Nissan has confirmed that the e-NV200 all-electric van will begin production in Barcelona, Spain in early 2013. 

The announcement coincides with Nissan’s plans to offer four all-electric models by 2015, and will be the second EV in the companies fleet, joining the Nissan Leaf. We first saw the e-NV200 at the Detroit Auto Show, where it debuted as a concept vehicle.

The power source of the e-NV200 was not specified by the company, although it is supposed to garner a range very close to that of the Leaf. Most of the technology and drive-train will most definitley be sourced directly from the Leaf, with some retrofitting needing to be done to fit the e-NV200′s larger size.

Nissan is putting up a $51 million investment to ready the Spanish plant for the task of building the electric van, as this will be the only production facility in the world putting together the e-NV200. The plant expansion will also add 700 new jobs to the facility.

Delivery companies are the focus of e-NV200, as Nissan envisions its electric van as the perfect vehicle for inner city drop offs, but also makes sure to stress that all that cargo space is good for the kids and dog as well. “Crucially, it will also offer class-leading running and maintenance costs which makes it an exceptionally attractive proposition to both businesses and families,” said Andy Palmer, Nissan Executive Vice President.

Although the Leaf has not had the greatest sales number, Nissan is staying true to the plan of investing in electric vehicle technology, which may or may not pay off for them in the future.

Earlier in the month, Nissan kicked off its crowdsourced 370Z project by bolting-on a turbo kit, exhaust, coilovers and big brake upgrade. Now phase two has been completed, as the team continues to build the “ultimate track car.”

The second phase commenced with the 370Z hitting the dyno to get some tuning done to maximize performance while staying reliable. The team then swapped in a new steering wheel, shift knob, installed a trio of AEM gauges, reupholstered the door panels, and bolted-in a pair of custom Recaro seats.

A staggered set of 19-inch Volk Racing TE37SL wheels  also won a 59 percent vote from Facebook fans. Lastly, the video gives a quick glimpse of the vehicle getting wrapped with Metalloy material as a finishing touch.

The finished project is set to be unveiled on May 18 at ZDayZ up at Fontana Village Resort in North Carolina.

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Some argue that video games are a way people live out fantasies that are otherwise out of reach. Politicians sometimes jump on that as an easy target, but for one pro racer, gaming-turned-reality is a fairytale to say the least.

In case you haven’t already heard the story, Lucas Ordonez started his racing career by playing Gran Turismo, a racing simulator for the Sony Playstation. After winning a competition, he made the jump from virtual cars to the real thing. That was in 2008 and since then Ordonez has gone on to compete for Nissan in various races, the most recent of which was last weekend’s Nurburgring 24 Hours.

“It was a pleasure for me to drive with the guys from Japan,” he said. “I have learnt a lot this weekend and I have a new respect for the GT-R and this amazing race track.”

Endurance races like the one he just took part in work in shifts. Ordonez started driving at night and had a rude awakening during his second time behind the wheel, once the sun came up.

“After having such a good run it the night, my morning shift was a real eye-opener,” he said. “The temperature went up quite quickly and this really changed the handling compared to at night. It was still great to drive but it was mentally tough as I really had to concentrate and feel what the car was doing.”

Known to many as the “Green Hell,” the Nurburgring is one of the world’s most challenging courses and Ordonez will continue to push his limits as his racing career continues.

The 2013 Nissan Altima was unveiled at the 2012 New York Auto Show, boasting a best-in-class 38-mpg highway from its 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine.

Even though we got a pretty good look at the new Altima (see our First Look Video here), the Japanese automaker has released a huge gallery of its mid-sized sedan for us to peruse from all angles. The 2013 Altima comes with either a 2.5-liter four-cylinder or a 3.5-liter V6 mated to a next-generation CVT transmission helping it boost fuel efficiency by as much as 15 percent.

Nissan is hoping the Altima can become the number 1 selling sedan in the world with a starting MSRP of $21,500 excluding the $760 destination charge.

GALLERY: 2013 Nissan Altima

Nissan‘s Delta Wing Le Mans race car looks like something out of a comic book, and as much as imaginative thinking went into it, the real magic came from the engineers who managed to make it work. 

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about the Delta Wing, though, is that it uses an almost-identical engine to the Nissan Juke. In order to work with the car’s lightweight, unique design, it needed a small engine, something the Juke’s powerplant was perfect for according to Ben Bowlby, the Delta Wing’s originator and designer.

The 1.6-liter turbo four cylinder red lines at around 7,500 rpms, much like the production version. Its efficient fuel demands mean the Delta Wing can run about 110 miles of Le Mans racing on a single fuel cell fill up.

In the clip below, you see animations of how the engine works, get a brief explanation of it and see exactly how small it is for such an imposing-looking car.

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Earlier this week in Tennessee, the 2013 Nissan Altima rolled off the line to an executive reception, but nestled into the release accompanying the event was confirmation of a 2013 Nissan Rogue. 

With little more than a name drop, the company’s release confirmed that next year’s model will, in fact, also come as the next generation. Reviewing the Nissan concept cars we’ve seen over the last few auto shows, the Hi-Cross concept seems as if it could be a likely candidate.

Though the concept debuted as replacement for the boxy X-Trail, the Hi-Cross could make a good update to the Rogue given that it uses the same inline four-cylinder engine, though it will also probably be offered with a hybrid powertrain as well.

While the seven-passenger concept would be a departure from the previous five-passenger vehicle, it would fit into Nissan’s promise for five new vehicles over the next 15 months (including the 2013 Altima). In the same release, the automaker also confirmed a new Leaf, Pathfinder, Xterra and Maxima.

