Only 809 Miles, Extra Clean. on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Nissan Cube dead for 2015

Another class cut-up has graduated from our motor pool. The Nissan Cube's indefatigable weirdness was likely both its chief selling point and its Achilles Heel, but Autoblog sources say that after a six-year run in the US, the niche player has been scrubbed from the Japanese automaker's lineup.
The move is hardly unexpected - there was confirmation from Nissan Canada that it was pulling the plug on the asymmetric little front-driver in its market back in May, and sales have not exactly been sparkling here in the States, either. In June, Nissan shifted just 336 Cubes, down 23.8 percent year over year. So far this year, Nissan has sold 2,294 units, a sales pace off 30.9 percent versus 2013. At its peak in 2010, the Cube remained firmly a niche vehicle, selling 22,968 units.
Nissan North America's Dan Passe, senior manager of product communications, maintains that "We are continuing to sell the 2014 Cube and we haven't made an announcement about future model plans," but Autoblog sources indicate that an official announcement will be coming in the next couple of months, and the Cube has been conspicuously left off of an exhaustive 2015 lineup "Charting the Changes" announcement released on Tuesday.

Nissan and Renault shelve merger plans, will repair their alliance

Renault and Nissan have shelved plans to push towards the full merger former leader Carlos Ghosn craved and will instead fix their troubled alliance to try to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, five senior sources told Reuters. Nissan has long resisted Renault's proposals for a full-blown merger as executives felt the French carmaker was not paying its fair share for the engineering work it did in Japan, sowing discord that some feared could wreck the partnership. Now, with carmakers around the world reeling from the pandemic, the partners are planning to overhaul an alliance that largely failed to convert its global scale into a competitive advantage beyond the joint procurement of parts. Both struggling carmakers are set to announce mid-term restructuring plans this week that will serve as a peace treaty designed to resolve the long-standing tensions, five people familiar with the overhaul told Reuters. "After the rain, the earth hardens," said one senior Nissan source, citing a popular Japanese proverb that means relationships become stronger after a period of strife. All five sources within the alliance, which also includes Mitsubishi, declined to be named because they are not authorized to speak with media. Nissan and Renault are each planning substantial restructuring and cost cuts that could affect tens of thousands of jobs, with the Japanese company to announce its measures on May 28 and its French partner likely to follow the next day. Before that, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Renault are holding a joint news conference on May 27 during which they are expected to outline the philosophy behind their new "leader-follower" approach to the alliance. The sources said the companies were unlikely to disclose many details at the events this week of how the new approach will be used to share costs as the companies were still working on specific projects. However, the crisis at both carmakers has accelerated efforts to resolve the disagreements that have stymied collaboration and cost-sharing in technology and product development for five years, the sources said. Mitsubishi, Nissan and Renault all declined to comment officially about alliance plans. 'Leader-follower' The alliance has steadily ramped up output over the years, delivering over 10 million vehicles for the first time in 2017, the first full year after Mitsubishi joined the partnership.

Nissan to run two GT-R GT3 cars in 2015 Pirelli World Challenge series

Nissan will be lining up two FIA GT3-spec GT-Rs on the start line of the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge at the Circuit of the Americas March 6-8. Sponsored by Always Evolving, Replay XD cameras, and Nismo, the two entrants will be driven by American GT Academy winner Bryan Heitkotter and Australian racer James Davison. AIM Motorsport, the Canadian race shop founded by Roger Rodas and Erik Davis, will handle preparation of the car. It will be the first time the GT3 GT-R has come to race in America. It will race in a highly varied field, with Audi, Ferrari, Dodge, and Aston Martin among the series runners. Check out the press release below for more details. NISSAN ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ALWAYS EVOLVING TO CAMPAIGN TWO NISSAN GT-R GT3 CARS FOR 2015 PIRELLI WORLD CHALLENGE - 2011 Nissan GT Academy Champion Bryan Heitkotter to pilot #05 GT-R GT3 - IndyCar, Prototype and GT racer James Davison to Campaign #33 GT-R GT3 - First U.S. Appearance of Nissan GT-R Built to FIA GT3 Specifications - Debuts in Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of the Americas March 6-8 NASHVILLE, Tenn. 19/02/15 – Nissan Motorsports announced today a partnership with Always Evolving (AE) to campaign two GT Academy-NISMO Nissan GT-R GT3 racing cars for the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge season. Nissan GT Academy North America 2011 winner Bryan Heitkotter will drive one of the team cars, while Australian open wheel and GT star James Davison will pilot the second car. Featuring logos from the GT Academy program, the two cars will be co-sponsored by Replay XD and NISMO. AE will utilize AIM Autosport for much of the car preparation and on-track support during the season. Based in Los Angeles, the team was founded in March 2013 by friends Roger Rodas and Erik Davis as a platform combine their passion for cars and their desire to support their favorite charitable organizations. Following Rodas' tragic passing in November 2013, the team has established "Racing in Honor" as their internal mission for the 2014 season in his memory. AIM won the 2012 IMSA GTD team, driver and manufacturer championships, as well as the 2013 manufacturer title while campaigning a Ferrari. "Nissan couldn't be happier to have Always Evolving and AIM as Nissan's partners to campaign the first GT3 spec GT-Rs in the U.S. in Pirelli World Challenge," said Rick Kulach, Nissan North America Motorsports Manager.