2023 Nissan Frontier Pro-x on 2040-cars

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Nissan could upgrade current GT-R yet again

Heisenberg himself would have been impressed by the unpredictability of the next-generation Nissan GT-R. We're pretty sure one is coming, we think it will be sometime around 2018, it could have a hybrid powertrain with an evolution of the 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 used in the GT-R LM Nismo endurance racer, and there's a chance its looks will point in the direction of the Nissan Concept 2010 Vision Gran Turismo concept. Oh, and rumor is that no matter what comes next, Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn wants to sell more of them every month; GT-R sales are up about 40 units through August compared to last year, but that's still just 891 examples. What's Nissan going to do with the current GT-R for the next three years? According to a chat Top Gear had with Phillipe Klein, the company's head of product planning, Nissan can do more with the R35. Klein said, "We are very serious about this vehicle and its future," and, "There is still development potential there, always." That could mean any number of things, since we never have any idea what Nissan is going to do or not do with the GT-R. If Klein is talking about engineering more performance from this package and it's 3.8-liter, twin-turbo V6, does that mean a notable increase in horsepower for the standard version, or does that mean a super-duper edition hotter and faster around the 'Ring than the 600-hp, $149,990 GT-R Nismo? Or is it something else – because, frankly, the GT-R has plenty of performance right now and it's not the coupe's stat-sheet numbers that are holding it back. Since 2018 isn't that far away, we should probably know soon. Related Video:

Nissan goes retro with Bathurst racing livery [w/video]

At the Bathurst 1000 next month, the #23 Nissan Altima V8 Supercar will wear this throwback red, white, and blue color scheme. And as you might have guessed, the team didn't pull it out of thin air. It's derived from the colors worn by the Skyline that Jim Richards drove in the 1990 Australian Touring Car Championship – the precursor of today's V8 Supercars series. In that historic season, four-time ATCC champ Richards won two rounds in the Skyline H31 GTS-R before switching to the newer R32 GT-R and winning one more. Those three checkered flags helped Richards score his third title, and the first of three that Nissan would go on to win in the series. Richards kept that H31 and still brings it to historic racing events with what he remembers as his favorite racing livery. If there's anything we love more than old racing liveries, it's when automakers and racing teams bring them back. Whether it's the Gulf livery sported by Aston Martin at Le Mans, the Martini stripes worn by Williams in F1, or the throwback liveries Toyota recently cooked up for the GT86 (aka Scion FR-S). Nissan's done some of its own retro racing liveries as well, like the one the GT-R LM Nismo wore recently, or this one done up Down Under. Watch and listen to Nissan's Michael Caruso talk to Richards about it in the video below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Nissan to celebrate 25 years since first Australian Touring Car championship title at 2015 Bathurst 1000 - #23 NISMO Nissan Altima V8 Supercar to race in colors of Jim Richards' 1990ATCC-winning Nissan Skyline HR31 at 2015 Bathurst 1000 on October 8 to 112015 MELBOURNE, Australia – Nissan will celebrate its first Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) title by running a spectacular retro livery on its #23 Nissan Altima V8 Supercar at this year's Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama from October 8 to 11 in Bathurst, Australia. The #23 NISMO Nissan Altima V8 of Michael Caruso and Dean Fiore will race in the same colors as the 1990 Nissan Skyline HR31, 25 years after Jim Richards used the Skyline to win the 1990 championship. Richards raced the Skyline in six of the eight rounds of the 1990 ATCC. Richards switched to the new Nissan GT-R R32 for the final two rounds of the1990 championship, but crucially, two of his three round wins that year were with the Skyline HR31.

FCA-Renault merger talks: France wants job guarantees and Nissan on board

PARIS — France will seek protection of local jobs and other guarantees in exchange for supporting a merger between carmakers Renault and Fiat Chrysler, its finance minister said on Tuesday, underscoring the challenges facing the plan. Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard arrived in Japan to discuss the proposed tie-up with the French company's existing partner Nissan — another potential obstacle to the $35 billion-plus merger of equals. Renault and Italian-American rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) are in talks to tackle the costs of far-reaching technological and regulatory changes by creating the world's third-biggest automaker. Nissan found out about Renault's merger talks with Fiat Chrysler only days before they became public, four sources told Reuters, stoking fears at the Japanese carmaker that a deal could further weaken its position in a 20-year alliance with Renault. A deal between Renault and FCA would create a player ranked behind only Japan's Toyota and Germany's Volkswagen and target 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) a year in savings. Some analysts, however, say the companies face a challenge to win over powerful stakeholders ranging from the French and Italian governments to trade unions and Nissan. Patrick Pelata, a former Renault chief operating officer, also criticized the deal plan for undervaluing Renault and threatening to overstretch its engineering resources. By valuing Renault at its market price, the all-share offer attributes a negative 6 billion euro value to Renault operations after deduction of its 43.4% stake in Nissan and 3.1% Daimler holding, Pelata told BFM radio. "That's hardly reasonable," he said. "And I think that shareholders, including the French state, are bound to take issue with this sooner or later." Pelata added: "FCA has big problem because they haven't invested for the future — they have no electric vehicle platform and they've done nothing in autonomous cars." French finance minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL radio on Tuesday that the plan was a good opportunity for both Renault and the European car industry, which has been struggling for years with overcapacity and subdued demand. France sets conditions Le Maire also said the French government would seek four guarantees in exchange for backing a deal that would reduce its 15% stake in Renault to 7.5% of the combined entity. "The first: industrial jobs and industrial sites.