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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:

2015 Nissan Versa Sedan continues to prioritize space and price over looks

Nissan's refresh of its cavernous Versa Sedan is on hand today at the 2014 New York Auto Show. While we continue to appreciate the Versa for its space and low price, this slight restyling of the four-door sedan hasn't done much for its uninspiring appearance.
Newly enlarged headlights and a reworked, more Altima-like grille are the biggest changes to the front of this Versa, although Nissan has also added some brightwork around the revised foglight housings. Integrated turn signals liven up the mirrors, while the rear of the car wears a new and almost strangely sporty bumper.
Perhaps more importantly for prospective owners, Nissan has also made a few interior tweaks, with a new steering wheel and a revised center stack leading the change. There's some new available tech on the top-end SL model, as well.

Feds say Americans' bid to avoid extradition in Ghosn escape is 'flawed'

BOSTON — U.S. prosecutors on Tuesday said a former Green Beret and his son, wanted by Japan for helping former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn flee the country, were advancing a "flawed" interpretation of Japanese law to fight their extradition. Michael Taylor and his son, Peter Taylor, were arrested in Massachusetts last month at Japan's request for allegedly smuggling Ghosn out of the country on Dec. 29, 2019, in a box while he was out on bail awaiting trial on financial charges. Ghosn fled to Lebanon, his childhood home, after being charged with engaging in financial wrongdoing, including by understating his compensation in Nissan's financial statements. He denies wrongdoing. Lawyers for the Taylors in a motion last week asked a federal judge in Boston to quash the provisional warrants issued in May for their arrests, arguing that "bail jumping" is not a crime in Japan. Defense lawyers argued that helping someone jump bail was also not a crime. While Japan issued arrest warrants for the Taylors in January, the lawyers said the crime stated in the warrants is an immigration offense and a non-extraditable misdemeanor. But U.S. prosecutors in a brief filed on Tuesday said it would be "unprecedented" for the extradition case at this junction to be tossed based on a "flawed interpretation of Japanese law and a mischaracterization of the facts." While Japan has not yet formally sought their extradition, the country has confirmed that Taylors' conduct constitutes a felony, U.S. prosecutors said. "The purported loophole through which the Taylors seek to evade justice simply does not exist," U.S. prosecutors wrote. Prosecutors added that neither Taylor, including Michael, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and private security specialist, should be released from jail as they are flight risks. Abbe Lowell, the Taylors' lawyer, said he was reviewing the filing. Related Video: Government/Legal Mitsubishi Nissan Renault Carlos Ghosn