Nissan Reveals New Almera Sedan for Russia, goes on Sale Next Year

The Almera nameplate is set to make a return to Nissan's lineup as a compact-sized sedan model, which the company says has been developed exclusively for Russia and will be manufactured locally in Togliatti on an all-new production line starting from early next year.

According to the Japanese automaker, Nissan engineering teams in Japan, the UK and Russia developed the new Almera.

However, the single photo released by Nissan, suggests otherwise as the new Almera appears to be based on the second generation of the Japanese market Bluebird Sylphy that uses Nissan's B-platform and which was introduced in the country back in 2005.

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Nissan to Tease Next Generation X-Trail with Hi-Cross Concept at the Geneva Motor Show

As the auto industry gears up for the rapidly approaching 82nd Geneva International Auto Show, Nissan released a single teaser photo and video footage of a new concept model called the Hi-Cross.

For now, the Japanese company is only willing to tell us that the Hi-Cross demonstrates how it is "exploring ideas to expand" its crossover lineup.

However, sources state that the Hi-Cross is a concept model for a new D-segment crossover that will replace the more rugged X-Trail SUV, following in the footsteps of the B-segment Juke and C-segment Qashqai, both of which have proved to be a success for Nissan.

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Watch More than 40 Nissan GT-Rs Roam the Streets of Singapore

If you like the hissing and grunting sounds of a Nissan GT-R's 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6, then we're pretty sure that you are going to love these two videos from Singapore showing a convoy consisting of more than 40 (!) Godzillas traveling together on the road.

The drivers are members of the Nissan GTR Owner's clubs in Singapore and Malaysia and they were heading up from the Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore to Dempsey Hill for a special meeting.

Drive through the break to watch both videos.

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Nissan Engineer's Show us the 2013 Pathfinder On and Off the Road

Revealed for the first time at the Detroit motor show back in January followed by another appearance at this month's Chicago auto show, the new 2013 Nissan Pathfinder is now heading for regular production with a planned sales date in the U.S. this fall.

Since it will be months before we get to see the new seven-seater model in showrooms, the folks at Nissan want to keep our interest in the Pathfinder going with the release of a new video showing the SUV on and off the road.

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Evoms Tuned Porsche 997 Turbo with 610HP is No Match for Godzilla SPE750

Remember a video of an SP Engineering-tuned Nissan GT-R 750 being chased on a twisty road by a Ferrari 458 Italia that we showed you last November?

Well, the same person that uploaded the aforementioned clip has released a fresh video with the 750-horsepower Godzilla playing around with an Evoms Porsche 997 Turbo with 610HP on a straight line.

See how it plays out in the video that follows after the jump.

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Video: 2013 Nissan GT-R Versus 2012 Corvette Z06 Centennial Edition

Perhaps the greatest achievement for Nissan and its GT-R is that it has become a benchmark for all types of sports cars.

And there's no better proof for this than the fact that in February alone, we've seen at least three publications comparing the Godzilla against a variety of new sports cars including the 2012 M5 sedan, the 2012 Camaro ZL1 and now, the Corvette Z06 Centennial Edition from Insideline.

So, before you watch the video test, let's do a quick rundown on the numbers:

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Vintage Japanese Cars Gaining a Strong Following in the U.S.

When you hear the term “classic” car, you surely think of something old but rare and most likely expensive, like an Aston Martin, a Ferrari or perhaps even some good ol' American iron.

The sole Japanese model that fetches serious money in the classic car market is Japan’s first supercar, the Toyota 2000GT. Collectors pay more than US$400,000 for the road versions while a 2000GT racer is currently being offered for US$1.7 million.

Whatever you think about the insane prices that some people are willing to pay for them, you would never apply this term to 30-year-old run-of-the-mill Japanese compact cars.

