Nissan Seeks Help From Suppliers In Cost-cutting Quest

Nissan seeks help from suppliers in cost-cutting quest

TOKYO - When Carlos Ghosn arrived at Nissan in 1999, suppliers took the brunt of cost-cutting that helped revive the automaker. Two decades later, his successors are trying for another turnaround without the ability to pressure parts makers.

Nissan Motor Corp, like rivals, has been hit hard as the pandemic sapped global demand. But Japan's No.3 automaker has another problem: an aging line-up out of step with changing tastes, including growing appetite for sport utility vehicles in the United States and luxury brands in China.

Autoblog Podcast #658: Nissan Gt-r And Armada, Kia Sorento And Our Favorite Cars Of 2020

Autoblog Podcast #658: Nissan GT-R and Armada, Kia Sorento and our favorite cars of 2020

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer for the final episode of 2020. They've been driving some interesting cars, including the Nissan GT-R, the new Nissan Armada, a Mercedes-Benz GLA and a pair of new-gen Kia Sorentos. They talk a bit about an interesting new EV called the Ace from Alpha Motor Corporation. Finally, the trio takes turns talking about their favorite cars they drove this year. Enjoy, and we'll be back with more episodes in 2021.

2021 Nissan Altima Review | Price, Specs, Features And Photos

2021 Nissan Altima Review | Price, specs, features and photos

Challengers to the 2021 Nissan Altima continue to fall by the wayside with each passing year. For 2021, the Fusion officially takes its exit. The dwindling selection doesn't make it any less difficult for Nissan, though. Hyundai has charged back with the stellar Sonata, and Kia with the attractive K5. And that's before we even mention the updated Honda Accord and similarly refreshed Toyota Camry.

It's tough sledding out there, but the Altima's marquee features like optional all-wheel drive and the technologically impressive VC-Turbo engine help set it apart from others. Nissan's mid-size sedan is also pleasing to the eye with sharp styling and an upmarket-feeling interior. This generation of Altima is genuinely good to drive, too, but even the sportier SR VC-Turbo trim is lacking in driver engagement and handling versus an Accord or Mazda6. Being able to spec all-wheel drive is a big bonus, but it's dampened by similar capability from the Subaru Legacy and Camry AWD, both models we'd take over the Altima. There's no doubt the Altima is worth a look, but it's still overshadowed by the long-time winners from Japan and Korea's latest.

Nissan Is Making It Easier To Buy A Car From Home With Nissan@home

Nissan is making it easier to buy a car from home with Nissan@Home

Nissan is trying to make it easier to buy your next car from the couch with a new program it's calling "Nissan@Home." The program ran as a trial at seven dealerships over the summer, but Nissan says it's expanding throughout the rest of the country over the next few months.

At its core, the program creates a Nissan@Home hub on Nissan's website where customers can go through a number of steps you might go through at the dealership. You can build your ideal car, find similar inventory, estimate your payments, look through a digital brochure, attain an internet quote and book a test drive from the hub. It's a fairly comprehensive one-stop-shop, and it looks like you can book a test drive for anything, even a GT-R.

This Awesome 1986 Nissan 300zx Turbo Is Up For Auction Right Now

This awesome 1986 Nissan 300ZX Turbo is up for auction right now

The Nissan Z has an illustrious history, and while the first-gen 240Z has long been recognized as a milestone sports car, and the 1990s version for its technological prowess and timeless design, the 300ZX of the 1980s is less celebrated. But we're digging this 1986 example, up for auction right now on Cars&Bids, which in addition to being super sharp, has all kinds of '80s mojo working.

The third-generation 300ZX made its debut in 1983, with all-new flat-plane styling and a wedge profile. It traded the previous inline-six for V6 power, with naturally aspirated and turbocharged offerings. Again, the Z was offered in two body styles: two-seater or 2+2. This 300ZX is the ideal combination of the two-seat body, turbocharged engine, and five-speed manual gearbox. It also has T-tops, an '80s must, and we're digging the pop-up headlights and turbine-style alloy wheels.

Nissan Sentra Has A Single-marque Race Series In Canada

Nissan Sentra has a single-marque race series in Canada

Canada has many charming aspects: legal weed, the metric system, a functioning government. It also has its curiosities: Tim Horton's, curling, and (since 2015) a race series that exclusively uses the subcompact Nissan Micra. But with the Micra having departed Nissan's Canadian lineup after 2019, it was time for a new race car. Enter the Nissan Sentra, star of the newly renamed Nissan Sentra Cup.

Although the current Nissan Sentra is vastly improved compared to its predecessor, one wouldn't call it sporty. Unlike Sentras past, there's no NISMO or SE-R model. But the same could be said of the Micra, and Nissan didn't hesitate to build a race series around that car. Plus, the Sentra Cup race cars are modified compared to the street version.

2021 Nissan Armada First Drive | What's New, Photos, Specs

2021 Nissan Armada First Drive | What's new, photos, specs

The 2021 Nissan Armada is the first product in the United States to wear the Nissan brand's new badge. It's a modern and sleek-looking logo, and it's well-suited to the properly sorted and genuinely impressive new vehicles Nissan recently launched. The new Altima surprised us in a good way; the redesigned Rogue and Sentra took huge leaps forward, and even the Versa is an impressive little sedan now.

