Report: Forthcoming Nissan Murano convertible to be a two-door soft-top

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Convertible, Crossover, Nissan

Nissan had the guts to bring us the bizarrely styled Juke, which is getting some solid press for its performance, and now it’s apparently set to follow that up with a convertible version of the Nissan Murano. Apparently getting ready for its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Nissan gave dealers a preview of the two-door, cloth-topped crossover and the reaction of one was, “kind of unusual.” You don’t say. The Murano droptop has been widely rumored for ages now, but it was never known whether the crossover would maintain the four-door arrangement of the hardtop. It appears that in the roofectomy process, Nissan will remove two doors, which leaves us thinking that the finished product might look something like a mutant Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible. Hopefully the basket-handle brace in the rendering at right won’t be a structural necessity.

Speaking of the oft-rumored vehicle that few thought would come true, Nissan’s VP of sales and marketing stated “there’s a degree of bravery for us to bring out a car like that right now.” The company isn’t predicting sales volume numbers for this genre-busting crossover, but the hardtop Murano continues to be a solid seller for the Japanese brand. We wouldn’t be at all surprised to find quite a few of them in beach cities wearing rental company plates. If you like what you see when it is revealed, the sale date is penciled in for sometime in 2011.

[Sources: Automotive News - sub. req. | Image: InsideLine]

Report: Forthcoming Nissan Murano convertible to be a two-door soft-top originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Nissan Murano unveiled with mild refresh, new SV trim

Filed under: Budget, Crossover, Nissan, Design/Style

Nissan has officially confirmed that the new fascia we saw on the European version of the 2011 Murano will find its way to the land of the free. The look carries a reworked bumper, along with similarly sculpted headlights and a new grille. If you were hoping to see the diesel model crop up on dealer lots in your neck of the woods, we’ve got bad news – it ain’t happening. The oil-burning Murano is still only available to our cousins across the pond, leaving us with the capable 3.5-liter VQ V6 with 250 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque as our only powerplant option.

Even so, Nissan has chucked an additional trim line into the mix. Buyers can now choose between a total of eight variants on the Murano theme, including the new SV FWD and SV AWD trims. The Japanese automaker has thrown in 20-inch wheels, a dual-panel moonroof and a bevy of exterior color choices as optional goodies, too. Look for the 2011 Nissan Murano to land on dealer lots by October. Follow the jump for the full press blast.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading 2011 Nissan Murano unveiled with mild refresh, new SV trim

2011 Nissan Murano unveiled with mild refresh, new SV trim originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Nissan Murano unveiled with mild refresh, new SV trim

Filed under: Budget, Crossover, Nissan, Design/Style

Nissan has officially confirmed that the new fascia we saw on the European version of the 2011 Murano will find its way to the land of the free. The look carries a reworked bumper, along with similarly sculpted headlights and a new grille. If you were hoping to see the diesel model crop up on dealer lots in your neck of the woods, we’ve got bad news – it ain’t happening. The oil-burning Murano is still only available to our cousins across the pond, leaving us with the capable 3.5-liter VQ V6 with 250 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque as our only powerplant option.

Even so, Nissan has chucked an additional trim line into the mix. Buyers can now choose between a total of eight variants on the Murano theme, including the new SV FWD and SV AWD trims. The Japanese automaker has thrown in 20-inch wheels, a dual-panel moonroof and a bevy of exterior color choices as optional goodies, too. Look for the 2011 Nissan Murano to land on dealer lots by October. Follow the jump for the full press blast.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading 2011 Nissan Murano unveiled with mild refresh, new SV trim

2011 Nissan Murano unveiled with mild refresh, new SV trim originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (convertible) joining Ellure concept in LA

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Convertible, Crossover, Nissan

Yes, the Nissan Murano convertible is going to happen, and not only is it coming to the LA Auto Show, but now it has a name: The Murano CrossCabriolet.

Billed as the world’s first four-seat, all-wheel drive convertible crossover, the chop-top CUV will only sport two doors and – contrary to the renderings floating around – it won’t come with PT Cruiser-style roll hoop.

According to Inside Line, joining the CrossCabriolet at the So. Cal. show this November will be a new Nissan sedan concept that, is said to be “a new dimension to traditional sedan design – a dimension named innovation.” Ridiculous hyperbole aside, the four-door concept has been dubbed Ellure, and hopefully the “new dimension” it creates will swallow the CrossCabriolet into oblivion.

[Source: Inside Line]

Report: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (convertible) joining Ellure concept in LA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan, Hyundai reportedly duking it out for No. 2 Asian automaker in U.S.

Filed under: Hyundai, Nissan

Nissan has long been the number three Asian automaker in the U.S., lagging behind both Honda and Toyota on the sales charts. But the Japanese automaker has been on a bit of a roll of late, with 10 straight months of sales gains and an aggressive product onslaught planned for the next 24 months. Nissan would love to unseat Honda to finally sneak up to the number two slot in the States, but a funny thing’s happening: Hyundai is doing its best to push Nissan down to number four.

Nissan and Hyundai are currently in a dead heat in U.S. auto sales. Through July, Nissan has sold 522,669 cars and trucks, while Hyundai, when combined with Kia sales, has moved 515,316 vehicles. Hyundai has a treasure-trove of new product on dealer lots lead by the outstanding Sonata sedan. New products like the Kia Sportage and the Elantra are poised to battle hard for increased market share in their perspective segments. Nissan is countering with a new Juke in October, followed by the Leaf EV and the Quest minivan, and wrapping up with another six significantly upgraded vehicles by 2012.