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Nissan SUV Slams Stationary Honda Civic that was Getting Ready to Street Race [NSFW]

We're not saying it can't happen, but the last thing you expect to see on an open road at night is two motionless vehicles occupying both regular lanes. Is it that difficult to see that this is something extremely dangerous for all parties involved? Apparently, the answer is yes…

Too bad these drivers had to find out the hard way when an unrelated Nissan SUV slammed into a Honda Civic hatchback that was standing still revving its engine as the owner was preparing to race another Civic on an unnamed road in Tampa, Florida.

The person who uploaded the video said that despite the severity of the crash, -fortunately- no one was hurt. You can watch the accident as it happened in the clip that follows after the break (beware; foul language).

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Nissan Asks Fans to Help Tune the Ultimate 370Z Coupe; How Would You Upgrade it?

For the past decade or so, the 350Z and its successor, the 370Z, have offered mainstream buyers with a regular budget in many markets around the world the opportunity to own a fine-tuned and powerful rear-wheel drive sports car without breaking the bank.

Nissan is now reaching over to the same crowd to help create the ultimate Z car with the launch of "Project Z" that was announced today at the Chicago Auto Show where the Japanese company also unveiled the de-fanged 2013MY 370Z facelift.

And how will Nissan do that, we hear you ask? The answer is through its Facebook channel where fans will propose and vote on potential modifications while following the progress of the tuned 370Z online.

"Together we’ll create a vehicle that expands on the already outstanding performance and style of the Nissan 370Z with a balance of street and track ready modification," said Jon Brancheau, vice president of Nissan Marketing, NNA.

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Nissan Debuts NV200 Compact Cargo Van at the Chicago Auto Show

The Nissan NV200 compact cargo van made its North American debut today at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. The commercial version of New York City's NV200 Taxi joins Nissan's expanding lineup of professional vans that includes the full-size NV Cargo and Passenger variants.

Even though the NV200 Cargo is making its first appearance on U.S. soil, the compact van is already available in more than 40 countries around the world. However, the North American NV200's body has been extended 7.9 inches (200 mm) compared to the regular models sold elsewhere.

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Autocar Compares Nissan GT-R with…BMW M5 Sedan

If you thought Road & Track's comparo with the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the Nissan GT-R was kind of a stretch given the huge price difference between the two coupes, we wonder what you'll have to say about Autocar's video test of the Nissan GT-R and the BMW M5 saloon.

The British magazine admits that the BMW M5 and Nissan GT-R "are not conventional rivals" but adds that both "have around 550bhp, cost nearly £75k and promise brutal performance" which it says, justifies a comparison.

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Nissan Unveils Subtly Facelifted 370Z Ahead of the Chicago Auto Show [27 Photos + Video]

Less than 24 hours before the grand opening of the 2012 edition of the Chicago Auto Show and Nissan has lifted the covers off its mildly updated 370Z sports car that goes on sale in the U.S. next June as a 2013 model.

The changes on all configurations of the 370Z including the Coupe, Roadster and the NISMO edition are extremely subtle.

Starting with the Coupe and Roadster, on the outside, you'll probably notice the revised front bumper that gains vertical LED daytime running lights in a similar position that the older 350Z featured reflectors.

Nissan's designers also added a red reflector to the rear fascia that replaces the previous black center cover. The regular coupe now rides on newly designed 18-inch wheels while the Sport Package equipped models gain revised 19-inch alloys, red-finish brake calipers, and what Nissan describes as "Euro-tuned" shock absorbers.

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New Nissan Invitation Concept Previews Upcoming B-Segment Tall Hatch

Ahead of its world premiere at next month's 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Nissan has released the first official photos of an all-new concept model named Invitation.

If the tall five-door hatchback looks almost production ready, that's because the Invitation essentially previews the Japanese automaker's next mainstream B-segment contender, which will go on sale in Europe early next year alongside the Micra supermini and the Juke crossover.

Given that Nissan's European offerings in the B-segment currently includes the 8-year old Note small MPV as well, it is only logical to assume that the Invitation will most likely act as its replacement.

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Infiniti Says it's Mulling a GT-R Based Halo Supercar

Isn't it strange how things turn out sometimes? In March 2011, one of our readers tipped us off on a 2004 Infiniti G35 Coupe dressed up to look like a Nissan GT-R that she had found in Quebec, Canada.

