The new Mixim is a compact vehicle that sports a centrally mounted driver’s seat with two passenger seats fitted on either side. Targeted towards the youth market, the interior features a computer inspired layout with diamond-shaped cut-outs littering the cabin.
Powering the concept is Nissan’s ‘Super Motor’ electric powertrain running on a compact lithium-ion battery array. The drivetrain features two independent motors, one driving the front axle and the other spinning the rear and in effect gives the car AWD capability.
The car’s lines looks as though the initial clay models were hacked with a razor blade and the whole thing is shorter than the Micro minicar. Don’t hold your breath waiting on this one to hit showrooms as there’s no word on any production plans.
PICS: Nissan’s Mixim concept
Nissan launching in South Korea
Nissan plans to launch several new models in South Korea for the first time, only the second Japanese carmaker attempting to penetrate the Korean market after Honda established itself there in 2004. Nissan’s high-end Infiniti models already sell in South Korea, but this time the carmaker plans to sell several new Nissan-branded models such as the Murano SUV, the medium-sized Altima sedan, the Cube compact car, and two other as yet unnamed vehicles.
Nissan won’t be opening up shop until the middle of next year by which time it’s thought Toyota will have also established a new sales network in the lucrative market. A Nissan Korea spokesman told the Chosun newspaper, “the market for popular import cars is growing in Korea. For example, Honda is selling on average 300 units of its popular CR-V SUV a month.”
Toyota, meanwhile, plans to launch the Camry sedan in South Korea and may follow it up with the Corolla depending on how successful sales are.
Nissan fans may have to wait a year for second hand GT-Rs
Nissan’s upcoming GT-R super-coupe is one of the most hotly awaited cars of the decade so it’s no surprise there’s already an extensive waiting list for it. Unfortunately, in situations like this unscrupulous buyers who get their hands on the car early on often sell them to those fans willing to pay a small premium on the retail price to make a profit.
This is a practice Nissan would like to avoid with its new GT-R so it’s actually considering limiting the car’s warranty to the first owner for a period of one year. This means that if anyone buys the car second hand before the one year deadline, the car’s warranty will be voided. “That’s the route we’re looking at,” Nissan’s PR director Scott Vazin told Edmunds.
The new GT-R will be making its official debut at October’s Tokyo Motor Show before making its US debut at the LA Show. The car should go on sale early next year and is tipped to be priced around the $70,000 mark.
Nissan installing fuel-consumption meters
Nissan has announced its plans to install fuel-consumption meters to all of its cars, something Euro makes have been doing for years. Nissan says it’s doing it to promote awareness of more economical driving habits and that it’s part of its new ‘Nissan Green Program 2010’ environmental action plan.
Developers will add a small gauge that shows how much fuel is being consumed at any given moment as well as average consumption, measured in L/km. Nissan will slowly roll-out the meters on all its facelifted and new models. Until now, it’s offered navigation systems which show both instant and average fuel-efficiency.
According to Nissan’s own testing, simply having the indicator on a car’s dash led to improvements in fuel consumption of around ten percent as drivers were constantly aware of how much fuel they were using.
BMW loses ‘M’ battle with Nissan
BMW has lost a court battle in Canada to prevent Nissan from using the letter ‘M’ for what BMW describes as its rival’s “inferior and more modestly priced” models. The latest announcement comes several months after BMW originally won an injunction to stop Nissan from using the letter. The original injunction was later overturned on appeal.
Part of BMW’s problem is the difficulty in proving that there was a trademark infringement but that won’t stop it from appealing the latest decision, reports the Financial Post. Officials from Munich didn’t object to Nissan using the letter for the Infiniti “M35″ and “M45″ but when the Japanese carmaker ran an advertisement in Canada, which stated “the M is coming,” they decided to take action.
BMW’s only option now is to either petition the Supreme Court to listen to its case or reach an agreement with Nissan.
Diesels slowly make their way to Japan
Diesels have long been the preferred choice of fuel across Europe, and, slowly, it’s starting to penetrate the US market, but, surprisingly, motorists in Japan have never really taken to the efficient fuel. Now, Nissan hopes to make inroads in its home market with the introduction of a diesel powered X-Trail SUV.
Expected to hit the market in the second half of next year, the new diesel X-Trail will be the first Japanese diesel passenger car sold locally since the 1990s according to Automotive News. Mercedes-Benz has been the only carmaker to offer a diesel passenger car in Japan in recent times with its E320 CDI sedan but with Honda promising diesel models in ’09 and the Nissan arriving one year prior, Japan is about to enjoy a diesel renaissance.
The technology originally fell out of favor because of the high exhaust levels of toxic nitrogen oxides and other pollutants. However, new clean diesels and high-performance catalysts developed by Nissan’s French partner Renault have been designed to meet strict new emissions standards in Japan.
Godzilla pops bonnet to help save people lives
Everyone’s eagerly waiting for Nissan to release the new Skyline later this year. The car affectionately dubbed ‘Godzilla’ is expected to bring us Porsche 911 performance at Boxster prices and will revive the famous nameplate that’s been gone for too long. One little-known aspect of the Skyline is that it will also be one of the safest cars on the road thanks to a bevy of airbags and a tougher passenger cell.
A new feature Nissan will be introducing to this model is a bonnet that will reduce head injuries in the event you run into a pedestrian. The technology, which was first pioneered by Jaguar in the XK (pictured above), involves the use of a small explosive charge that will cause the hood to pop-up and increase the protective buffer between it and the engine below.
The pop-up bonnet was necessary because of increased pedestrian safety legislation around the globe. Use of this technology has helped the designers behind the GT-R to retain the aggressive look the car is famous for.
