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Full 2015 Chevy City Express details revealed

If you're thinking, "hey, that looks familiar..." you aren't alone. We've already seen photos of the 2015 Chevrolet City Express van. And before that, we've already learned everything there is to know about the Nissan NV200 upon which its quite obviously based. Now, though, the City Express is holding its official coming out party at the Chicago Auto Show, and we finally have the official details about what'll hopefully make this van attractive to work-minded buyers.
To no one's surprise, the City Express doesn't offer any mechanical differentiation from its Nissan equivalent. Power comes from a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine rated at 131 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque, mated exclusively to a continuously variable transmission. Of course, the purpose of the City Express is less about what's under its hood and more about what it can haul in its capacious cargo area. Chevrolet says the front passenger seat can fold flat to create a work space or accommodate longer objects in the cargo bay, there's a center console designed specifically for maximum storage capability and both sides of the van have sliding doors. In addition, there are a plethora of integrated cargo mounts, floor-mounted D-rings and roof rack mounts throughout the vehicle.
Visually, Nissan's NV200 has never exactly been a handsome thing to begin with, and this City Express doesn't really tweak it for the better - to our eyes, it might even be less attractive. Even the design of the 15-inch wheel covers have been left alone, though the Chevy shown here appears to wear chrome-finished units.

Nissan Xterra discontinued after 2015

Another great big subtraction in the choice of proper off-roaders comes with news from Edmunds that the Nissan Xterra will meet its maker after the 2015 model year. Sales of the body-on-frame SUV introduced in 1999 declined seven percent last year compared to 2013, a total of just 16,505 getting off dealer lots. That's about 1,800 more sales than the Toyota FJ Cruiser achieved for the year, another rugged trail runner recently dispatched into the ether. Meanwhile, the king-of-the-hill Jeep Wrangler almost matched those annual sales number each month in 2014; it moved 19,235 in May alone. Nissan hasn't exactly cared about the Xterra for years; Edmunds reported in 2013 that Nissan was "mulling the Xterra's future" and would take a year to decide if it was going to keep going. But it has been clear for years that the company wasn't too interested in its hardcore off-roader in spite of its "enthusiastic fan base inside and outside the company." The last visible refresh came in 2009, when it was 4Wheeler magazine's SUV of the Year, the next minor feature updates not arriving until 2014. And the Nissan-backed off-road triathlon series the Xterra was named for died in 2006. That's why there's no business case for throwing money at re-engineering the Xterra's safety and emissions specs, especially in a world gone crazy for subcompact crossovers. We contacted Nissan for comment on the report and asked if another Nissan vehicle, like the Rogue, would be positioned as a near-replacement, as has been speculated before. Product communications director Dan Bedore told us, "Nissan has made no announcement as to the future status of Xterra. For proprietary reasons, we do not discuss future product plans or comment on media speculation about future plans." Right now we can hear the Jeep Wrangler at the top of the mountain screaming, "Nobody wants a piece of this? Really?!" So come on, General Motors - it's up to you now.

Nissan adds 500 jobs in Mississippi for Murano production [w/video]

Nissan is bolstering its workforce at its Canton, MS factory, adding 500 workers for this fall's production kickoff of the heavily redesigned Murano crossover.
"The addition of Murano to our portfolio, coupled with the continued growth and success of the Canton plant, will move us even closer to our goal to build more than 85 percent of the vehicles we sell in the US right here in North America," said senior vice president of manufacturing, supply chain management and purchasing for Nissan's North American ops, John Martin.
The Murano will eventually be exported to over 100 markets and will be built alongside the current Xterra, Frontier, Titan and Armada. The addition of 500 jobs to the Canton facility elevates its total workforce past 6,000 people.