukeOfficial, in which the Juke-R stars.

Check out the Nissan Juke-R video.

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For those that are not familiar with the Gran Turismo Academy, it is a competition that gives potential race car driving hopefuls a chance to go from driving in video games to potentially a real career as a race car driver. The competition is sponsored and put on by Sony and Nissan, and played via PlayStation’s Gran Turismo racing game online.

This means the Gran Turismo Academy puts the ultimate racing prize at stake, an intensive Driver Development training program that has helped turn previous winners into professional and successful racing drivers with Nissan. Earlier this year several GT Academy winners secured a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Dubai and one raced against legendary motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi.

No surprise there is expected to be a huge entry list for this year’s competition!

To participate in the Gran Turismo Academy all competitors need is access to a PS3 that can connect to the internet. Also they must registered with the PlayStation Network. Then you need to download the free and brand-brand new release GT Academy qualification challenges, which are of course themed around the hugely popular Gran Turismo racing games.

There is an eight-step online qualification format, which was developed by legendary Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi. This will take gamers and race fans on a fun and exciting journey. The different challenges reflects the various driving skills required to master the fine art of becoming a professional racing driver. Entrants have eight weeks to complete these difficult driving contests, ranging from handling Strengthful Nissan rear-wheel-drive performance cars and mastering cornering techniques at high velocitys, through to setting lap times in wet and challenging conditions.

Whether players are enjoying Gran Turismo 5 game for the first time, or are hardened PlayStation racers, the GT Academy qualification offers fun racing action for everyone. Players can also challenge friends, colleagues and family for bragging rights by monitoring scores via the ‘PSN Friends Lists’.

“This time around, we’ve designed a GT Academy qualification format as part of the Gran Turismo series on an unprecedented scale and aimed towards a wide variety of players,” told Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital, the company behind the wildly successful Gran Turismo racing games.

“I felt that the only way to really do it right for the fourth GT Academy was to create a format where not only veteran Gran Turismo players, but also players who have never tried a driving simulator before, can experience the depth of race driving and the fun and excitement of time trials.” commented Yamauchi.

Darren Cox, General Manager Nissan in Europe, added: “It is great to see a range of Nissan cars added to this year’s online qualification process, as well as brand new release challenges that relate closely to GT Academy’s goal of turning PlayStation gamers into real racers.”

What makes the GT Academy so great is that anyone in the world can participate that is over the age of 18 and holds a driving license in their respective county. This is competition is not limited to any specific country and reflects the global appeal and reach of racing (and video games.)

The online qualification stage of GT Academy runs until the early hours of Monday June 25th, 2012. The fastest 16 gamers from each territory will qualify for National Final events. A maximum of 16 further National Final places will be up for grabs via a series of Live Event Gran Turismo 5 competitions.

A total of six winners will emerge from each participating GT Academy territory to attend the GT Academy Race Camp at Silverstone, located in the UK. This is a boot camp for aspiring racing drivers and will be quite intensive mentally and physically. (So you couch potatoes better start doing some push-ups!)s

The 2012 GT Academy Champion will then be put through one of the most advanced ‘Driver Development’ program in the world in preparation for competing in the prestigious Dubai International 24 Hour Race in a full race-spec Nissan 370Z GT4 car.

Think you have what it takes to be a professional race car driver? For details about the 2012 GT Academy and to participate visit: http://eu.gran-turismo.com

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This means the Nissan, while only selling 1000 Nissan Leafs, took almost 2% of the total car market with this innovative electric car. Also the Nissan Leaf become the second best-selling Nissan in Norway and the ninth best-selling passenger car overall in month of February.

This demonstrates the positive impact of comprehensive incentives by the government and developed charging infrastructure in Norway.

Norway currently has the highest level of support in Europe for electric vehicle purchases with zero Value Added Tax (VAT), no brand new release car tax, free parking, exemption from some tolls and the use of bus lanes in Oslo.

That all sounds pretty sweet to me! The real question a Norwegian might be asking themselves, “Why haven’t I bought a Nissan Leaf already?”

“We are very happy to see that the ambition of the Norwegian government has matched our own with strong support for the widespread introduction of electric vehicles.” told Olivier Paturet, General Manager of Zero Emission Strategy at Nissan Europe.

