Nissan Sylphy SV: bodykit, black cabin for Thailand

Nissan Thailand has released a sportier looking variant of the latest Nissan Sylphy. The Nissan Sylphy SV comes with a bodykit and a black interior to replace the standard light coloured cabin.

The mild bodykit consists of front, rear and side skirts, plus a boot spoiler with integrated third brake light. There’s also an SV badge on the boot. Not quite Sentra Nismo, but it does look a touch sportier. Those alloys, painted in Hyper Black, look similar to the rims on the Nissan Pulsar. The 5-door Pulsar is the hatchback version of the new Sylphy.

The 852,000 baht (RM82,500) SV is based on the 1.6L Sylphy, and there are no technical changes. Under the hood is a HR16DE four-pot with 116 PS and 154 Nm of torque, mated to a CVT transmission. Nissan Thailand also sells a 1.8L Sylphy with 131 PS/174 Nm.

Next-generation Nissan Sylphy and Nissan Teana to launch in Malaysia in 2014?

Nissan Serena facelift unveiled at Tokyo 2013 – will this be the CKD model?

We learned last month through a report by Maybank Research that Tan Chong will be launching the Nissan Note in 2014, and a new A-segment car in 2015. Well, it looks like that’s not all that the Malaysian Nissan distributor has up its sleeves for the next year.

According to a site visit report by HLIB Research, we’ll see the new C-segment Nissan Sylphy launched in Q2 2014, and the new D-segment Nissan Teana launched in Q3 2014. The Nissan Serena S-Hybrid will be introduced as a CKD car in Q3 2014 as well.


New Nissan Sylphy

The Nissan Sylphy currently sold in Malaysia is an aging model that was recently facelifted with new tail lamps. It has been replaced by a new model that was launched in Thailand in August 2012. We attended the launch and came back with brief driving impressions which you can read here: Nissan Sylphy brief test drive in Thailand.

The new model gets an improved 116 PS/154 Nm 1.6 litre engine, now with dual variable valve timing and a first-in-class dual fuel injector system, using 2 spray nozzles per cylinder. It’s mated to either a five-speed manual or an Xtronic CVT. The range-topping engine is a new longer-stroke 131 PS/174 Nm 1.8 litre motor codenamed MRA8DE, with dual variable valve timing, mated to an Xtronic CVT.


New Nissan Teana

The J33 Nissan Teana is a newer car, only making its ASEAN debut in Thailand recently in October. You can pick from a 2.0 or 2.5 litre engine, but the latter is now a four-cylinder engine and no longer a V6. Both engines are paired to a CVT.

VIDEO: World’s Strongest Man towes 12 Nissan Notes

Here’s a video of the world’s strongest man Zydrunas Savickas setting a new Guinness world record for the ‘Most Cars Pulled By One Man’. In it, you’ll see that he towed 12 new Nissan Notes weighing in at a total of 12,941 kg.

A 5-time World Strongest Man champion (not Mark Henry, WWE fans) and widely regarded as the one of the greatest strongmen of all time, Savickas only had one attempt to set the new record.
Wearing a specialised pulling harness and rope arrangement, the 170 kg big guy pulled the 12 Notes over 5 metres, accomplishing the feat in just 32.9 seconds.

Held in Druskininkai, Lithuania, the world record attempt marked the end of the Lithuanian Car of the Year test camp with crowds turning out from all over the country to see their national hero set the new record.

On a more serious note (pun intended), the Nissan Note was displayed at the recent KLIMS13 motor show, and Tan Chong has revealed to research houses that it will be launching the roomy B-segment hatchback by the end of 2014. 

Tokyo 2013: Nissan BladeGlider – set to soar, one day

A quick recap and some live photos of the Nissan BladeGlider concept that made its debut in Tokyo. The radical vehicle isn’t just something that’s set to remain a mere design study – the automaker says that mid-engine, rear wheel-drive concept is an exploratory prototype of an upcoming production vehicle.

With its narrow front and wide rear track, the BladeGlider’s profile resembles more “swept wing” aircraft than car from a top-down view. The 3-seater has the driver placed centre-forward, with passengers sitting at the longitudinal centre of gravity to maintain the car’s balance at all times. The centre-driving setting also enhances the driver’s sensatory experience, with a near-360 degree view.

 

The BladeGlider is powered by two in-board electric motors driving the rear wheels, which are wrapped with 285/35 tyres. The fronts, meanwhile, are skinny 100/80 profile units. The car’s lithium-ion battery modules are mounted low and towards the rear to enhance stability and handling.

When the BladeGlider matures into a production car, it could well be the first Nissan to utilise in-wheel motors – these will not only provide rear-wheel propulsion with independent motor management but also contribute to freedom of upper body design and aid more space-efficient packaging. Wonder if the series vehicle will look anywhere close to this.

Tokyo 2013: Nissan X-Trail, Japan-spec third-gen

The third-gen Nissan X-Trail, which broke cover at the Frankfurt show in September, turned up at the ongoing Tokyo show. It’s set to go on sale in Japan next month, and an MR20DD engine is mentioned, along with a revised Xtronic CVT with Eco mode, plus start/stop.

