Visitors to the Detroit Auto Show will be able to eyeball a bunch of Chinese cars that have virtually no hope of ever being sold in the U.S., but they won't be able to scope out the Maxima... or 370Z... or Cube. You'll remember that Nissan formally announced that neither it nor its luxobrand Infiniti would participate in this year's exhibition, joining a parade of other no-shows. You'll also remember that local dealers had elected to supply their own vehicles to give the brand a floor presence in lieu of the spiked corporate display. That plan is now as dead as the Detroit Auto Show is shaping up to be, since the Tennessee mothership has pulled rank and told the dealers to back off asked dealers to "please respect their decision to not have a presence at the North American International Auto Show," according to auto show co-chair (and Nissan dealer) Doug Fox. Needless to say, the dealers have complied, and some primo floor space is once again available to interlopers from the basement level. Now, who's hungry for more Chinese?
[Source: Detroit Free Press]
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
'09 Detroit Auto Show, now with 100% less Nissan
Worst Nissan GT-R Crash Yet [2009 Nissan GT-R]
This is a 2009 Nissan GT-R with 500 miles on the odometer. Or it was, until it hit something very hard and fast in Georgia. And we thought these were bad. [WreckedExotics]
First look at MCR-tuned Nissan 370Z
Japanese tuning house Matchless Crowd Racing (MCR) has revealed some early shots of its customized 2009 Nissan 370Z – less than a week before the car is due to be unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Salon. The images reveal the new 370Z with handsome aerodynamic modifications and fitted with a MCR titanium sports exhaust system. The aerodynamic kit will include a custom front spoiler, side steps, a rear spoiler and a rear wing, as well as custom wheels. All the parts of the kit except for the wheels and the rear wing will be available in either carbon-fiber or fiberglass. The wheels are provided by Enkei and are wrapped with Yokohama rubber.
2009 Nissan 370Z by Zele
Nissan asks dealers to not attend Detroit Auto Show next week
Nissan dealers last month said that they will take over the 2009 Detroit Auto Show display abandoned by the automaker. According to sources, the dealers will not have an presence in Detroit next week due to Nissan’s request.
“The dealers were going to support a presence and had all stepped forward,” Doug Fox, auto show co-chairman and owner of Ann Arbor Nissan said in an interview with Detroit Free Press. “But the week before Christmas we received a request from Nissan to please respect their decision to not have a presence at the North American International Auto Show.”
Fox said that Nissan did not provide a reason for its request but dealers have agreed to respect Nissan’s decision.
Source: Detroit Free Press
2010 Nissan Cube - Car News
The 2010 Nissan Cube is conceptually similar and close to the size of the previous-generation Scion xB. Unlike the xB, the Cube seems to have gotten a full cute makeover—just look at those windows. Power will come from the Nissan Versa’s 122-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder when the $14,000 Cube goes on sale this spring.