Nissan Ellure Concept

Revitalizing the sedan isn’t anything new to Nissan — just three years ago it introduced the current seventh-generation Maxima as the new age affordable “four-door sports car” (or 4DSC) fit for mall sprees and canyon runs. Even still, Nissan’s design leaders say, the well-aged segment remains bland.

For 2010 and beyond, there is a need for the sedan (otherwise known as the “rational or functional choice”, Nissan Design America vice president Alfonso Albaisa explained) to evolve into a vehicle with “more emotion”.

“A new customer is coming into this mature segment,” Albaisa mentioned at a private media gathering. Said customer is no longer predominantly male and in need of an athletic everyday people mover.

“She’s between 30 and 40 years old,” the designer revealed. “She’s always respected the sedan, but she might be one that has a crossover or something else. The sedan has a value, but she thinks the sedan has become boring.”

Shiro Nakamura, Nissan senior vice president and chief creative officer (the main man in charge of all Nissan/Infiniti design), agrees. “Nissan crossovers are expressive. We’re trying to bring expression to the sedan.”

Under Nakamura-san’s guidance, everything also adheres to the “Spirit of Iki”. “Iki is the traditional Japanese way of expression,” he said. “(It is) fashionable, but not too showy. It has been used for over 500 years in Tokyo — mainly for common people.”

With that entire mindset, the automaker’s design houses in Kanagawa, Japan and San Diego, California collaborated to create the Ellure concept you see here.

Although completely fresh, its modern physique remains distinctly Nissan with broad elements, strong shoulders, and well-hidden traits derived from Japanese culture. The tension, release, and interception of dynamic shapes plays a key role in the styling philosophy, too.

Crystalline LED lights are one trait designers employed to express a new emotion. Kinked, boomerang-shaped headlights look futuristic in a Tron sort of way and are matched with equally chiseled and drastically kinked LED taillights.

Nissan Leaf

While techies and sci-fi fans (yours truly included) may pine away for flying cars and the like, we’re not a major car-shopping demographic. As the recent firestorm surrounding the Chevrolet Volt demonstrated, your average consumers are interested in how comparable electric vehicles are to the gasoline-powered cars they already own. Because let’s be honest, buying an electric car requires a lifestyle change, with things like recharging, range, and maintenance. After 100-plus years of automobiles, we’re all very comfortable with the gasoline routine, and EVs represent a major departure from the familiar.

But they don’t have to, and that is the single most remarkable thing about the 2011 Nissan Leaf: It’s mostly unremarkable as a “Car of the Future.” And while that may seem like damning it with faint praise, it’s really the highest praise this car can be given. Nissan could’ve built a car that looked like it belonged in Star Wars, and four people would’ve bought it. Instead, it’s built a car that’s just different enough to stand out, but not enough to alienate potential buyers. As unfamiliar as the concept of a non-gasoline car may be to Joe Customer, the car itself is surprisingly familiar.

To make the point, Nissan invited us to drive the car in the towns and farms surrounding its Franklin, Tennessee, headquarters, and this time it would be a real drive. No more “take it around the block” quick tests. I strapped into a production-spec Leaf with a full battery and a guidebook that, after two driving loops, would take us on a 50-mile tour of central Tennessee. Time to find out what the Leaf is like in the real world…

At the risk of repeating myself, the Leaf proved to be quite ordinary. After 10 minutes of driving, the car felt completely normal, not unlike any other four-cylinder hatchback on the road. As amazing as that is, the lack of a learning curve was just as impressive. Sure, the touchiness of the regenerative brakes takes a bit of right-foot recalibration, and the silky smooth acceleration is something you won’t find in any gasoline-powered car short of a Rolls-Royce. But these differences fade quickly as you settle in. No special procedures or driving techniques are necessary; just drive it like you would any other car.

Nissan GT-R

It’s not often that we welcome a long-term tester so popular with staffers that it never remains parked overnight at our office. It’s even more rare for said tester to be a bona fide supercar, tried and proven as a legitimate Ferrari-Porsche-Lamborghini annihilator. Such was the case with our Super Silver Nissan GT-R Premium, which we enjoyed, flaunted, and admired every day of its yearlong test.

The GT-R’s popularity is understandable. Its storied lineage dates back more than four decades and includes all-wheel-drive monsters that ate up the competition — hence, the Godzilla nickname. Further, our long-termer’s combination of futuristic, controversial sheetmetal and spellbinding, Nurburgring-bred performance for well under $100,000 is indeed exceptional. The GT-R’s body drips with Japanese functionality, while paying homage to the natural world and famous ancestors. Most staffers considered themselves fans of the standout shape, which attracted innumerable stares, upturned thumbs, and shouts from balconies (really, that happened). A few, though, thought it too chunky for a sports car of such magnificent stature. Regardless of opinion, wherever it rolled, it made a bold statement.

