05.01.07

2009 Nissan Maxima

Posted in Autonews at 2:10 am by admin

Most folks inside Nissan won’t hesitate to admit that the Maxima has lost its way a bit. It’s a car that once sat proud as a sporty alternative to the Camry or Accord, and for a while, Nissan even called it the Four-Door Sports Car (a “4DSC” sticker adorned one corner of the rear window on models in the early nineties.) Now, the car sits awkwardly on top of the Altima that, in some ways, is actually a better car.

That will all change in 2009 when Nissan will dig into its past and make the Maxima a four-door sports car once again. We haven’t seen the future Maxima, but has been described to us as “unlike anything we’ve ever done” by more than one Nissan insider. Expect a concept version of the car to debut next winter at a major auto show as part of Nissan’s fiftieth anniversary celebration (which will also include the production GT-R and a new Z-car.) It should be an aggressive, Mercedes-Benz CLS-style car sharing some cues with Nissan’s other halo vehicles. The new Maxima will use the same VQ engine family found throughout the Nissan/Infiniti range, but to prevent the car from cannibalizing G35 sales, it will most likely remain front-wheel drive. A diesel model is also planned, and it could end up being the high-performance range-topper. We’re excited.

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03.31.07

Ford to close UK plant, 365 job cuts

Posted in Autonews at 4:17 am by admin

Ford Motor Company said it will close its UK plant in Leamington Spa, resulting in approximately 365 job losses.

Ford said that the factory, which manufactures brake components, will close in July. The company said the 365 employees affected will be offered a mixture of early retirement and redeployment at Ford’s distribution facility in Daventry.

The operations at the 126-year old factory will move to Eastern Europe where conditions are more competitive. Ford claims that the company will save $21 million through the closure of the Leamington Spa plant.

The two unions representing workers at the plant said they would fight the decision and that strikes could be possible in the future.

Article Source: ABR online

03.27.07

All-new Infiniti G37 Coupe debuts at New York Auto Show

Posted in Autonews at 6:47 am by admin

The all-new 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe, which makes its world debut at the 2007 New York International Auto Show, combines the exhilarating performance, stunning styling and modern, sporty interior of the original Infiniti G Coupe and accelerates each to new levels. Among the key enhancements to the new second-generation G Coupe are a larger, more powerful 3.7-litre V6 engine, available advanced 4-Wheel Active Steer system, a dramatic new exterior design and a refined interior with intuitive, integrated technology. The G37 Coupe joins the recently introduced, all-new 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan in Infiniti showrooms nationwide in August.

Hyundai Genesis: see first images here

Posted in Autonews at 6:37 am by admin

• See Hyundai’s big new saloon concept car
• Upmarket car has V8 power and rear-wheel drive
• Appears for first time at New York show in April

Recently, we showed you sketches of Hyundai’s big new Genesis saloon concept car - now we have the first official picture of it.

The Genesis will be unveiled at the New York Motor Show in April, and demonstrates Hyundai’s intention to take on upmarket Japanese rivals such as Infiniti and Lexus.

There’s no confirmation yet that the rear-wheel drive Genesis will enter production, but it would sit well above the existing Sonata and perhaps even the Mercedes S-Class sized Azera that’s available in the US.

Article Source: WhatCar