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2015 Nissan Murano and Juke priced, Color Studio to breed bad ideas

Nissan has released basic pricing information on its upcoming Murano, as well as detailed pricing on the refreshed Juke crossover at the 2014 LA Auto Show. The Japanese company also announced a new "color studio" for the Juke, which just reeks of bad ideas. First, let's talk money. The flashy, redesigned Murano crossover will kick off at $29,650, not including an $885 destination charge. While the new CUV will begin arriving in dealers on December 5, Nissan opted out of providing more detailed pricing data, including information about trim levels and other optional extras. It did no such thing with the Juke, though. The freshened 2015 model starts at $20,250 for a base Juke S, and climbs from there. The SV trim adds $1,050 to the price while the SL starts at $25,240. All-wheel drive adds $1,850 to the S and SV models and $1,700 to SL. If you're the sporting sort, the Juke Nismo starts at $24,830 while the Nismo RS rings up at $28,020. Adding an Xtronic continuously variable transmission and all-wheel-drive to the Nismo models increases the price by $2,400 and $2,000, respectively. And now, the Nissan Color Studio. We'll admit, there are some among the Autoblog staff that question this new feature, which gives customers an extreme degree of control when it comes to the styling of their Juke. For a price, Nissan will allow customers to choose individual colors for ten different parts of the Juke, including the rear spoiler, mirror caps, headlight surrounds, door sills and the wheels. While a fashionable mind might be able to create something rather cool, the potential for abuse here is extremely high. Check out the inset image to see what we mean. Scroll down for Nissan's announcement on Juke and Murano pricing, as well as details on the color studio.

Nissan reveals updated 2015 370Z Nismo among the faithful

Well before quick Honda Si models of the '80s or the performance juggernaut that the Toyota Supra and Mazda RX-7 became in the 90s, the Datsun 240Z was an early stake in the ground for Japanese sports cars. It was affordable, but the original Z-car was also a capable coupe that could show its tail to European and American rivals. Today, Nissan celebrates the car each year with fellow enthusiasts at its ZDAYZ event, and this year in North Carolina, it's surprising fans by launching the 2015 370Z Nismo there with some significant upgrades.
The biggest change is that the 370Z Nismo is available with a seven-speed automatic transmission for the first time. The six-speed manual is still standard, of course. But for those who don't want to use a clutch, Nissan is offering the new automatic with Downshift Rev Matching and a manual mode via paddle shifters. Power is still provided by the same 3.7-liter V6 as last year, producing 350 horsepower and 276 pound-feet of torque with a limited-slip differential at the back for added traction.
This hottest 370Z model also receives a brand-new GT-R-inspired bodykit that features a deeper front fascia, LED running lights and blacked-out headlight bezels. It also sports a new chin spoiler bearing the Nismo emblem and red accents that flow from the front, down the side sills and all the way to the rear bumper. At the back, there is also a smaller ducktail spoiler for a more mature look. The 2015 also wears cool 19-inch forged aluminum wheels by Rays with a new twin-spoke design and charcoal finish. Compared to last year's model, it's a much more mature-looking coupe.

With Nissan dragging it down, Renault predicts a worsening year

PARIS — Renault warned revenue may decline this year, scrapping a previous goal, after first-half profit was hit by weakening car demand and an earnings collapse at alliance partner Nissan in the wake of the Carlos Ghosn scandal. Net income slumped by more than half to 970 million euros ($1.08 billion) in January-June as revenue fell 6.4% to 28.05 billion, the French carmaker said on Friday. Operating profit also dropped 13.6% to 1.65 billion euros. "Given the degradation in demand, the group now expects 2019 revenues to be close to last year's," Renault said — abandoning an earlier pledge to increase revenue before currency effects. A broad-based auto sales downturn has rattled the sector, prompting profit warnings and compounding challenges for Renault and Nissan as they struggle to turn the page on the Ghosn era. Their former alliance boss is now awaiting trial in Japan on financial misconduct charges he denies. Renault's bottom line was hit by an 826 million-euro drop in earnings from its 43.4%-owned partner. Nissan is cutting 12,500 jobs globally after an earnings collapse that it is keen to blame on Ghosn's leadership. But Renault's own performance - reflected in an operating margin that declined to 5.9% from 6.4% the year before - compares less favorably with domestic rival PSA Group. The Peugeot maker bucked the downturn with a record 8.7% profit margin unveiled on Wednesday. Alliance tensions flared after Ghosn's November arrest, worsened when Renault tried in vain to merge with Nissan then Fiat Chrysler, and may be affecting operational performance, investors fear. Citi analyst Raghav Gupta-Chaudhary flagged a lower-than-usual 258 million euros in joint purchasing savings for Renault. "We thought this would be weak in light of the well-documented difficulties with the alliance," he said. Renault blamed falling sales in France, as well as Turkey and Argentina, for a 7.7% revenue drop at its core automotive business, whose profit margin slid to 4% from 4.5%. Operating free cash flow also suffered, coming in at a negative 716 million euros as investment jumped by 742 million euros to 2.91 billion. Renault, which is counting on model launches including a new Clio mini to boost performance in the second half of 2019, nonetheless reiterated pledges to deliver positive full-year cash flow and a margin close to 6%. Renault shares were down 0.5% at 52.02 euros as of 0800 GMT in Paris, after initially falling as much as 2.7%.