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Oh no they didn’t! LSD announces vertical door kit for the Nissan GT-R

Filed under: Aftermarket, Nissan

Nissan GT-R by LSD - Click above for a high-res image gallery

We suppose it was inevitable. At some point just about every kind of car is the unwilling recipient of Lambo doors, and the Nissan GT-R is no exception. German company LSD announced a new vertical door system to transform Nissan’s supercar into a winged Godzilla, available for a mere 1,949 euro. The kit includes a guided roller system that connects to the stock mounting point and a buffer system to prevent the doors from being opened too wide or from dropping down. According to LSD, the system also makes the GT-R an “absolute looker” and offers “more safety and more precise opening and closing of the door.” More details can be found in the press release after the jump.

[Source: LSD]

Continue reading Oh no they didn’t! LSD announces vertical door kit for the Nissan GT-R

Oh no they didn’t! LSD announces vertical door kit for the Nissan GT-R originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EX Phone Home: Nissan rebadges Infiniti EX as Skyline Crossover for JDM

Filed under: Japan, Crossovers/CUVs, Infiniti, Nissan

Enthusiasts couldn’t help but be disappointed when Nissan let slip that plans for a new Infiniti flagship sedan based on the all-conquering GT-R wouldn’t see the light of day. What you see here is just the opposite: an Infiniti re-labeled as a Skyline.

Truth be told, although the previous Skyline GT-R was one model, the two nameplates have been separated for years now in the Japanese domestic market: The Japanese domestic market Skyline is what we know as the Infiniti G37 coupe and sedan (like the G35 before it). What you see here, then, is just more of the same: the Nissan Skyline Crossover, an exercise in badge engineering to bring the niche model Infiniti EX crossover back home.

Nissan has released little in the way of details, but don’t expect any big changes over the Euro-spec EX37, with the latest VQ37VHR version of the company’s highly-rated V6 offering up 310 horsepower. So if you’ve ever woken up in a cold sweat wondering what an Infiniti EX would look like with a Nissan badge on its grille, check out the pair of images below, along with the press release after the jump.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading EX Phone Home: Nissan rebadges Infiniti EX as Skyline Crossover for JDM

EX Phone Home: Nissan rebadges Infiniti EX as Skyline Crossover for JDM originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Revised Nissan GT-R clocks 7:27.56 lap time at the Nürburgring

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Nissan

Enough is never enough. Not when you’re talking supercars and Nürburgring lap times. As if enough jaws weren’t dropped when Nissan posted their fantastic initial time of 7:29 around the vaunted Nordschleife (besting Porsche’s best), the automaker’s engineers went back to the garage looking for a little extra for 2010. They came back with a slightly updated version, with five extra horsepower and revised dual-clutch transmission with updated launch control, plus a bigger fuel tank, new tires and a retuned suspension. So what effect would these modifications have on the GT-R’s ‘Ring run? About a second and a half off the record, which now stands for the Japanese supercar at an awe-inspiring 7:27.56.

According to Nissan, the time was posted using a 2010 GT-R with the optional V-Spec wheels and tires, driven by former F1 tester Toshio Suzuki. Fantastic as that time is, it’s still another second short of the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s 7:26.4 (to say nothing of the Dodge Viper ACR’s 7:22.1), so Nissan will be back at it. And without the dirt and dust which the Japanese team says was coating the track to impede its lap time, they figure they just might find enough extra speed to claim the record. Details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Revised Nissan GT-R clocks 7:27.56 lap time at the Nürburgring

Revised Nissan GT-R clocks 7:27.56 lap time at the Nürburgring originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2009 Nissan Maxima, return of the four-door sports car?

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Nissan

Once upon a time, labeling anything other than a two-door, two-seater a “sports car” would have been anathema to enthusiasts. And calling a mid-size sedan by the same name would have been utterly absurd. But when Nissan originally slapped the 4DSC (”four-door sports car”) label on the Maxima 20 years ago, the automotive landscape was a very different place. Today, the sports sedan has been embraced by the masses, and with a series of “four-door coupes” hitting the market, consumers looking for an entertaining ride with seating for four have a host of options to choose from.

So when Nissan trotted out the all-new 2009 Maxima in New York last year and revived the 4DSC label, the automaker’s past successes weighed heavily on the redesigned sedan. Would it still deliver the power and handling of its predecessors or would it be just another poseur in a see of wannabe sports sedans? More to the point: is this really a sports car? Let’s find out.

Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2009 Nissan Maxima, return of the four-door sports car?

Review: 2009 Nissan Maxima, return of the four-door sports car? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Nissan slashing 370Z global sales hopes by two-thirds… or is it?

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Nissan

After strapping two separate Autobloggers behind the wheel of the 2009 Nissan 370Z, we feel completely justified in suggesting that the latest Z car is the best yet. It also performs rather well when compared to its closest competitors, and that includes the pricier Porsche Cayman. Regardless, the current gloomy state of the global economy is just as powerful at dictating sales levels as any given vehicle itself, regardless of how good it may be. This being the case, nearly every automaker has adjusted its sales expectations downward from earlier projections.