There’s no denying the twin-turbocharged, 485-horsepower coupe is the consummate athlete: muscular in build, powerful in stance and vigor, and crafted specifically for constant physical exertion. We never grew tired of the 3.5-second 0-to-60-mph sprints this beast nonchalantly laid down, nor took for granted the unimaginable quickness of its six-speed twin-clutch transmission or the vice-like power from the racing-derived 15-inch Brembo brakes. Sure, there have been a few highly publicized instances of GT-R gearbox failure, but we experienced no trouble with our model’s unit after a year of tough driving, including about 40 full-bore acceleration launches. Let us repeat that last bit: no trouble at all.

We also never grew tired of its uncanny personality. As docile as a Sentra when trotting through town, the GT-R proved tame and collected when commanded, with none of the expected supercar demerits in terms of livability and usefulness. Click off a double-downshift with the slim magnesium left paddle, throw the GT-R into a corner, and its pent-up ferocity immediately transfers to its four huge Bridgestones. No other sports car at the GT-R’s price can match its utility and performance credentials.

Nissan Murano Pictures

Nissan Murano Pictures

2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept

2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept

At the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show also includes the LA Design Challenge, a competition that has asked automotive producers from around the world to create eco-conscious vehicles with a top design that weigh less than 1,000 pounds (454 kg).

In 2010, Nissan launched an innovative LEAF as the first mass production electric vehicle in the world, as well as a beginning for the future vision of zero emissions Nissan. Forward to 2035: electric vehicles and green technology infrastructure which matured into a fully sustainable dream, that brings to life.

2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept

Using industry-leading technology, Nissan iV maximize the driving experience by eliminating excess. Nissan makes deep longing and joy of driving with EV that can offer exciting and strikingly beautiful, fast performance with zero fault.

2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept

Infused with Nissan’s heritage of sports cars and performance, 2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept is a high-performance EV inspired by nature’s intelligent beauty and crafted by human ingenuity. The iV is a super-lightweight sports cars tourer that showcases “organic synthetics,” a revolutionary manufacturing technique in which automotive parts are cultivated like agriculture in a 100% sustainable, carbon-neutral process.

2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept

Every detail is the vehicle uses an interwoven organic frame, that is built from a biopolymer frame which mixes fast-growing ivy and re-enforced with spider silk composite. This allows the frame to be flexible and light, yet ultra-strong.

The 2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept seats four  and features a photo-voltaic rooftop, a slim bio-battery provides stability and regenerative capacitor technology that recoups 60% of kinetic energy spent.

The vehicle is powered by concentric hub-less in-wheel electric motors, which also acts as a suspension and steering, using magnetic levitation and propulsion. Concentric magnetic rings amplify rotation with each outer ring to boost high-speed performance and provide independent wheel control for ultimate handling and maneuverability.

2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept

Nissan’s president Carlos Ghosn has publicly said that the company’s success depends on its ability to develop and deploy electric vehicles that excite the masses. The 2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept is  part of Nissan’s zero emissions future. The Renault/Nissan partnership with Better Place will result in more than 100,000 battery-swap enabled sedans on the road in Israel and Denmark, with cars and charging infrastructure slated for Toronto, Hawaii and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Through superior technology, 2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept maximize the driving experience by eliminating the excess burden. Nissan will meet a deep longing for pleasure driving with beautiful electric car capable of providing satisfactory performance without the need to feel guilty.

2010 Nissan Sports Cars iv Concept

2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R (Japan Specs) Set For North American

The 2012 Nissan GT-R version of its flagship GT-R sports cars. This is designed to be one of the best models in automobile industry. Accordingly, the manufacturer has modified the front end along with strengthening the dashboard support area and the forward suspension. The GTR is said to be 3% more efficient than the earlier models. Yesterday, Nissan Motors offered up the full information on the Japanese version of the 2011 Nissan GT-R. Already one of the fastest cars in the world, the Nissan sports cars coupe receives a variety of improvements for 2011 (at least in the Japanese market) to help distance itself from the competition.

There are only subtle refinements made to the exterior of the latest Nissan GT-R supercar and while these changes might be hard to notice in traffic, the physical upgrades to the 2011 model year GT-R offer a 10% improvement in downforce and a decrease in drag. There is also a slightly refined interior with a new instrument panel and carbon fiber trim here and there but the big news is what is under the hood.

