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Nissan helping Mexican dealers crack US market

Nissan may not be the top seller or even the top import brand in the United States... but it is in Mexico. South of the border, Nissan accounted for over 26 percent of new cars sold last year, and it's not only applying some of the same lessons it learned on its way to the top of Mexican market to the US – it's bringing in some of the same dealers. In an effort to increase its market share particularly in southern states with large Hispanic communities like California and Texas, Nissan is helping some of its largest dealer groups in Mexico buy up American dealerships, according to a report from Automotive News. Among those Nissan dealers in Mexico expanding into the US market are Grupo Autofin Mexico (which owns 60 locations, including three Nissan dealers in Orange Country), Grupo Autocom (which controls 17 Nissan, Infiniti and Renault locations in Mexico and now owns one Infiniti and four Nissan dealers in the San Francisco bay area) and Automotores Soni SA de CV (one of Mexico's largest dealer groups which recently took over two locations in Houston). Aside from encouraging these and other Mexican dealer groups – many of which have longstanding ties to the Renault-Nissan Alliance and its brands – to break into the US market, Nissan has been using its right of first refusal to offer dealerships going up for sale in the US to its Mexican dealers before American ones. There has yet to be any outcry from Nissan dealers in the US, though. The effort, lead by Nissan's North American chief Jose Munoz (who used to run the Mexican division), is part of the company's drive to increase its market share in the US from 7.7 percent currently to 10 percent by 2017. And the know-how of these Mexican dealership groups forms part of that strategy. But Nissan hopes to tap more than just their experience to drive an increase in sales. The Japanese automaker is also targeting the Hispanic market within the United States, offering Spanish-speaking Americans service in their own language with the benefit of a common cultural background. According to AN, Nissan has already surpassed Honda to become the No. 2 import brand among Hispanic customers in America, accounting for some 32 percent of the company's growth last year. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Nissan Nissan Car Dealers Mexico

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.

Mixed sales results, but automaker stocks rise on need for cars in Houston

DETROIT — The Big Three Detroit automakers on Friday reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks for demand as residents of the Houston area replace flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, sending their stocks higher. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler posted mixed August U.S. sales, with GM up 7.5 percent and Ford and Fiat Chrysler down. Japanese automaker Toyota improved sales by nearly 7 percent, while Honda fell 2.4 percent. Still, analysts focused on the potential for Detroit automakers to cut inventories and stabilize used vehicle prices as residents of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, are forced to replace tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of vehicles after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Mark LaNeve, Ford's U.S. sales chief, told analysts on Friday that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 "we saw a very dramatic snapback" in demand. That said, Ford sales fell 2.1 percent in August. It sold 209,897 vehicles in the United States, compared with 214,482 a year earlier. Sales were down 1.9 percent in the Ford division and off 5.8 percent at Lincoln. Demand was down for cars, crossovers and SUVs. It was not clear how many vehicles in the Houston area will be scrapped, LaNeve said, saying he had seen estimates ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 to 1 million. Ford's Houston dealers may have lost fewer than 5,000 vehicles in inventory, he said. Ford is the No. 1 automaker in the Houston market, with 18 percent share, according to IHS Markit. The company plans to ship used vehicles to Houston dealers and has "every indication we would have to add some production" of new vehicles to meet demand, LaNeve said. Investor concerns about inventories of unsold vehicles and falling used car prices have weighed on Detroit automakers' shares most of this year. Now, automakers can anticipate a jolt of demand from a big market that is a stronghold for Detroit brand trucks and SUVs. "It's got to be a positive for the industry," LaNeve said. Investors appeared to agree. GM shares rose as much as 3.3 percent to their highest since early March. Ford increased 2.8 percent at $11.34, and Fiat Chrysler's U.S.-traded shares were up 5.2 percent $15.91, hitting their highest in more than five years. GM reported a 7.5 percent increase in U.S. auto sales in August, helped by robust sales of crossovers across its four brands.