A few months later, the group’s head-honcho, Carlos Ghosn, hinted an Infiniti version of the Godzilla, but he was neither here nor there.

“If you ask me, 'are we going to do that’, I would say ‘no, I don’t think so’”, said Ghosn. But then he added: “If your question is ‘could we do that’, I would say ‘yes’. All technologies developed for Nissan are available to Infiniti.”

Now, CAR Magazine is reporting that Nissan’s luxury arm is indeed considering building such a model. According to the British publication, Infiniti’s head of advanced planning Francois Bancon admitted that the company is currently looking at producing a “halo” model based on the GT-R's running gear.

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Nissan and NASA* Launch New Spec Z Race Series for 350Z

Before you go all Newt Gingrich on us, allow us to explain that NASA is an acronym for the National Auto Sport Association. With that of the way, we can now tell you that Nissan and NASA have just announced the creation of an all-new Spec Z racing series for all trim variants of the 350Z from the 2003-2008 model years.

The single make series has the support of Nissan's Motorsports division, which will offer a contingency prize program that rewards the top three finishers at each regional competition weekend with up to $850. The top finishers of the season will also be eligible for a prize of up to $6,500 in cash support.

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Non-U.S. Automakers Displeased After President Obama Snubs Them at Washington Auto Show

On Tuesday, January 31, U.S. President Barack Obama’s schedule included a visit to the 2012 Washington Auto Show. The White House informed automakers on a two days’ notice to bring their most fuel-efficient models to the show.

Naturally, they obliged. For example, Honda flew in the FCX Clarity from California, Kia brought the Optima hybrid and Mercedes-Benz a fuel-cell car. Carmakers also brought along their top brass to discuss green technologies with the President.

As Bloomberg reports, the problem is that Obama, who had half an hour in his disposal, ignored foreign manufacturers.

Instead, he spent most of his time with domestic brands, posing for the press with the Dodge Dart, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford C-MAX Energi, the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 (not pretty fuel efficient those two, by the way…).

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Road & Track Pits the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 against the 2013 Nissan GT-R

They may be different as night and day in most aspects, but we shouldn't forget that both the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and the latest 2013 Nissan GT-R are aimed at the sports car enthusiast.

Nevertheless, we do find the pairing from Road & Track for its latest test a tad odd for one specific reason: pricing.

You see, Camaro ZL1 with its 580HP 6.2L supercharged V8 will retail for $54,995 (€41,800) when it arrives in dealerships this spring, whereas the 2013 edition of the 545HP Nissan GT-R starts from $96,820 (€73,500) not including destination and handling fees. This means there's more $40,000 difference between the two cars.

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Nissan to Unveil "Revised" 2013MY 370Z at the Chicago Auto Show

We received word today than Nissan will debut a "revised" version of its 370Z sports car series at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show via an invitation to a press event that will take place next Thursday.

Unfortunately, the invite does not detail the changes on the 2013 model year 370Z so we don't know if it's a full facelift or a minor nip and tuck with very subtle updates here and there.

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New Range-Topping Nissan Juke Shiro Arrives in the UK

Following an earlier announcement in January, Nissan has released UK pricing of a new top-of-the-range version of the Juke named Shiro, which is Japanese for white. The Shiro replaces the limited edition Kuro, which was named after the Japanese word for black, as the flagship model of the series.

However, don't go looking for any white shades on the outside as the Juke's Shiro name refers to the interior trim bits and more specifically, the center console, door panels and window switch surrounds.

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Nissan's Official Footage of the Juke-R Versus Supercars Race in Dubai

Draining all the publicity it can get from the Juke-R's appearance in Dubai where it competed against the Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Ferrari 458 Italia supercars on a makeshift track, Nissan has now released official footage from the race.

This is the third video we've seen of Juke-R's win in the past two weeks, so we won't blame you if you've had enough of…Nissan's Groundhog Day. The rest of you can watch the new clip right after the break.

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