2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R (Japan Specs) Set For North American

For 2012, Nissan GT-R features improved engine output and torque, greater fuel efficiency, revised handling, a refreshed exterior with improved aerodynamics, revised interior treatment and new wheels and tires. The large number of enhancements for the new model year is part of the continuous advancement of the GT-R design, technology and performance since its debut.

Developed under the theme of offering the "world's best multi-performance and responsive driving pleasure," every area of the Nissan GT-R has been carefully rethought or retuned for 2012. The changes range from greater body stability and strength and improved aerodynamics performance to a sportier interior and enhanced performance.

The latest version of the potent Nissan GT-R goes on sale at select Nissan dealers in the United States and Canada early in the 2011 calendar year. Full details on the North American version of the Nissan GT-R will be available at the Los Angeles show in November.

Though exact specifications have yet to be released for the U.S. cars, horsepower and torque figures have been revealed for Japan market cars.  The updated 2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R (Japan Specs) Set For North American will be powered by the same twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6 offered in the current GT-R. However, the turbo's boost pressure has been increased, the intake and exhaust systems have been opened up to permit freer breathing, and the ECU has been tweaked to take advantage of these changes.

2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R (Japan Specs) Set For North American

The 2012 in the US market Nissan GT-R is powered by the same twin turbocharged 3.8L V6 that was offered in the current GT-R, an enlarged charge air intake pipe and an enlarged exhaust system combined with a recalibration of the car’s ECU, the 2011 GT-R will offer 523 horsepower and 451lb-ft of torque. This is a fair improvement over the output of the current models 485hp/434tq and this extra power could help the mighty GT-R move up the list of the fastest cars in the world (based on testing done at the famed Nürburgring in Germany). The 2011 Nissan GT-R will be the 2012 Nissan GT-R when it hits US shores next year.

2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R EGOIST Created by Takumi

Nissan announced the car would get an exclusive luxury package called EGOIST, which tacks on almost the cost of another GT-R to the price tag. Each customer can choose a combination of interior colors among 20 choices. EGOIST is the first and only Nissan GT-R in the world exclusively created by Takumi, or “master with greatest skills”. In addition, the Bose® sound system is exclusively tuned according to the driving position of each driver to meet every customer’s needs. This is the ultimate expression of the Nissan GT-R.

Egoist takes a dry carbon rear spoiler (also used in the SpecV). A stable aerodynamic performance even when driving with more than 300 kilometers per hour, rear spoiler gives an intense look in the back with black carbon paint.

Lightweight and highly rigid forged aluminum wheels, used in the SpecV to reduce unsprung weight and contribute to a smooth driving experience. Newly developed five layers Blue Sword Chrome Color Coating adopted. 2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R EGOIST Created by Takumi uses a Titanium exhaust system, also used in the SpecV, providing agile accelerator response and a clear, exhilarating exhaust sound.

2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R EGOIST Created by Takumi

Interior parts aired to attack Company, Inc. Muelheim an der Ruhr in Germany and leather master artificers run and stick a carefully selected by the player skin bridge. Inducts are exclusive designs coated with the single and double crochet patterns are incorporated in reticular approach. The high consistency of performance grip (suitable for driving racing circuit), a smooth and approve all provided. Nissan also says the parts are hand made in Germany to add a little prestige to the hyper-expensive rocket.

The new car will come with the pumped-up engine that will power next year’s Nissan Sport Cars GT-R. The twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6 will unleash 520 bhp at 6400 rpm to all four wheels, while weighing in about 60 lb. less than the current car, thanks to lighter weight parts throughout the body. Peak torque, estimated at 452 lb.-ft., will be reached from 3200 to 5200 rpm. This means the car will be quicker than the current GT-R. The 2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R EGOIST will also have a more compliant suspension (via revised spring rates and slightly different geometry at the rear), while still being able to keep up with cars on the track. The interior will also have numerous key “Egoist” touches.

The car will be delivered to customers in December. The price of the GT-R Egoist is set at about 14,000,000 yen or $150,000, roughly $50,000 more than a stock GT-R and about $10,000 less than a Spec V. The company plans to only sell about 10 cars per month. Nissan U.S.A. has offered no comment about the Egoist and maintains that the only GT-R the company will be selling in the U.S in 2011 is the stock one, so don’t expect the Egoist or Spec V to come this way anytime soon.

