October 07, 2005

Baby you can park my car

Nissan has developed an egg-shaped car for drivers who find backing out of tight parking spots a hassle.

The car's body pivots 360 degrees so that its rear end becomes the front.

The Pivo, shown on Friday at a Tokyo Nissan showroom, is still an experimental model and probably will not go on sale publicly for several years. It is a three-seater electric car that looks like a big egg on wheels. Its body revolves in a complete circle while its wheels stay put.

Such moves are possible because Pivo's steering, wheels and other parts are controlled electronically by wireless, or electronic signals, not mechanical links between the cabin and the vehicle's chassis.

"This is a cute car for people who have problems parking," said Nissan Motor Co. chief designer Masato Inoue.

Pivo, also planned for display at the Tokyo auto show opening next month, highlights other technologies, including a system that allows the driver to control devices inside the car simply by raising his or her fingers off the steering wheel.

Finger pointing

That is done through a camera embedded in the steering wheel that senses heat. Lifting one finger might turn on the radio. Two fingers might set car navigation equipment.

The technology works much like voice-recognition capabilities already available in some advanced cars, but Tokyo-based Nissan says some people prefer finger-pointing than talking.

Pivo also allows the driver to see blind spots via cameras attached to the outside of the car.

Inoue says it is possible to design a gasoline-engine vehicles that spins in the same way if electronic controls are approved for traffic safety. But they are unlikely to have the round look of Pivo because a conventional engine requires more room than an electric motor.

06:00 AM in Nissan | Permalink

April 21, 2005

Tokyo Auto Salon 2005

Ducks Garden Fairlady Not a pretty ornothologist, sadly, but a rehash of a 1967 Nissan drop-top. And Ducks Garden are the tuners who could find nothing better to do with an ageing MX-5.
Honda Fit HB Honda's 'Incremental Mould' technology gives customers the chance to design their own bodywork. And this is Italian styling legend Zagato's crack at the Jazz. Fit? Try beer goggles.
Elexceed RS Eco-commuting was once about Sinclair C5s. But this is Tokyo, and they're in a hurry. The £10k RS is a plug-in single-seater that'll do 44 miles between charges and hit 45mph.
Esprit 350z Z33-R This is Nandrolone abuse, muscle-car style. Esprit has stuffed a 2.6-litre twin-turbo straight-six from the Skyline GTR into Nissan's 350Z. And tweaked out a full 702bhp.
Mugen Legend Max Think Honda Legend, think slippers and pension books? Not Mugen. It's jammed in a detuned 600bhp four-litre V8 Le Mans engine, and it still revs to 10,000rpm.
Proto Star Part Rolls-Royce, part coffee cake, all ill-disguised Honda Jazz. It's a design study from Shizuoka College of Technology. Thanks guys.
Toy Box Alligator II Somewhere under this Thunderbirds freak show is a Micra. And chop shop Value Progress says just 10 orders will put the £22k six-wheeled eyesore into production. No.
Mazda MX-5 Coupe Bit late in the day, but we like the Italian sports car inspiration behind the MX-5 Coupe. Have Mazda's design bods been taking notes?
RX-7 If twin turbos don't quite fit the brief, sod it, try twin engines. Scoot has mated two of Mazda's manic rotary units to create its 470bhp RX-7 street racer.
Puchiche It's hard to be taken seriously when your name is Yamashita. Harder still when you spend £16,000 of your hard-earned turning a Suzuki Cappuccino into a carbon-bodied 911-a-like.

06:04 AM in Honda, Mazda, News, Nissan | Permalink

April 14, 2005

2005 Nissan 350Z 35th Anniversary

Thirty-five years since its first appearance in North America, the high performance Z sports car returned in 2005 with a special commemorative 35th Anniversary model, along with a number of other enhancements, that continued the Z heritage of design, performance and value that has remained unchallenged since the original Datsun 240Z was introduced as a 1970 model.

The 35th Anniversary Z, available along with the 2005 350Z Track model, offers unique features, including enhanced horsepower from the standard Z’s 3.5-liter DOHC V6.

Read

Get more info.

06:03 AM in Nissan | Permalink

January 05, 2005

Nissan Azeal Concept Car

Nissan's stunning Azeal Coupe is set to debut at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in early January.

The 2+2 concept is a fresh interpretation of the pocket rocket - an affordable, high performance entry-level coupe with an emphasis on personality and aggressive styling. Azeal is also the first concept car created at the new Nissan Design America studios in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

Nissan will also use the show to highlight its line-up of trucks and SUVs built off the advanced F-Alpha platform, the Titan, Armada, Pathfinder, Frontier and Xterra. The Pathfinder will be offered on sale in Britain for the first time in 2005.

06:05 AM in Nissan | Permalink

November 05, 2004

Those Nissan's are HOT!!

What a creative campaign - shows just how hot the new Nissan's are.

(via Noodles and Cottage Cheese)

06:34 AM in Nissan | Permalink