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Nissan Xterra discontinued after 2015

Another great big subtraction in the choice of proper off-roaders comes with news from Edmunds that the Nissan Xterra will meet its maker after the 2015 model year. Sales of the body-on-frame SUV introduced in 1999 declined seven percent last year compared to 2013, a total of just 16,505 getting off dealer lots. That's about 1,800 more sales than the Toyota FJ Cruiser achieved for the year, another rugged trail runner recently dispatched into the ether. Meanwhile, the king-of-the-hill Jeep Wrangler almost matched those annual sales number each month in 2014; it moved 19,235 in May alone. Nissan hasn't exactly cared about the Xterra for years; Edmunds reported in 2013 that Nissan was "mulling the Xterra's future" and would take a year to decide if it was going to keep going. But it has been clear for years that the company wasn't too interested in its hardcore off-roader in spite of its "enthusiastic fan base inside and outside the company." The last visible refresh came in 2009, when it was 4Wheeler magazine's SUV of the Year, the next minor feature updates not arriving until 2014. And the Nissan-backed off-road triathlon series the Xterra was named for died in 2006. That's why there's no business case for throwing money at re-engineering the Xterra's safety and emissions specs, especially in a world gone crazy for subcompact crossovers. We contacted Nissan for comment on the report and asked if another Nissan vehicle, like the Rogue, would be positioned as a near-replacement, as has been speculated before. Product communications director Dan Bedore told us, "Nissan has made no announcement as to the future status of Xterra. For proprietary reasons, we do not discuss future product plans or comment on media speculation about future plans." Right now we can hear the Jeep Wrangler at the top of the mountain screaming, "Nobody wants a piece of this? Really?!" So come on, General Motors - it's up to you now.

Mazda Turnpike in Japan shut down for racing

The people behind Motorhead Magazine in Japan clearly have some friends in high places. Not only did they manage to shutdown eight kilometers of the Mazda Turnpike up the Hakone mountain, but they invited some of the country's premiere racers to take a drive up the hill. This wasn't just a Sunday cruise either. Featuring a BMW Z4 from the Super GT series, a classic Ford GT40, two flavors of Nissan GT-R and two takes on the Subaru Impreza WRX STI, these guys came ready to run. When an opportunity to let racecars challenge a curvy mountain road presents itself, you don't squander it. Thankfully, the folks at Motorhead knew that and outfitted the course with a plethora of cameras and high-quality sound equipment to capture the action. The result is nothing short of sublime. Take the video's urging to turn up your speakers for this one, and watch as these racers hit ludicrous speeds in a beautiful place never meant for them. News Source: japanmotorhead via YouTube, Jalopnik Aftermarket Motorsports BMW Ford Nissan Subaru Racing Vehicles Performance Videos ford gt40 super gt

Nissan's autonomous cars could drive in US first, maybe by 2020

Future shock could be just six short years away, and coming first to the US. Nissan says it might start making autonomous versions of its cars available in the US by 2020, before the tech hits the road in other countries. The Japanese automaker is in extensive discussions with regulators from California, the best-selling state for the Leaf battery-electric vehicle, for allowing self-driving vehicles to be on its roads, Hybrid Cars says, citing a conversation with Nissan executive Andy Christensen at the recent Detroit Auto Show. Many decisions need to be made between now and then, given the hurdles related to issues such as regulations, liability, safety and technology - and Christensen said the first wave of self-driving vehicles would be able to do their thing only on the highway. The vehicle of choice is most likely to be the Leaf because it's completely battery operated, making the conversion to autonomy that much easier. Last summer, Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn first promised production autonomous cars by 2020. The automaker has teamed up with MIT, Stanford, Oxford and others to extensively test its "Autonomous Drive" concepts since then. Late last year, Nissan tested a self-driving Leaf on Japanese public roads. Nissan is not alone promoting autonomous driving as a way to increase safety, fuel economy and traffic flow, just some of the reasons why the idea may be the wave of the nearer-than-we-thought-future. For example, the company says 93 percent of accidents are caused by driver error.