2014 Nissan Altima 2.5 on 2040-cars

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Next Nissan Sentra spied, test driver salutes

Nissan isn't keeping a secret that the Sentra is getting a significant refresh for the 2016 model year, but apparently one of the test drivers isn't so happy about a spy photographer getting an early peek. As you can see in several pictures in the above gallery, the guy flies the finger directly at the camera as it captures this camouflaged compact sedan testing around Metro Detroit. While the 2016 Sentra is supposed to be heavily restyled compared to the current model, Nissan is still remaining tight-lipped about exactly what that means. These shots provide some clear indications, though. Up front, the brand's V-shaped grille is fairly obvious even through the camo in several photos, and the headlights get an angular resculpting to match that style. With its honeycomb grille, the lower air dam looks a slightly sportier, too. The sides are left unaltered in these shots, but the rear gets another big dose of obfuscation. The update back there seems to draw from the newly refreshed Altima, especially with the more pointy taillights. While harder to tell for sure, the trunk and lower bumper also appear to have a more complex design. Overall, the latest model reportedly takes inspiration from the Pulsar in Europe. This revision comes even as Sentra sales remain strong. For the year so far through August, the model is up 8.9 percent with 140,074 units moved. However, the 2016 model has to stand up against the challenge of the all-new 2016 Honda Civic that's entering the market at around the same time, meaning the Sentra has its work cut out for it.

Infiniti is pulling out of Western Europe, cutting models

BEIJING — Nissan's premium brand Infiniti has announced it will exit Western Europe early next year, as it restructures its global operations and focuses on the world's top two auto markets. Infiniti said it will discontinue the Q30 sedan and the QX30 sport-utility vehicle and cease their production by the middle of 2019 at Nissan's manufacturing factory in Sunderland, England. Both models are sold globally but produced only in Britain. The QX30 is sold in the United States. The move comes as Infiniti seeks to divert its resources to markets with bigger opportunities, such as China and the United States, from a region where non-European premium brands are struggling to compete against local players such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Nissan also recently scrapped plans to build its new X-Trail SUV in Britain amid the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, saying it had taken the decision to optimize its investments by building the next generation model in Japan. "Western Europe remains the most challenging and competitive region for premium cars," Infiniti's chief spokesman, Trevor Hale, told Reuters. Infiniti's sales in western Europe almost halved last year to 5,800 vehicles. In addition to the tough competition, the Japanese premium brand, headquartered in Hong Kong since 2012, has struggled to effectively meet emissions and other regulatory requirements in the region, Hale said, referring to stringent Euro 6 emissions requirements and other regulatory challenges. "The commercial reality for Infiniti in Western Europe is that there is simply no visibility of a viable and sustainable business, especially given the regulatory challenges," he said. Infiniti said an exit from Western Europe will allow it to focus on its initiative to electrify a good portion of its product portfolio from 2021 and discontinue diesel offerings. The brand plans to focus more on its SUV lineup in North America, bring five new or significantly-redesigned vehicles to China over the next five years, improve quality of sales and residual value and realize more synergies with Nissan. "This is all part of Infiniti's vision to become a top challenger brand in the premium segment," it said. As it prepares to withdraw from Western Europe, Infiniti said it is working to find alternative opportunities for employees who would be affected, consulting with employee representatives where necessary and identifying opportunities for transition and training support where appropriate.

NHTSA probing whether to call Nissan to the carpet over Versa unintended acceleration

The Nissan Versa and Versa Note may have a carpeting problem that could make the little cars risky to drive. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is launching a preliminary evaluation into the 2012-2014 model year versions of the Versa, Versa Sedan and Versa Note, affecting an estimated 360,000 vehicle. In these vehicles, it's possible that the driver's foot could be caught where the carpet meets a trim panel near the accelerator. The regulator has four reported instances of the issue, but it's still collecting data from Nissan about any further cases.
According to the complaints, the tunnel carpet cover trim panel can possibly snag the drivers' right shoe where it meets the carpet, and can either keep their foot on the accelerator or prevent moving it to the brake pedal. In one case, the problem was bad enough that the driver had to free his foot using his hand, while driving. In two of the four reported cases, the vehicles were rental cars.
This is actually the second ongoing preliminary evaluation for some of these models. In late May, NHTSA started looking into the 2013-2014 Versa and 2014 Versa Note for long brake pedal travel.