So who do we think will win the battle for number two? Hyundai appears to have most of the momentum at the moment, but Nissan has a larger customer base – at the moment. In fact, we’d be surprised if either automaker surpasses Honda in the next couple years.

[Source: USA Today]

Nissan, Hyundai reportedly duking it out for No. 2 Asian automaker in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan Titan and Armada get new prices and model designations for 2011

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Nissan

It looks like the 2011 Nissan Murano was the harbinger of names to come for the rest of the Nissan fleet. The company just released pricing details on the 2011 Titan and Armada, and it looks like the two heavy-breathing bruisers will carry new badges when they hit dealer lots. Starting next year, the Armada will shed its SE and Titanium designations in favor of SV and SL trims, respectively. Those looking to land themselves in the big Japanese SUV can expect to pay $37,910 for a two-wheel drive in SV garb. Things top out with the $52,890 Armada 4×4 Platinum.

On the truck side of things, XE, SE and LE trims have been scrapped in favor of S, SV and SL designations. Oh what a difference a consonant makes. Pricing for the full-size pickup starts at $26,820 for the short-wheelbase version in two-wheel drive, S trim and goes up from there. The priciest of the lot is the $39,620 Titan SL Crew Cab four-wheel drive. Hit the jump to check out the full press release, complete with pricing information.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan Titan and Armada get new prices and model designations for 2011

Nissan Titan and Armada get new prices and model designations for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan Xterra not long for this world?

Filed under: SUV, Nissan, Off-Road

Nissan’s Xterra, a throwback to when all SUVs were red in tooth and claw, may be swinging on the gallows sooner rather than later. According to Ward’s Auto, the gloriously upright off-roader faces an uncertain future amidst slumping sales and ever-tightening federal fuel economy regulations.

Ward’s data indicates that the Xterra has sold just 12,186 units through July, and even that modest figure is well ahead of last year’s glacial pace brought about by the stagnant economy. By comparison, Nissan shipped 88,578 new Xterras off to owners in 2000.

The Xterra hasn’t received more than modest changes since its redesign back in 2005, and although Nissan’s vice president of advanced product and product planning and stategy, Larry Dominique, says the automaker will try to build the SUV ‘”as long as we possibly can,” there isn’t a redesign in sight.

Despite the Xterra’s likely demise, Ward’s says that the Xterra’s mid-size kin, the Frontier pickup and Pathfinder, don’t appear to be going anywhere, though Dominique seemingly hints that the latter could continue on in a new form, saying “Pathfinder will live on… how it will live on, wait to see. There’s no reason to get rid of a three-row crossover or SUV.” Could Nissan be pondering a shift to a car-based Pathfinder, like the 2011 Ford Explorer and the forthcoming Dodge Durango? We should know within the year.

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Nissan Xterra not long for this world? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Nissan Juke

Filed under: Budget, Crossover, Nissan, First Drive

Unlikely Baby Crossover Confounds and Delights

Remember the Nissan NX of the mid-’90s? The tiny, econobox-based sportster was as cute as a bug and spent its brief lifespan mixing it up with other long-gone, sporty front-wheel drive affordables like the Mazda MX-3, Honda Civic CRX, Toyota Paseo and even the Hyundai Scoupe. While there were a lot of inexpensive, racy looking coupes back then, most automakers just don’t see any money in that segment anymore. Instead, when they look to spin something off of their entry-level B-class chassis, most veer toward the white-hot crossover segment.

Consider the latest example, Nissan’s 2011 Juke. Come to think of it, this in-your-face city slicker has some startling similarities to the NX. For one, at 162.8 inches long, it’s deceptively small – just 0.4 inches longer than the ’90s coupe. Further, both the Juke and the NX1600 rely on 1.6-liter four-cylinder power. And like the Sentra-based NX, the more emotional Juke is based on the same humble underpinnings that give structure to Nissan’s workaday offerings, in this case, the Versa and Cube. And while the Juke may not be cute as a bug, there’s something downright insectian about its Predator-like mug.

Despite not being a traditional sporty car, Nissan has been talking up its controversially styled mini-ute with many of the same descriptors, so we hopped a plane to Vancouver to see if the Juke could bob and weave its way into our hearts. Follow the jump to find out how it fared.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Nissan Juke

First Drive: 2011 Nissan Juke originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Nissan unveils four new Innovation For All spots

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Videos, Nissan

We do love our car commercials. Oftentimes, marketing departments and ad agencies simply have a way of distilling everything we love about cars, trucks, SUVs and yes, even CUVs into easily-digestible snippets of video. Nissan has just rolled out a new collection of four ads under the Innovation for All banner, each focusing on the company’s commitment to new ideas, designs and products.

If you look closely, you may even spy the next-generation Nissan Quest lurking among the quick cuts in the first ad. Judging from what we’ve seen, it looks like the company’s minivan will be awfully similar to the Japanese-market Elgrand that Nissan debuted not so long ago.

In addition to the tech-centric commercial, Nissan is touting the fact that its vehicles have had brake override systems since 2004, ribbing rival Toyota and underscoring the company’s commitment to safety at the same time. As you may recall, legislators have called for brake-override protection to be mandatory on all new cars in the wake of the Toyota unintended acceleration fiasco. Hit the jump to take a look at the spots for yourself.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Video: Nissan unveils four new Innovation For All spots

Video: Nissan unveils four new Innovation For All spots originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2nd Philippine International Motor Show – NISSAN (by tsikot)

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