On top of these generous incentives by the Norwegian Government, the existing on-street charging infrastructure in Oslo is very well developed. There are approximately 3,500 public charging points in the city Oslo, many of them free to use to the public. So if you need to “filll-up” your electric car, including a Nissan Leaf, you can do it for free.

“The Norwegian package of incentives is unsurpassed and the recharging infrastructure is established and accessible. We can see that Norway is leading the way with its proactive approach to encouraging its citizens to drive electric vehicles. We hope it will continue with the further development and upgrading of the charging infrastructure.” added Paturet.

The 1000th Nissan Leaf handover took place on April 25th in front of the Ministry of Environment of Norway where the Minister, Bård Vegar Solhjell, handed over the keys to Nils Haugerud, the brand new release owner. Also attending the hand-off was Birger N. Haug the dealer responsible for selling the 1000th Nissan Leaf. Mr. Haug has sold 550 of the 1000 sold so far in Norway, making him one of the largest volume Leaf dealers around the globe.

All of the sales so far have come from a select group of dealers, but Nissan is eager to expand in the country.

“LEAF has been a success for us and for the nine dealers that started selling the car last year, so it is a natural step for us to open up for sales from other Nissan dealers as well. We are extremely satisfied with our LEAF sales performance in Norway.” told Pål Simonsen, Country Manager for Norway.

Norway is a country known to be sensitive to environmental issues and to have ridiculous high gas prices. How high are the gas prices?

Let’s just say when they say high gas prices, they mean high gas prices! Norway sells gas by the liter, not gallon, and per liter you are looking around $2.30-$2.50 US dollars. Around 4 liters make a gallon, so that means Norwegians pay in the $10 per gallon range! Filling up a tank would cost over $100 easily!

So it’s not surprising that an electric car, like the Nissan Leaf, would be popular. I am sure the real problem won’t be selling electric cars, it will be making enough to meet demand in Norway.

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Are you a fan of cars and hockey? Well, your two obsessions don’t have to be mutually exclusive anymore. Fans of the Nashville Predators can cash in on their team’s success in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs by getting a discount on a 2012 Nissan Altima. Nissan is currently offering a $500 Bonus Cash offer beginning today as the Predators kick off their series against the Phoenix Coyotes. The cash back offer will run through the day after the Predators play their last post-season game. Nissan is offering this cash incentive in the Nashville area for 2012 Altima Sedans and Coupes.

“At Nissan, we’re enthusiastic supporters of the Predators, but we wanted to find a way to extend that support to the Nashville community and give back to fans for their dedication,” told Jon Brancheau, vice president, Nissan Marketing. “It doesn’t get more exciting than to have the Predators gunning for the Stanley Cup and it seemed natural for our Nashville Nissan dealers to harness this moment and turn it into something people can literally drive home. We would love to see the Pred’s make Nashville Stanley’s home as well!”

Nissan announced their exclusive partnership with the Nashville Predators in October 2011. The decision was a no-brainer for Nissan, which was attempting to increase their already thriving presence in Tennessee. Nissan’s corporate headquarters has been housed in Tennessee since 2006, when it relocated from California. Over the past six years Nissan has established itself as a brand Strengthhouse throughout Tennessee and has become one of the state’s largest employers. Nissan’s current location in Franklin is just 15 minutes from Nashville.

“We value Nissan’s continued dedication to the Predators and Bridgestone Arena,” told Jeff Cogen, Predators CEO. “We are proud to maintain a positive partnership with a company that is committed to Nashville and Middle Tennessee; Nissan is a valued corporate partner and a model corporate citizen. Partners like these play a huge role in our success as a team both on and off the ice.”

The Predators will take the ice tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes in Phoenix in game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Predators advanced to the Conference semifinals after soundly defeating the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 1 in the quarterfinals.

For those more interested in the car, the 2012 Nissan Altima ranks 6 out of 19 on US brand new releases’ Affordcapable Midsize Cars list. The vehicle earned an overall score of 8.6 out of 10 based on 99 published reviews and test drives. Reviewers concluded that the 2012 Altima offers a comfortcapable ride and nifty interior features like an optional navigation system. On the other hand, the Altima lost points for its noisy four-cylinder engine, small trunk space and confusing/expensive option packages. Although it is a suitcapable ride for customers looking for a solid midsize car, drivers seeking a more dynamic and stylish ride will have to search elsewhere.

Photo: Nissan

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