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Daimler and Nissan to build luxury cars at new plant in Mexico

A few years back, when Daimler was looking for a partner to spread the cost of development of small cars, it agreed to collaborate with Nissan on future products, such as vehicle platforms and drivetrains. The latest development in the collaboration concerns the assembly of small luxury cars for Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz at a Nissan plant in Mexico, two unnamed sources told Reuters.
The plant in question, Aguascalientes, is a $2 billion project that will open later this year next to an existing Nissan factory. The upcoming Infiniti Q30 four-door hatchback is expected to be built there, possibly alongside the Mercedes GLA-Class, which is one of several candidates Mercedes is considering to build at this facility, Reuters reports. The GLA will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show this month, and initial production of the model will take place in Germany. The Q30 could follow a similar path, with assembly starting at Nissan's Sunderland plant in the UK, and then expanding to Aguascalientes later on.
The underlying platform of the Q30 and GLA, codenamed New Generation Compact Car (NGCC), was developed by Daimler. The Q30 would be the first Infiniti produced under the automakers' agreement. Last year, Nissan agreed to make engines that would find their way into Mercedes and Infiniti vehicles.

Nissan Xterra's fate hangs in the balance

The Nissan Xterra might not be long for this world, according to a report from Edmunds. The rugged SUV, which has always been a bit more of a hardcore, purpose-built vehicle than the rest of the Nissan SUV range. But it has also suffered from slowing sales, low fuel economy relative to the competition and general neglect, as Nissan has focused on other offerings in its range.
"There are plans to replace it, there are always plans, (but) I am not sure it will happen. I would say in the next six months to a year," Pierre Loing, vice president of product planning for Nissan Americas told Edmunds. Part of the problem, he added, was that the Xterra is a US-only vehicle, which makes it a hard sell in a world where automakers are increasingly depending on global cars.
Besides the economic forces working against the Xterra, it's just a vehicle that hasn't been a huge sales success of late. Customers are more conscious of fuel economy and a body-on-frame SUV that only nets 16 miles per gallon just isn't good enough; arguably why Nissan barely sold 17,000 units last year. We can hold out hope, as the Xterra remains a fun off-roader that we'd hate to see go, but unless Nissan finds a business case or some global partners, this is a vehicle that is on its last leg.

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge gets the heart of a GT-R [w/video]

There has been ongoing talk of an Infiniti using the Nissan GT-R powertrain practically since the moment the Nissan's flagship sports coupe hit the road. While the rumors have gone back and forth over the years, they have never completely gone away. It seems Infiniti is finally turning an ear to the screams of its most vocal enthusiasts with an updated version of the Q50 Eau Rouge concept boasting a modified version of Godzilla's engine and all-wheel drive system debuting at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. It's even taking things a step further and granting it a new, seven-speed transmission to replace the Nissan's six-speed.
The latest evolution of the Eau Rouge packs the same 3.8-liter, twin turbocharged V6 found in the GT-R but with a unique tune of 560 horsepower and 443 pound-feet (600 Newton-meters) of torque. That makes it 15 hp more powerful than the standard 2015 GT-R but gives up 20 lb-ft of torque. Power gets to the ground through the GT-R's all-wheel-drive system. Infiniti predicts that the Eau Rouge would sprint to 60 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds and on to a top speed of 180 mph.
According to Infiniti Communications Senior Manager Kyle Bazemore in an email to Autoblog, the modded GT-R powertrain was not the only choice for the Eau Rouge. It also considered "developing a high-power sports diesel" and hybrid versions with an electric supercharger. However, "this was the clear solution for this concept car," Bazemore said. Other than the drivetrain, the Eau Rouge in Switzerland is identical to the one shown in Detroit. Sadly, it is not confirmed for production; so we might not be getting the fabled Infiniti GT-R sedan any time soon. Still, we can hope.