2012 Nissan on 2040-cars

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How and why Nissan nearly killed off Infiniti

Launched in 1990, Infiniti was expected to be Japan's answer to BMW (Lexus would end up chasing Mercedes-Benz). Yet things went awry almost right out of the gate. Overlooking the fledgling automaker's now infamous early marketing campaign, its product line over the past twenty-four years has been a roller coaster ride of strong hits (Q45, FX35 and G35) and frustrating misses (M30, I30 and QX4).
In a recent interview with Ward's Auto at the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer revealed that the company's luxury brand was almost cancelled by CEO Carlos Ghosn as unnecessary. Infiniti, like most premium marques owned by a volume manufacturer, had fallen into the trap of losing autonomy and pushing its high-end product just like its mainstream models.
The one obvious exception to this industry blunder, said Palmer, was VW Group's Audi brand. Realizing that Audi's impressive comeback over the past two decades shamed even that of actor Robert Downey Jr., Nissan hired Audi veteran Johan de Nysschen to bring Infiniti to its intended glory - and protect it from extinction. Check out the complete interview here.

2013 Nissan Pathfinder drivers reporting loss of power, 'shuddering' [w/video]

No one appears to have a handle on the numbers, but more than a few owners are registering the same complaint about the CVT-equipped 2013 Nissan Pathfinder: that it "shudders" and loses power when accelerating from a standstill or at low speeds. According to posters at places like Pathfinder Talk, Edmunds, Auto Recalls for Consumers and About Automobile, it happens between about 20 to 40 miles per hour, the sensation is described as being like "driving over a rumble strip" and the power loss occurs for about three to four seconds.
ABC 13 in Houston rode with Pathfinder owner Marlise Holzworth to experience the issue, Holzworth saying that it feels like her vehicle is about to stop when the shudder occurs. Nissan responded to the report, saying that, "A new part has been developed for 2013 Pathfinders that exhibit symptoms similar to those Ms. Holzworth describes. The necessary part should be available at Nissan dealers in June."
Likewise, according to a post on the PathfinderTalk forum, user Krsin97 was informed by a Nissan engineer in April that "[We] are aware of the problem and Nissan is working on update that will come out at the end of June to eliminate the problem."

This is Nissan's 2014 Detroit Auto Show concept

During a media event in Los Angeles today, Nissan flashed a few images of a new concept car that will be unveiled at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show in January. According to Shiro Nakamura, senior vice president and chief creative officer of design and brand management at Nissan, this unnamed concept has a "very strong design signature" and shows "[Nissan's] future design direction."
It's certainly quite sleek, this concept, yet specific elements like the front fascia and taillamps are evolutionary steps from what we're seeing on some of Nissan's newest products. Those rear lamps look like sleeker versions of what the Sentra wears, and that grille appears to be a more stylized version of what the next-generation Rogue has been seen sporting.
As for what, exactly, this concept previews, that's still up in the air, though our best guess is that it hints at a Maxima successor. After all, Nissan did confirm to us that a new Maxima is currently in development, and showing this concept in early 2014 lines up with our predictions that the next-generation sedan should arrive in time for the 2015 model year.