Nissan sales jump 48% in 2013, maintains No.2 spot

Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) achieved its highest ever annual sales figure in 2013 with 51,875 Nissans sold. The 2013 total is 48% higher compared to the year before, helping Nissan maintain its No.2 position in the non-national segment.

“This is the second year that Nissan has gained the No.2 position in the non-national segment. We are pleased to know that Nissan is a well-accepted brand for its credibility and reliability in Malaysia. We would also like to take this opportunity to convey our sincere gratitude to all our loyal and supportive customers who helped in this achievement,” said Datuk David Chen, ETCM’s executive director.

No prizes for guessing that the main contributor is the Nissan Almera. The B-segment sedan accounted for 57% of total sales, or 29,647 units. Since its launch in Oct 2012, ETCM has shifted over 35,000 units of the Almera, which is priced from RM66,800. ETCM launched a Nismo Performance Package for the Almera at KLIMS13.

Almera aside, last year saw ETCM introduce the Nissan Serena S-Hybrid and Nissan Leaf electric car in our market, as well as refreshed versions of the Nissan Grand Livina MPV and Nissan Navara pick-up truck.

Nissan Almera facelift launched in Thailand

The facelifted Nissan Almera, which we showed you last year through some leaked spyshots from China, has been launched in Thailand. The update brings about reshaped headlamps, a revised front grille with four bars (pre-facelift has three bars), a new front bumper & chrome around the fog lamps.

There’re also new-design 15-inch alloys (lower-grade variants get 14s), a subtly-reworked rear bumper and a rear spoiler with integrated third brake lamp. Inside, you’ll find a new steering wheel (also seen on the Grand Livina), a redesigned centre stack trimmed in piano black and a 2-DIN 6.1-inch DVD touch-screen (higher grades only).

Nothing’s changed underneath – the Thai-market Almera is still powered by the CVTC-equipped 1.2 litre HR12DE three-cylinder engine (granting it Eco Car status). Output numbers are 79 PS at 6,000 rpm and 106 Nm at 4,400 rpm. The Malaysian Almera gets its motivation from a 1.5 litre HR15DE four-cylinder engine, also with CVTC, that develops 102 PS at 6,000 rpm and 139 Nm at 4,000 rpm.
S MT, E MT, E CVT, EL CVT, V CVT and VL CVT variants are available, priced between 433k and 608k baht (RM44k-62k). Dual airbags are standard across the range. Optional extras include LED indicator wing mirrors, a tailpipe finisher, chrome side mouldings and door visors.

Nissan unveils new 1.5 litre race engine with 400 hp

Remember the Nissan ZEOD RC Le Mans prototype race car unveiled last year? Well, you’re not likely to forget the way it looks, surely. This is the engine that will power it round the famed 24-hour race this year – Nissan’s new 1.5 litre three-cylinder turbo dubbed the DIG-T R.

It may not look like much, but it offers as much as 400 hp and 380 Nm of torque. And no, that’s not a professional weightlifter holding it up either; that’s Nismo President Shoichi Miyatani carrying the small 40 kg engine. It measures just 500 mm tall, 400 mm long and 200 mm wide.

The downsized engine – developed with Nissan’s lubricants partner Total – will not be the only motor powering the ZEOD RC. A single lap of each fuel stint (approximately one hour) will be 100% electric powered, after which the DIG-T R will take over.

Nissan claims that the petrol-powered race engine’s output of 10 hp per kilogramme beats the power-to-weight ratio of Formula 1’s new equally-turbocharged 1.6 litre V6 motors that will be used this year. For a small 1.5 litre three-pot, that’s not bad at all, eh?

Nissan NV200 Taxi for London unveiled with new face

In response to feedback from the London Mayor’s office, Transport for London and other key organisations, Nissan has redesigned its NV200 London taxi to better reflect the iconic nature of the traditional black cab.

The vehicle now sports circular headlamps, new front bumper panels and a large V-shaped front grille with vertical slats, while LEDs improve the visibility of the taxi sign on the roof. No Nissan grille badge, though.

Developed in London, for London, by Nissan Design Europe in Paddington, the Nissan NV200 Taxi for London is set to launch in December 2014. A 115 hp/158 Nm 1.6 litre petrol engine will drive the front wheels through an auto gearbox. CO2 emissions should duck under 180 grams, but a zero-emissions electric version, the e-NV200 taxi, is set to be launched in 2015.

Among the taxi’s planned features are a driver/passenger partition, second-row tip seats with integrated seat backs, a three-passenger 60:40-split bench seat, a panoramic glass roof, a rear heater and rear controls, Bluetooth and a reverse camera for the driver, provisions for wheelchair access and position, plus 12V and USB chargers for passengers. The floor and seats are vinyl.

“The Mayor’s office and taxi drivers were very keen that we maintain the character of the Hackney Carriage, making it something that people in the city can be proud of,” said Nissan Design Europe design excellence manager Darryl Scriven.

“The main challenges were concerned with making sure customers can easily recognise it as a taxi. Being in London, we were able to go out and talk to cabbies about what was important to them as well as look at the vehicle from a customer’s viewpoint.”

Nissan isn’t new to the black cab world – its 2.7 litre TD27 diesel engine powered the FX4 ‘Fairway’ and TX1 cabs during the 1980s and 1990s, gaining a reputation for reliability and durability.
The Nissan NV200 Taxi for London is part of the company’s global taxi programme, which also includes New York, Barcelona and Tokyo.

Nissan Sport Sedan concept to debut in Detroit

Teased here is the Nissan Sport Sedan concept that’s set to debut at the upcoming NAIAS 2014 in Detroit on January 13. It’s rumoured to point towards the next-gen Nissan Maxima.

The Japanese carmaker says it ”previews a new energetic design direction that amplifies Nissan’s legendary approach of applying sports car principles to a sedan”. The third-gen Maxima (J30) was marketed in the US as a “4-Door Sports Car”, so…

The IDx Freeflow and IDx Nismo concepts you saw in Tokyo will also be there; they’ll be making their North American debut.