2014 Nissan Murano S on 2040-cars

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2016 Nissan Sentra to get heavy restyle

Nissan is having a banner year when it comes to launching updated products in 2015. The latest Maxima is already on sale in showrooms, and the next-gen Titan joins it later. Refreshes for the Sentra (2014 model year pictured above) and Altima are also on the way, and the changes are likely to be significant to stay competitive in the compact sedan segment. "It will be an incredibly freshened Sentra," Fred Diaz, Nissan Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing in the US, said to Automotive News. The big changes reportedly include a thorough restyling and some new tech. Nissan North America Director of Product Communications Dan Bedore confirmed to Autoblog the company will launch refreshes to the Sentra and Altima "later this year" but wouldn't give a more precise timeline or other details about them. However, rumors about the restyling are already out there, and Sentra's overhaul reportedly takes inspiration from the Pulsar in Europe. That might mean a move to Nissan's pointed, V-shaped grille and more aggressive, angular headlights with better-integrated LED running lights than the current design. Meanwhile, the Altima's update potentially borrows cues from the Murano and Maxima and could see improved fuel economy. This comprehensive restyling comes despite Nissan already having a major success in the US with the current Sentra. Volume this year is up 15.5 percent through May with 88,701 sales. Also, the sedan had its best numbers in the past 25 years in 2014 with 183,268 of them sold, according to Automotive News. Related Video:

Judge denies bail for men accused of sneaking Carlos Ghosn out of Japan

BOSTON — Two American men wanted by Japan on charges that they helped sneak former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn out of the country in a box have again been denied release from a U.S. jail. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani on Friday rejected a bid to free Michael Taylor, a 59-year-old U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, and his 27-year-old son, Peter Taylor, on bail while they fight their extradition to Japan. Talwani said a magistrate judge properly found the two men to be a risk of flight. “While the Taylors may well seek to remain in the United States to fight extradition through available legal channels, they have also shown a blatant disregard for such safeguards in the context of the Japanese legal system and have not established sufficiently that if they find their extradition fight difficult, they will not flaunt the rules of release on bail and flee the country,” Talwani wrote. An attorney for the Taylors declined to comment Saturday. Their lawyers have said the men have no plans to flee and argue their health is at risk behind bars because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Taylors have been locked up in a Massachusetts jail since their arrest in May. Authorities say the Taylors helped smuggle Ghosn out of the Japan on a private jet while he was on bail and awaiting trial on financial misconduct allegations. With former the Nissan boss hidden in a large box, the flight went first to Turkey, then to Lebanon, where Ghosn has citizenship but which has no extradition treaty with Japan. Ghosn said he fled because he could not expect a fair trial, was subjected to unfair conditions in detention and was barred from meeting his wife under his bail conditions. Ghosn has denied allegations that he underreported his future income and committed a breach of trust by diverting Nissan money for his personal gain. The Taylors have not denied helping Ghosn flee, but argue they can't be extradited. Among other things, they say that “bail jumping” is not a crime in Japan and, therefore, helping someone evade their bail conditions isnÂ’t a crime either. In a court filing on Friday, federal prosecutors urged Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell to rule that the men can be legally extradited. The U.S. Secretary of State will make the final decision on whether they will be handed over to Japan.

Nissan Qashqai getting Juke-R treatment

As long as there are sacred cows, there will be heretics sharpening their knives in anticipation of the butchering. When Nissan first carved into the mighty GT-R to create the Juke-R, onlookers quickly fell into two camps: those who thought the plan was sheer genius and those who believed cannibalizing a GT-R to feed a Juke was a new brand of obscenity. We fell firmly in the former camp. Now Severn Valley Motorsport is looking to take that theme one step further by shoving the go-faster bits from a GT-R into a Nissan Qashqai. That noise you hear? It's us cackling like mad men.
While we can't say for certain, we're guessing the project should yield the world's fastest Qashqai thanks in no small part to the twin-turbocharged VR38DETT V6 engine from the GT-R. Throw in the all-wheel-drive system and the little CUV should change demeanor dramatically. We can't wait to see this thing in action.