Nissan is looking to expand its Nismo offerings in the near future, with the addition of ‘RS’ packages that will be seen first on the next-generation Z model.

The Japanese automaker has been throwing hints at strengthening its Nismo brand with Juke and Leaf concepts out on display in Japan, and the goal of the ‘RS’ packages would be to help promote the Nismo brand more broadly. Andy Palmer, executive vice president of Nissan and head of Global Product Planning confirmed that an expanded line of Nismo products are currently in development and will include more extensive engine upgrades.

“There will be Nismo packages for the suspension and the Nismo RS packages that will include engine tunes,” Palmer said.

Nismo, which is basically Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd., has had huge success in racing during its 2011 season. In fact, according to Palmer, Nismo won every class it competed in for the 2011 season, yet the brand isn’t as widely recognized as Nissan would like.

Currently, the 370Z Nismo model has some minor engine upgrades that bumps performance of the 3.7-liter V6 engine by 18 hp. It’s unknown whether or not the ‘RS’ packages will simply be engine upgrades only, or be more extensive tuning programs for select Nissan models.

[Source: Inside Line]

With two decades of Nissan Altimas under its belt, production began today on the fifth-generation 2013 model at the company’s Smyrna, Tenn. plant. 

Counting more than 4.4 million units to date, the company’s latest offering is the first of five new Nissans scheduled over the next 15 months. As we reported from this year’s  New York Auto Show, the 2013 Altima comes with a host of changes including “NASA insired space seats.” The new place to post your posterior is supposed to improve circulation and be more comfortable for people of any size with a more natural position.

Turn-by-turn directions delivered through a new four-inch display mounted between the speedometer also make it into the new model, as well as an efficient 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine that offers best-in-class fuel mileage (27/38 mpg city/highway). With only 182 hp on tap, though, the smaller engine still pales next to Nissan’s well-loved 3.5-liter V6 with 270 hp.

Still, the V6 is going to lose a lot of punch because both engines translate power to the front wheels through a CVT. The V6 comes with paddle shifters and simulated gear shifts, but that sounds a lot like any other simulation — it’s just not as good as the real thing.

The Base model starts at $21,500 with V6 models from $25,360 and topping out at the Altima 3.5 SL at $30,080. With production rolling forward, expect Nissan’s mid-size sedan to be sitting in a showroom near you soon.

First produced in 1969 as a sedan, the Nissan Skyline GT-R debuted as a sedan but would quickly turn into a coupe by 1971. 

Still, the first generation was a far cry from what we know today. With a 160 hp six-cylinder engine powering the rear wheels through a 5-speed manual transmission, the lofty heights known by track racers, enthusiasts and fans today would have been hard to imagine 43 years ago.

Despite that, it was a venerable track machine that racked up some 1,000 wins during its initial limited production run. The Skyline would then go on a hiatus until 1989 when it would return as the R32 GT-R with a twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive — closer to the machine we know today.

That car would quickly go on to earn the “Godzilla” nickname from Australian publication Wheels for its racing dominance. The tribute video below shows a first generation Skyline GT-R running around a track with its engine roaring. It can’t come close to the same speeds a modern GT-R would, but it’s worth a watch for nostalgia if nothing else.

One of the most wonderful sensations come when you command a whole handful of power just with the flexing of your right foot. Horsepower is an intoxicating element when it comes to driving, but that doesn’t mean that it’s saved for the most expensive vehicles out there.

Check out the list of the top ten most affordable vehicles with 300 (or more) horsepower. You might be surprised at the deals here, with our leader having a price-to-pony ratio of $73-per-horsepower.  Most of the vehicles here are coupes, but a trio of sedans squeezed in, proving fun can come in four-doors.

First on our list is the rally-tested Subaru WRX STI. The performance-oriented vehicle is the first of three sedans that made the top 10, and features Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive and a turbocharged 2.5-liter Boxer engine, which pumps out 305-hp. The cheapest WRX STI is the four-door model, which also has the STI’s instantly recognizable rear spoiler. With a top speed of 160 mph,  the four-door also has a slightly higher top-speed than its five-door counterpart. The WRX STI can get to 60 mph from a standing start in under 5 seconds, and it’s all-wheel drive helps it gobble up the road as fast as anything else on this list. It starts at $34,095.

When it comes to admiring a race car like as the Nissan DeltaWing, most enthusiasts find the tires that it rolls on to be an afterthought.

But its rubber is actually one of the most key essential parts of being a formidable racecar. French tire manufacturer, Michelin, was tasked with the duty of creating bespoke tires for the radical car, a project that its engineers didn’t take lightly. With how innovative the DeltaWing is, Michelin knew that its tires would have to be packed with technology that the industry has never seen.

It’s biggest hurdle was to not only develop a revolutionary tire, but one that was lightweight and a mere four inches wide. Undoubtedly the DeltaWing has become one of the most interesting race cars of this generation and all eyes will be watching when it makes its race debut. But just how good is the rubber on the DeltaWing? Apparently they’re like magic. Watch the video below to see for yourself.

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After the confirmation of the Juke-R going into production and the release of “Desert Nemesis,” the mini-movie that details an Italian exotic vs. Juke-R street race, Nissan has released two more videos showing off the Juke-R.

The first video is simply the matte black Juke-R cruising around the streets of Dubai at night, blending well against the backdrop of the lit up middle-east city. The second video features Playstation gamer turned racer Lucas Ordoňez behind the wheel of the Juke-R, discussing his feelings about the car.

While neither video is terribly exciting, hearing the little Juke-R’s engine rev up alone makes them worth watching.

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