2009 Nissan 370z Nismo Coupe 2-door 3.7l on 2040-cars

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Nissan's plan to supply US Mitsubishi dealers with family sedan stalls

Mitsubishi has quietly had some big success recently. The Japanese brand sold 77,643 vehicles in the US for all of 2014, a 24.8 percent jump over 2013. While still relatively small overall (Ford sold 74,355 F-Series trucks just in December, for example), it shows definite growth for the sometimes forgotten automaker. Unfortunately, the latest news might not help the company's future expansion. The proposed partnership of Mitsubishi and the Renault-Nissan Alliance on at least one midsize sedan for the US market is off the table, according to Automotive News. The company informed sellers that the collaboration had fallen through during a National Automobile Dealers Association meeting. "I told them that the plan has stalled," said Don Swearingen, executive vice president of Mitsubishi Motors North America, to Automotive News. "And I said that's really all I can tell you at this time." Under the original partnership, Mitsubishi was supposed to get a D-segment sedan that would have been built at the Renault-Samsung factory in Busan, South Korea. The automakers were also negotiating for Mitsu to get a C-segment four-door as a global model and developing an electric kei car for Japan together, due in 2016. While the sedan is gone, Mitsubishi isn't completely bereft of improved products in the pipeline. The Mirage Sedan is being launched in the US, and the Outlander is supposed to get a redesign for the 2016 model year. According to Automotive News, the Outlander Sport and Lancer are also due for refreshes in 2016, and a new Mirage is on the way.

Nissan reveals new Qashqai crossover for Europe

Between the Juke, Rogue, Murano, Xterra, Pathfinder and Armada, Nissan offers a wide variety of crossovers and SUVs in this market. And that's not even counting the trucks, vans and Infiniti crossovers. But in the European market, it all comes down the Qashqai. Not that Nissan doesn't offer other crossovers in Europe, it's just that the Qashqai has, since its introduction in 2007, accounted for the lion's share, with over two million sold globally (of which 1.5 million were in Europe). And now, after teasing it repeatedly, Nissan has introduced the all-new model.
Larger, sleeker, more advanced, more comfortable and more environmentally friendly than the model it replaces, the new Qashqai is designed in Europe, for Europe, and hits the market at the start of the new year. It's the first European model to be based on Renault-Nissan's new Common Alliance Platform that will eventually encompass three Nissan models and 11 Renaults built in locations around the world.
An array of gasoline and diesel engines, ranging from 110 to 150 horsepower, will be available in two- or four-wheel drive configurations, with either a six-speed manual or the type of continuously variable transmission which Nissan champions.

Datsun to unveil second model later this month

Datsun, Nissan's new sub-brand for emerging markets, has announced plans to unveil its second model. Its first, the Go, was unveiled almost two months ago, and promised affordable, connected motoring for five in a handsome hatchback body. Datsun is following that up with a pair of new models for Indonesia.
The first of these two new vehicles will be shown on September 17 in Jakarta, eschewing the typical auto show debut. It's targeted at so-called "risers," the nickname for a group of highly aspirational customers in the Indonesian market. Datsun developed it locally with help from Nissan, and it'll cost under 100 million Indonesian rupiah (about $8,900 at today's rates).
We'll have the full boatload of information on the newest member of the Datsun family when it debuts on September 17. Scroll on to read the full press release from Datsun.