2015 Nissan Altima 2.5 S on 2040-cars

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Modified Trabant takes on Nissan GT-R in 1/4-mile battle

The little yellow guy in the right lane above with the "Flitzer" license plate looks like a Trabant 601 wagon and it's called a Trabant, but it's got little to do with the impoverished East German runabout that did its part to drive Communist ideals further into the ground. You'd almost be forgiven for not knowing there's a turbocharged 3.0-liter engine up front, until you have look at that rear track... and the wheelie bars in back.
So with a power-to-weight ratio akin to an LS9-powered scooter, it's no surprise that the Trabbi puts a pasting on a slightly tuned, 580-horsepower Nissan GT-R - we don't know what happened with Godzilla's shifting, but it was all over from the hole shot. It's still fun to watch, though, and you can do that in the video below.

2016 Civic, Sonata, Lexus RX, and Altima earn TSP+ from IIHS [w/videos]

The 2016 Honda Civic sedan, Hyundai Sonata, Lexus RX, and Nissan Altima started the year with a bang by earning Top Safety Pick+ honors from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They join 48 other 2016 model year vehicles that IIHS already tested that received the agency's top safety marks. These four models met the IIHS' latest requirement, scoring the agency's best possible score in all five of its crash tests – front, side, rear, rollover, and the difficult small-overlap – to be eligible for the safety accolade. Hyundai improved the 2016 Sonata's structure after the sedan's production began, so this rating only applied to examples produced after October. To get the TSP+ honor, a vehicle's crash prevention tech needs to earn least two points on the IIHS' scale. The lower Top Safety Pick designation can go to model with a "basic" version of these systems like a front collision warning. The Civic, Sonata, and RX scored the maximum six points to get "superior" scores for their optional crash prevention tech because they avoided collisions at up to 25 miles per hour. The Altima was successful in a 12-mph test, but the system slowed the sedan by 10 mph in the 25-mph test rather than completely stopping it. Therefore, the agency awarded the Nissan five points, which was still a "superior" score. You can watch the small-overlap tests for the Civic, RX, Altima, and Sonata respectively below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Four more vehicles earn the 2016 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award ARLINGTON, Va. — The Honda Civic 4-door, Hyundai Sonata, Lexus RX and Nissan Altima are the latest vehicles to earn the top award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The four vehicles join the 2016 winner's circle just one month after the initial crop of 48 TOP SAFETY PICK+ winners was announced. The requirements for TOP SAFETY PICK+ were tightened for 2016. To qualify, winners must earn good ratings in each of the Institute's five crashworthiness tests and have an available front crash prevention system earning an advanced or superior rating.

Nissan X-Trail Takata inflator rupture causes fire in Japan [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Autoblog has received Nissan's official statement about the Takata inflator rupture in Japan. It confirms the details of the case, but contradicts one part of the original story. Nissan says that the vehicle's owner was notified about the recall, but the X-Trail wasn't repaired. We've updated the story to reflect this, and the full statement is embedded below. Nissan is the latest automaker to be directly affected by faulty Takata airbags in its vehicles. In this case, a 2001 X-Trail crossover in Japan caught fire after an accident when its passenger side inflator ruptured, shot out hot shrapnel, and caused the dashboard to ignite. The driver suffered light burns to the cheek during the crash, according to Reuters. Nissan has covered this model of X-Trail under its Takata recall in Japan since April 2013, but a company spokesperson told Reuters that the driver didn't receive the notice. The inflator in the crossover was made at Takata's factory in Moses Lake, WA. This was Nissan's first case in Japan of one of these parts rupturing. While a root cause isn't known, the problem with these components is believed to come from moisture getting into the inflator and causing the propellant to ignite too quickly. The Takata airbag recall has affected millions of vehicles worldwide and has been linked to eight deaths worldwide. In May, Nissan added 1.56 million of its models globally to replace the parts. Subsequently, the company added thousands more for the passenger side in the US and Canada. According to Reuters, the company has called in 813,000 vehicles in Japan, and 85 percent of them have been repaired there. The repair rate in the US has been far lower, though. Takata is producing around a million repair kits a month, but there are 34 million affected vehicles here from 11 automakers. According to a Congressional hearing in early June, it could be years before the whole problem is properly sorted out. Related Video: Nissan Statement Nissan is aware of a June 25 2015 incident in Japan involving improper deployment of a passenger side air bag in a 2001 Nissan X-Trail. The driver of the vehicle reported minor injuries. This vehicle was already subject to a Takata recall and owner notification was made. However, for unknown reasons, the vehicle has not been remedied. Relevant authorities have been notified. This incident is subject to an ongoing investigation and no further information will be available at this time.