According to Automotive News, Nissan initially planned to sell 30,000 370Z coupes globally, but it has since reduced its expectations by two-thirds. Of the 10,000 370Zs that AN says Nissan now hopes to sell in 2009, 7,000 would be destined for the United States and the remaining 3,000 units would be sold in Europe. The industry publication did not publish Japanese domestic market (JDM) sales predictions for the car (known locally as the Fairlady Z).

We thought those numbers seemed low, so we called Nissan USA for clarification. According to Darryll Harrison, manager of Nissan’s Product Public Relations Group, the Japanese automaker sold 1,452 Zs in the U.S. market (a small percentage of which were older 350Zs) in February and another 1,632 in March in the United States alone. That figure represents about 30% of America’s two-door, two-seat sports car market, sales of which generally pick up in the summer months. In other words, Nissan could actually sell well over 10,000 370Zs here in the U.S. in the 2009 calendar year.

[Source: Nissan, Automotive News - sub. req'd]

REPORT: Nissan slashing 370Z global sales hopes by two-thirds… or is it? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With Or Without You: Nissan reportedly commits to new Titan even if Dodge goes down

Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, LLC., Nissan

It’s comparatively old in the marketplace, its sales are down, and the Nissan Titan is/was slated to be replaced by a Dodge Ram-based replacement in 2011. Chrysler is distracted at the moment, trying to work out its government-mandated deal with Fiat, and Nissan is making contingency plans for the Titan in case its pickup hookup goes belly-up. PickupTrucks.com caught up with Larry Dominique, Nissan’s vice-president of product and advanced planning, at the New York Auto Show, who indicated that Nissan intends to continue offering a full size pickup truck even without a rebadged Ram.

Rather than give up, Nissan is prepared to extend Titan production at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi facility. Plans for the Ram-based next-generation are nearly complete, so Nissan would have to swing into action quickly to stay in the game, and Nissan says it can go it alone and design and build a new Titan if it has to. The most likely plan, should the planned Chrysler-based Titan fail to materialize, would be a revised and refreshed version of the current Titan to bridge the gap and attempt to bump sales.

The Titan’s sharp sales decline reflects a pickup market that’s brutally competitive, and the Titan, while pleasant and capable, has never managed to attain either the volume or the critical acclaim of most of its competitors. Nissan has adjusted production to meet demand, but reportedly say they could ramp up quickly if they can find a way to whip up sales excitement.

[Source:PickupTrucks.com]

With Or Without You: Nissan reportedly commits to new Titan even if Dodge goes down originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GT-R-powered Infiniti flagship officially canned

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Japan, Infiniti, Nissan

Any hope of a Nissan GT-R-powered flagship from Infiniti have been officially dashed. According to Brian Carolin, Nissan’s Senior Veep of Sales and Marketing, “It’s fair to say that there’s nothing in the product plan for a flagship right now. It’s just not a priority in today’s climate.”

Rumors of a new sedan packing the GT-R’s twin-turbocharged V6 and all-wheel drive system have been circulating for over a year, and when the Infiniti Essence concept debuted at the Geneva Motor Show this year, speculation began anew. The initial thought was Infiniti would bring a flagship coupe to market in favor of a sedan, but now, both plans have been shelved due to the current economic crisis and the subsequent downward spiral of luxury vehicle sales.

Carolin told Inside Line that dealers would have fallen all over each other for a new flagship last year, but “now it’s way down on their wish list.”

[Source: InsideLine | Image: Holiday Auto]

GT-R-powered Infiniti flagship officially canned originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Hennessey GTR700 rips 2.8s 0-60 with launch control off

Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Videos, Supercars, Nissan

Click above to watch a video of the Hennessey GTR700 run the 1/4 mile after the jump

You name it and John Hennessey will make it faster. From Vipers to Vettes to Challengers, Hennessey Performance will take competent sports cars and make them into tire-shredding speed demons with more horsepower than any street-going vehicle should ever logically have. The latest creation to come from the Texas tuner is the GTR700 based on the Nissan GT-R. The upgraded Godzilla now sports 715 horsepower and 662 lb-ft torque thanks to numerous modifications including a stainless steel exhaust system, new ECU programming, modified turbos with larger compressor wheels, 100mm cold air intake, high-flow fuel injectors, transmission cooler, clutch pack upgrades, and more. The result is stupefying. Sixty mph comes up in just 2.8 seconds, 100 mph in 6.7 seconds and 150 mph in 14.5 seconds. Compared to a stock GT-R, the GTR700 reaches 186 mph in less than half the time. Someone needs to take this thing to the Nurburgring. Hit the jump to watch the Hennessey GTR700 hit a full 1.0g during acceleration on its way to a 10.87 sec @ 132 mph quarter mile run.

Continue reading VIDEO: Hennessey GTR700 rips 2.8s 0-60 with launch control off

VIDEO: Hennessey GTR700 rips 2.8s 0-60 with launch control off originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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