Tan Chong confirms five new Nissan models for 2014

Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) has confirmed that there will be five new Nissan models launching this year in Malaysia, along with one new Infiniti model. This was announced by ETCM’s executive director Datuk David Chen at a Chinese New Year dinner with the media yesterday.

To identify the five, let’s start with the cars we know are coming. We predict that the new Teana and new Sylphy sedans will be part of lineup, and the facelifted Livina X-Gear should join its Grand Livina sibling this year, too.

That leaves two blanks, and one of it should be filled by the Nissan Note, which was previewed at KLIMS13. According to a report by Maybank Research, the Note will be launched by the end of 2014. We leave the final ‘coming soon’ model for you to guess.

In the premium corner, Inspired Motor is set to debut the Infiniti Q50, a sleek, tech-laden entry into the compact premium exec class dominated by stalwarts BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
ETCM achieved its highest ever annual sales in 2013 with 51,875 Nissans sold. The figure is 48% higher compared to 2012, helping Nissan maintain its No.2 position in the non-national segment behind Toyota and ahead of Honda. The Nissan Almera accounted for 57% of total sales, or 29,647 units.

Chen said that the roomy B-segment sedan is still top of its class in January 2014.

Nissan Frontier Diesel Runner Powered by Cummins

To give it its full name, this is the Nissan Frontier Diesel Runner Powered by Cummins. If you’re wondering why Nissan is putting a brand new engine into its ageing pickup truck, it’s not. This is merely a concept show vehicle to “gauge the market reaction to a Nissan mid-size pickup with a diesel engine” in the US of A.

You see, over in the States, so-called mid-size crew cab pickups (as opposed to their giant full-size ones) are powered almost exclusively by large-capacity petrol engines. The Frontier – the Nissan Navara’s US name – is no different, and has a 4.0 litre V6 petrol engine with 261 hp and 382 Nm of torque to call its own.

This concept, on the other hand, offers a Cummins 2.8 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel motor that makes nearly 200 hp and over 476 Nm of torque, paired to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission. Nissan claims that it’s 35% more efficient than the existing petrol variant, but with the same range of payload and towing capacity.

The 2.8 litre Cummins engine is available in Malaysia in the unlikeliest of sources – the Bison Savanna pickup truck. It’s not quite tuned to the same highs as the Nissan concept, though, as it delivers just 161 hp and 360 Nm of torque in the Chinese-built truck, while making do with a Getrag five-speed manual gearbox.

 

Other than the possibility of a future diesel-powered Frontier models making production, Cummins will also supply a significantly larger and more powerful 5.0 litre V8 turbodiesel engine for the next-generation Nissan Titan full-size pickup truck, which will enter the American markets in 2015.