Although Nissan hasn’t officially revealed output figures, we know the MR20DD engine as a direct-injected 2.0 litre four-cylinder featuring twin C-VTC that produces 147 hp and 210 Nm of torque in the Serena S-Hybrid. Underpinning the X-Trail is the Common Module Family (CMF) platform.

Known variants include 20S, 20X, 20X Emergency Brake Package, 20X X-TREMER X and 20X Emergency Brake Package X-TREMER X. Five- and Seven-seat versions are available. The X-TREMER X variants are produced by Nissan tuner Autech, and feature contrasting-coloured skid plates, a more prominent lower intake and fog lamp housings, as well as sportier-looking alloys.

The Emergency Brake Package variants get Lane Departure Warning, Emergency Assist for Pedal Misapplication, Emergency Brake, Do-not-enter Sign Detection. Blind Spot Warning, Driver Attention Alert, plus Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection and Park Assist are offered as options.

LED headlamps are also optional, as are side and curtain airbags (dual front airbags are standard). Standard safety equipment includes VDC with TCS and Brake LSD, plus 2-stage load-limiting front seat belts with pretensioners. Seven body colours are offered.

5-seat versions get 60:40-split second row seats; on 7-seat versions they’re split 40:20:40, and can slide as well as recline. A panoramic tilt-and-slide sunroof with electric retractable shade is optional, and front seat heaters are available on select variants.

 

There are more storage spaces and cupholders, and Spinal Support Front Seats claim to reduce fatigue through articulated seat back pads. The seats and floor are water-repellent. You can open the powered tailgate by waving your hand near the sensor (provided you have your Intelligent Key with you) to reveal a boot that can take up to 550 litres of luggage.

Some variants are 2WD, but Nissan’s All-Mode 4x4i electronic 4WD system is also offered, along with Advance Hill Descent Control and Yaw Moment Control. Hill Start Assist, Active Ride Control, Active Engine Brake and Cornering Stability Assist are standard across the range.

Nissan Juke launched in Thailand – 1.6L and CVT

The Nissan Juke is now officially in Thailand, making it the sixth ASEAN country to get Nissan’s B-segment crossover after Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Singapore.

The Thai-spec Juke is sourced from Indonesia and gets a 1.6 litre HR16 engine that produces 116 PS at 5,600 rpm and 154 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm, mated to a CVT. It’s a different combo from the Indonesian-spec car, which uses a slightly less powerful 114 PS/150 Nm 1.5 litre engine and a CVT.

The Juke comes with Integrated Control (I-Con), a system which manages both climate control and 3 vehicle drive modes: normal for everyday driving, sport for sportier driving or eco for fuel efficiency.

There’s also the Internet Connectivity Entertainment (I-Connect) system, which allows you to surf the internet through wi-fi on a detachable 7-inch screen. The system also has a voice control function.

E and V trim levels are offered, and prices start from 819,000 baht (RM82,400). By comparison, the most affordable 1.2 litre Nissan Almera with a CVT is priced from 489,000 baht (RM49,200). The current Toyota Vios is priced from 589,000 baht (RM59,300) for the most affordable automatic variant up to 734,000 baht (RM73,900) for the S Auto variant. So the Juke isn’t exactly cheap.

There has been plenty of interest in a crossover body style for the B-segment recently, with manufacturers launching cars like the Ford EcoSport and the Peugeot 2008 to cash in, and both the EcoSport and 2008 are coming to Malaysia. You could say the Juke pretty much pioneered the segment in recent times – will Tan Chong bring it in?

Tan Chong to launch Nissan Note by the end of 2014, new A-segment car to be launched in 2015

Tan Chong Motor has revealed to research houses that it will be launching an additional 2 models in the next 2 years – the Nissan Note as well as a new A-segment model.

According to a report by Maybank Research, the Nissan Note will be launched by the end of 2014, following the car’s recent preview at the 2013 KL International Motor Show.

The Nissan Note on display at KLIMS had a 1.5 litre engine paired to a four-speed auto under its hood, similar to the powertrain in the Nissan Almera. The Note will allow Nissan to have a competitor against the Honda Jazz, which is a same segment car that’s pretty competitively priced in Malaysia.



Next up is word of a new A-segment car due for launch in 2015, reported by CIMB Research. The new A-segment car is expected to be a ‘killer model’ in terms of sales volume. The report specifically mentions a “RM50,000 and below” price point. For Tan Chong to achieve such a price for even the most affordable variant of a multiple variant offering would likely mean high localisation.

Nissan’s A-segment contender is currently the Nissan March (badged Micra in Europe), so it would be safe to assume that this is the model to be launched.

Another possibility is the Datsun Go hatchback, which rides on the same platform and wheelbase as the Nissan March. Although it falls under a different badge, the lower cost car will be sold in India at Nissan dealerships instead of separate Datsun dealerships like it is in Indonesia, so a similiar setup to India could also be arranged for Malaysia.