2012 Nissan Sport Cars GT-R EGOIST Created by Takumi

Nissan Sport Cars Concept Motivity 400C by Tryi Yeh Relies on Maglev

Faster, harder, stronger! The Nissan-Motivity 400C Sport Cars Concept by Tryi Yeh. The 400C has the Maglev engine system in each tire, making it quite floaty and speedy. The 400C has a wild, new triangle shape that reduces drag, while the driver seat controls retain their classic build. It is the latest creation of the brilliant visor and stunning feature characteristics from the side of Nissan by Tryi Yeh. But spreading his periphery, the Taiwanese designer has designed a car that takes you straight into the future.

Maglev, or magnetic levitation has been hailed as the future of high speed transportation since long, but the idea is predominantly based on trains. With the Motivity 400-C design proposal, designer Tryi Yeh intends to bring magnetic levitation from train tracks to roads.

Nissan Sport Cars Concept Motivity 400C by Tryi Yeh Relies on Maglev

This concept car uses maglev motor system that has made it even stronger with each deck, which allows great control, functionality and style. The triangle-shaped bode this car reduces drag of air, therefore, this car offers better acceleration and is able to save more power. Wheel was traditional, so the driver can have the ultimate driving experience.

A little more info on the Maglev concept: The use of the physical properties of magnetic fields generated by superconducting magnets to cause an object (as a vehicle) to float above a solid surface. Merriam Webster Dictionary ; This method has the potential to be faster, quieter and smoother than wheeled mass transit systems. The technology has the potential to exceed 4,000 mph (6,400 km/h) if deployed in an evacuated tunnel.

Nissan Sport Cars Concept Motivity 400C by Tryi Yeh Relies on Maglev. Also, it turns out that if you use the technology to its max potential and in an evacuated tunnel, you might even reach speeds up to 6,400 km/h. Of course, this is pure theory and one that applies to bullet trains on magnetic levitation tracks… 

Nissan Sport Cars Concept Motivity 400C by Tryi Yeh Relies on Maglev

2010 Nissan Sports Car 370Z Roadster

2010 Nissan Sports Car 370Z Roadster

Nissan announced its new sports car design and performance, the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster. The 370Z Roadster offers everything the hardtop 370Z Coupe does and more. 370Z Roadster comes with more classic open-air sports car driving excitement and more refinement than any Z convertible that has ever come before, including a standard automatic latching power top and Nissan Intelligent KeyTM. Also offered are an array of technology and convenience features, including the first-ever Z® Roadster-available heating and cooling ventilated net seats, satellite radio and advanced Nissan Navigation System. The new Z® Roaster is offered in two well-equipped models – 370Z Roadster and the 370Z Touring Roadster. Nissan Nissan 370Z Roadster Joins 370Z Coupe in Nissan Showrooms In Late Summer 2009.

2010 Nissan Sports Car 370Z Roadster

The wait is over, the Roadster is here and the 370Z line-up is even more exciting than ever. While the quality, performance and thrills of Nissan’s much loved Coupe have already made it a hit with sports car fans, the 370Z range is now complete following the arrival of the stunning Roadster version. Anyone wanting the ultimate wind-in-the-hair performance will have a choice of two trim levels – the standard 370Z Roadster or the GT Pack. Crucially, all models come with the same 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine which is at the heart of every 370Z. Now compliant with the latest Euro 5 emissions regulations, the V6 packs a 328 PS punch to go with its glorious engine note.

2010 Nissan Sports Car 370Z Roadster

Even standard Roadster models come equipped with newly designed 18-inch alloy wheels, electrically adjustable seats, an engine start/stop button, Bluetooth connectivity with steering wheel mounted controls and Bi Xenon headlamps. Upgrade to the GT Pack and the list of standard kit grows to include black suede and leather seats, an 8 speaker BOSE audio system, 19-inch forged alloy wheels and cruise control. Every inch the understudy to the mighty GT-R supercar, the 370Z’s performance is far from diluted in Roadster form.

2010 Nissan Sports Car 370Z Roadster

Best of all, this can all be experienced with the roof down. The Roadster’s black hood not only gives an authentic convertible look and feel, but its shape has been styled to look great up or down. The one motion closed-to-open movement takes around 20 seconds and a specially developed full body-colour hard tonneau cover helps to eliminate wind turbulence at speed.

2010 Nissan Sports Car 370Z Roadster

Prices start at £29,900 for the 370Z Roadster and rise to £36,150 for the Roadster GT Pack with Sat Nav. A full price list can be found below.

2010 Nissan Sports Car 370Z Roadster

The launch of the 370Z Roadster also marks the arrival of the 2010 model year Coupe. In addition to the engine tweaks bringing its V6 powerplant in line with the latest environmental regulations, the Z is now available with Uphill Start Support to make getting the best out of the sporty Nissan even more stress-free (not fitted on the standard model).