However, the refreshed Armada is only that: a mildly updated version of the same Armada. Since it's the company's flagship SUV, it gets the honor of wearing the new logo first, even if it doesn't best exemplify the sea change happening at Nissan. Although the second-generation Armada debuted four years ago, its bones date back to 2011 when the internationally sold Nissan Patrol and its Infiniti QX56 (later QX80) offshoot debuted. The Patrol would be the basis for this Armada generation, but unfortunately, the updates for 2021 don't add any of the Patrol's extra off-roading equipment that have been missing since the beginning. That includes the locking front and rear differentials, disconnecting sway bar and Hydraulic Body Motion Control suspension that links all four corners of the car hydraulically for better on-road control and less harshness off-road. The only off-road upgrade to speak of for 2021 is a two-degree better approach angle thanks to a reshaped front bumper.

Nissan Gt-r (x) 2050 Concept Is A Wild Vision For The Future Of Gt-r

Nissan GT-R (X) 2050 concept is a wild vision for the future of GT-R

Most of our Nissan GT-R thinking energy these days goes toward wondering about what the R36 has in store. Nissan is out here thinking about what the GT-R will be like in 2050. If we continue along at the R35's production timeline pace, it might still be the R36 then. We kid, but hey, the R35's been out for over a decade now with no end in sight.

As an answer for what the future of Nissan performance looks like, Nissan has brought an intern's thesis project to life. It's called GT-R (X) 2050, and it's a fresh take on our dystopian future of sports cars. Jaebum Choi, a former student at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., set forth to design a vehicle for car enthusiasts in the age of self-driving cars (whenever that may be). Instead of leaving the project on paper and computer renderings, Nissan Design America decided to bring it to life in the form of an official Nissan concept vehicle.

2021 Nissan Murano Prices Start At $33,605

2021 Nissan Murano prices start at $33,605

The Nissan Murano, soldiers into 2021 bearing slightly higher prices, but the amount of the increase varies by trim level. The entry-level Murano, the base S with front-wheel drive, sees the highest increase at $780, while the most expensive version, the all-wheel-drive Murano Platinum, inches up by just $80.

For 2021, the Nissan Murano S starts at $33,605, including the $1,095 destination charge. Compensating for the higher tariff, the S now includes Nissan's Safety Shield 360 batch of driver-assist features, which was previously standard only on the SV and higher trims. The bundle consists of forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, and automatic high-beams. All-wheel drive, previously a $1,600 upcharge, now will set you back $1,550 on the S and on all other Muranos.

2021 Nissan Armada Debuts With A Facelift And Tons Of New Tech

2021 Nissan Armada debuts with a facelift and tons of new tech

The 2021 Nissan Armada made its debut today, and the changes this year amount to a heavy mid-cycle refresh. Nissan's full-size SUV isn't especially old in model years having debuted in its current form for the 2017 model year, but that doesn't tell the whole story. This generation of Armada is essentially a Nissan-ized Infiniti QX80. At this point, the QX80 is two facelifts on from the vehicle it was when it was all-new in 2011 — at that point, it was still called the QX56. Underneath it all is the internationally-sold Nissan Patrol, which is still the basis of this refreshed 2021 Armada.

Make sense? OK, onward to what's new.

2021 Nissan Kicks Revealed: What's New, Design, Tech

2021 Nissan Kicks revealed: What's new, design, tech

It's only been a few short years since the Nissan Kicks was introduced, but Nissan has the tiny crossover's first update ready to rock. The 2021 Nissan Kicks gets revised styling in front and back, some thoughtful interior changes and a number of tech improvements.

You'll notice the new grille first, mostly because it's so much bigger than before. Due to its size, Nissan has changed the name to "Double V-Motion," as opposed to just "V-Motion." Groundbreaking stuff. The grille does serve its purpose of making the little Kicks look bigger and more SUV-like, though. It's complemented by redesigned LED headlights, LED foglights and a more aggressive bumper. Around back, Nissan gave it a full-width rear light with a new LED element. There's a new bumper design with some fake-looking strakes poking down from the rear finisher, too. And Nissan introduced three new colors: Electric Blue Metallic (what you're seeing in the photos, Scarlet Ember Tintcoat and Boulder Gray Pearl.

Watch The 2021 Nissan Armada And 2021 Nissan Kicks Livestream Reveal

Watch the 2021 Nissan Armada and 2021 Nissan Kicks livestream reveal

The 2021 Nissan Armada and 2021 Nissan Kicks are set to be revealed at 11 a.m. ET today. You can watch the livestream reveal of this event via this link here that'll take you to Nissan's hosting page.

Both the Kicks and Armada were teased once over the past week. We got a quick look at the Kicks' new front end, previewing a larger grille. As for the Armada, that teaser revealed a dusty image with new LED lights poking out. Both look like refreshes, not totally new models.