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Nissan Titan Wounded Warrior project lands in time for Veteran's Day

We last featured the crowdsourced Project Titan pickup back in September, back when Nissan revealed that its big, bruising custom pickup would take to the wilds of Alaska with a pair of veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project at the wheel.
Now, their journey across the wilds has been fully revealed as part of a 22-minute short film. David Guzman and Kevin McMahon are the pilots of the brutish truck, and while the film is ostensibly focused on the journey and the challenges that come with it, the release of the video on Veterans Day (Remembrance Day or Armistice Day, depending on where you're from), gives some indication to the dominant theme of the story - recovery.
The two travel across Alaska in the Titan on different missions, working with both veterans and civilians afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as supporters of the Wounded Warrior Project. From the avalanche-surviving photographer who's suffering from PTSD to an Air Force veteran who routinely takes recovering vets on fishing trips, the pair experience the many efforts at recovery and support throughout the course of the missions and their journey.

Is Nissan's Le Mans LMP1 racer really going to be front engined?

Since debuting the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo under a sheet earlier this year, Nissan has kept a very tight wrap on details about the racer. The company simply promised that the model would be on the starting grid for the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, the automaker had an aggressive attitude about the new program and said that the vehicle would "win in a very different way." The brand also hinted the final result wouldn't look like its competitors. This rendering suggests just how divergent the GT-R LM might be. Posted by Jalopnik, the rendering was supposedly based on the descriptions of people who have actually seen the racer. They described a car with a very long nose, and a rear that was potentially narrower than the front. From those details the pictures of a reverse Deltawing is almost conceivable. Judging by the original teaser image, this description actually sounds somewhat plausible too. The draping of the sheet in that photo could suggest some empty space at the back. According to this rumor, underneath that long snout could be an even bigger revelation – the engine. These days putting the powerplant ahead of the driver in a top-class endurance racer – even if it's behind the front axle for a mid-engine layout – is almost unheard of. Nissan trying it would certainly fall under a different way of winning. Though, such a thing was done by Panoz in the 2000s. Nissan is clear about keeping the racecar and road version at least somewhat related, especially technologically. Jalopnik speculates that the engine could be a gasoline-fueled twin-turbocharged V6 powering the rear wheels and a hybrid spinning the front and rear with a total system output of 1,000 horsepower or more. That figure is right on the money for modern LMP1 cars since the 2014-championship winning Toyota TS040 packs about 986 hp total. In the past few years, Nissan has failed to finish Le Mans with both the Deltawing that it sponsored and the ZEOD RC project. If these rumors prove true, then even getting the GT-R LM to see the checkered flag could be quite an accomplishment no matter where it finishes. Rumor has it that Nissan might show at least a glimpse of the vehicle during the company's Super Bowl ad this year. Related Gallery 2015 Nissan GT-R LM Nismo Announcement View 16 Photos News Source: JalopnikImage Credit: Jason Torchinsky via Jalopnik Design/Style Motorsports Nissan Racing Vehicles rendering nissan gt-r lm nismo nissan gt-r lm

2016 Nissan Altima gets SR model, 39 mpg, 3 press releases [w/video]

UPDATE: After taking exception with Seyth's reaction to press-release overdose, a Nissan spokesperson commented,"It gets 39 mpg. That's ******* epic." The Mazda 6, rated 40 mpg highway, is the only car among the Altima's peers to do equal or better. (See a full list of gas-powered non-hybrid cars that do 39 mpg highway or better here.) It seems that Nissan just can't stop selling its hot Altima midsizer. At least, that's what the bullet points of the press release for the new, 2016 version of the car tell me. The model has seen five consecutive years of sales growth, occasionally hitting the 30,000-per-month figures that heavies like Camry, Accord, and Fusion regularly nab. And, as we all know, a key to keeping midsize sedans fresh is the mid-cycle refresh. Here we have it. Nissan has reshaped the front and rear of the Altima to better match the look of its handsome new Maxima. That means a deep-v wrought in chrome on the front fascia, new (optional) LED headlights that look like reverse check marks, and a lower bumper that mirrors the shape above it. There are new taillights, bumper, and trunk lid for the rear of the car, too. You'll likely have to stare at the pictures pictures of the posteriors on the old and new cars for a few minutes (as we did) to pick them out, but they're there. The press release says so. Changes to the interior are subtle. We spotted a new center stack, and new cup holders next to the gearlever. Your weird friend Brian who hosts the Altima Altimatics fan forum could probably lend more detail here, but the non-enthusiast eye sees a mild rethinking of a nice interior. The excellent Zero Gravity front seats are still standard on all trims, which is probably half the reason Nissan is selling so many of these things. (How did that not make the bullet points, guys?) Change is more evident in the new-for-'16 Altima SR trim. The lighting profile is different for the model's most athletic variant, with smoked lenses, daytime running lights and revised fog lamps. More importantly, the SR gets its own suspension setup, revised dampers, stiffer front and rear stabilizers, and a more aggressive wheel/tire package. Nissan also offers drivers the ability to paddle-shift the SR's CVT transmission. The SR grade can be had with either Altima engine option. As for the motivating forces behind Altima's new nose, well, they're mostly the same.