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2014 Nissan Frontier Diesel Mule [w/poll]

Last August, Nissan shook the truck world when it officially announced plans to source a diesel option from Cummins for its long-overdue Titan replacement, its full-size pickup that's slated to drop this January at the Detroit Auto Show. The 5.0-liter V8 turbodiesel is expected to make somewhere around 300 horsepower and north of 500 pound-feet of torque. This combination of an all-new truck with this new powerplant promises to dramatically change the competitive landscape, splitting the difference between the heavy-duty goliaths from the Detroit Three and the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel. And the intrigue moved a step further when the Frontier Diesel Runner Concept showed up at February's Chicago Auto Show, as it displayed a growing relationship between Nissan and Cummins in a very interesting potential future product.
That concept would melt its clear acrylic hood if the engine ran too long, but this month, we got a chance to test drive a production mule, an otherwise normal Frontier with a Cummins 2.8-liter diesel four-pot under the hood and a ZF eight-speed automatic changing gears. The powertrain figures to be a direct competitor to the 2.8-liter Duramax promised for General Motors' Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins, but will Nissan build it? All signs point to probably. Officially, Nissan is taking no position on the future of this program, but a concept followed by putting journalists into a test mule suggests the company is considering the option very seriously. Here's what we gleaned from a brief drive around the posh suburbs of Nashville:
Before we get too deep into this Quick Spin, realize this Frontier is absolutely a mule, not a prototype. More or less cobbled together with duct tape and baling wire, it's not meant to be representative of a finished product, or even a started product. The transmission and shifter is straight out of a Chrysler 300 and the shifter surround is cut out of a panel of plastic. The "Low Sulfur Diesel Only" sticker is, well, just stuck on. We're looking at a "What if?" mockup.

Trump declaration they're a security threat stuns Japanese automakers

TOKYO — Japan's automakers' lobby said on Tuesday it was dismayed by President Donald Trump's declaration that some imported vehicles and parts posed a threat to U.S. national security, as the industry braces for a possible rise in U.S. tariffs. Trump made the unprecedented designation of foreign vehicles on Friday but delayed for up to six months a decision on whether to impose tariffs to allow for more time for trade talks with Japan and the European Union. "We are dismayed to hear a message suggesting that our long-time contributions of investment and employment in the United States are not welcomed," said Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. "As chairman, I am deeply saddened by this decision," Toyoda, president of Toyota, said in a statement. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on imported cars made by foreign automakers, a move which automakers have argued would ramp up car prices, curb the global competitiveness of U.S.-made vehicles and limit investment in the country, the world's No. 2 auto market. The United States is a vital market for Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese car makers. Autos and components are among the Asian country's biggest export products. Most of Japan's major automakers operate plants in the United States. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association notes that its automakers build about 4 million vehicles a year in North America, or 75 percent of what it sells here. Many are built for export, helping lessen the U.S. trade deficit Trump is concerned about. Major automakers have announced a slew of investments in the United States since Trump took office in January 2017 and put pressure on the industry to create more U.S. jobs. For its part, Toyota has pledged to invest almost $13 billion in the United States between 2017 and 2021 to boost manufacturing capacity and jobs. This includes $1.6 billion for a vehicle assembly plant in Alabama jointly run with Mazda. Government/Legal Honda Mazda Mitsubishi Nissan Toyota Trump

Lebanon gets Interpol fugitive notice for Carlos Ghosn as escape details emerge

BEIRUT — Lebanon's justice minister said Thursday that Lebanon has received an international wanted notice from Interpol for NissanÂ’s ex-chair Carlos Ghosn, four days after he fled Japan to Lebanon before a trial on financial misconduct charges. Albert Serhan told The Associated Press in an interview that the Red Notice for the former automotive titan was received earlier Thursday by the prosecution. Ghosn skipped bail before his much-anticipated trial, which was to start in April. He arrived in Lebanon, where he was raised after moving from Brazil as a young boy, on Monday via Turkey and hasn't been seen in public since. Authorities have said that he entered legally on a French passport. A plane carrying Ghosn arrived at 5:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) Monday at IstanbulÂ’s Ataturk Airport, Hurriyet reported, adding that prosecutors ordered the arrests after widening their investigation. Flight tracking data from that time suggests that Ghosn used two different planes to fly into Istanbul and then on to Lebanon. Japanese authorities allowed Ghosn to carry a spare French passport in a locked case while out on bail, public broadcaster NHK said on Thursday, shedding some light on how he managed his escape to Lebanon. While some Lebanese media have floated a Houdini-like account of Ghosn being packed in a wooden container for musical instruments after a private concert in his home, his wife called the account “fiction” when contacted by Reuters. She declined to provide details of the exit of one of the most recognized titans of industry. The accounts of the two sources suggest a carefully planned escape known only to a few. They said a private security firm oversaw the plan, which involved shuttling Ghosn out via a private jet to Istanbul before pushing onward to Beirut, with even the pilot unaware of GhosnÂ’s presence on board. InterpolÂ’s so-called Red Notices are requests to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a wanted fugitive. Serhan, the minister, said the Lebanese prosecution “will carry out its duties,” suggesting for the first time that Ghosn may be brought in for questioning. But he said that Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition treaty, ruling out the possibility that Beirut would hand Ghosn over to Japan One sources who spoke with Reuters said Ghosn was greeted warmly by President Michel Aoun on Monday after flying into Beirut via Istanbul and was now in a buoyant and combative mood and felt secure.