Nissan announced today that it will be revealing a new B-segment concept car called the Invitation at next month’s Geneva Auto Show.

The little car that slips between Nissan’s Micra and Juke vehicles in the European market is aimed to attain the company’s Pure Drive badge for efficiency with 100g/km CO2 emission. What isn’t clear is if we’re looking at a replacement to the brand’s current B-segment car, the Versa.

Few actual specifications are available now, but François Bancon, deputy division general manager of product strategy and product planning division, said “the name we have given to this concept is self-explanatory. It is designed to be inviting thanks to its sensuous exterior design and generous and comfortable interior space, cleverly packaged within compact overall dimensions.”

The interior has a futuristic feel that Nissan said will have “impressive levels of quality and purposeful technology features.”

We do know that the Invitation will feature Nissan’s Around View Monitor (AVM) safety technology, though looking at the pictures reveals an array of colorful buttons that we’re curious to jump in and press, making the Invitation seem surprisingly cordial.

GALLERY: Nissan Invitation Concept

There’s no denying just how excellent a platform the Nissan GT-R is. It appears that the head of advanced planning at Infiniti, Francois Bancon, shares the same sentiments about the GT-R. “It’s too good a platform to use only on one model,” he told CAR magazine.

Infiniti is definitely planning a supercar, according to Bancon, with three or four proposals being considered, one of which is based on the 542-hp GT-R platform. But using the GT-R isn’t so cut and dry for a luxury brand like Infiniti. Even if it does wish to achieve supercar status, the brand still has a reputation of luxurious comfort to live up to.

“Our Infiniti model would have to be softer than the GT-R and that’s extremely difficult to do. You can’t easily tweak the GT-R to deliver the sophisticated, more refined performance we would need on an Infiniti. We have three or four proposals we are looking at right now. Once we have launched the new smaller Infiniti (coming in 2015), the time would be right to have a flagship,” Bancon said in the interview.

This report comes at a rather interesting time, since Infiniti recently announced its Emerg-E plug-in hybrid which will sport a mid-engine powertrain configuration (throwing out the possible use of the GT-R’s platform) and is supposed to be their new flagship performance vehicle. We suppose that the GT-R-based supercar could just be way down the road on Infiniti’s roadmap, but either way… we hope more exciting things are on the horizon from the Japanese automaker.

GALLERY: Infiniti Essence Concept

[Source: CAR]

Now that the 2003-2008 Nissan 350Z can be hand at a much more affordable price through the used car market, sports car enthusiasts nationwide are hopping behind the wheel of one for fun. Clearly the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and Nissan North America were well aware of the abundance of 350Z enthusiasts, creating an all-new Spec Z series exclusively for those owners.

The Spec Z class will include all trim levels of the 2003-2008 model year 350Zs, which is worth noting that 370Zs with the more powerful HR motor are not invited to participate. NASA wants to keep it a level playing field, focusing on close competition, parity and cost containment in order to “showcase driving ability and car setup skills.”

The Spec Z series will have a comprehensive contingency program, awarding both Regional and National Championship competitors. Of course, Nissan Motorsports will be providing support for the entire series with cash rewards of up to $850 for the top three finishers at each regional event. Nissan Motorsports will also be providing $6,500 in cash support to the top Spec Z finishers at the 2012 NASA Championships.

Rubber of choice will come from BFGoodrich, as their tires will be the control tire for the Spec Z series. BFG will also be creating a generous contingency prize program for the series.

“We are very excited about Spec Z,” said Jeremy Croiset, NASA Sponsorship Manager. “We have been working closely with Nissan Motorsports on the creation of Spec Z, and it will be an excellent series for anyone looking to step into a spec vehicle that’s fast and relatively inexpensive to build, maintain and race. With the fantastic contingency prize programs that are being provided for Spec Z, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more rewarding spec series to race in. We look forward to watching Spec Z grow and flourish in the coming years as more racers adopt this new formula.”

If you’re a Nissan 350Z owner and interested in the rules for the new Spec Z series, please click here. NASA and Nissan did announce that additional contingency prize programs are still being finalized and will be announced shortly.

We have already seen the video of the Nissan Juke-R taking on some Italian and German exotics in Dubai, but a newer version has surfaced which is much better quality and allows us to watch the super cars get whipped in high definition.

The Juke-R is seen competing with a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 and a Ferrari 458 Italia in a small circuit somewhere on the streets of Dubai. This video must have been staged by Nissan, so it is not a big surprise that the Juke-R takes the checkered flag, however rigged or not the Juke-R looks like it handles really well through those corners and takes off pretty quickly off the line.

Watch the new and improved video after the jump.

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10: Audi TT RS

Classic car insurance company Hagerty has just released its annual list of vehicles that it expects will become the collector cars of the future. The list of “affordable” collector cars is capped at $100,000 and comes on the heels of the annual Scottsdale collector car auction week.

“After more than twenty years of witnessing car-collecting trends, we have the unique ability to look at new cars through the eyes of a collector,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance. “This year’s Hot List includes cars that are sure to develop a cult-like following because their characteristics resonate with driving enthusiasts.”

Starting off the list, and a favorite of ours is the Audi TT RS which retails for $56,850 and is a favorite amongst automotive enthusiasts as an affordable, fun ride without having to indulge into Porsche costs. The TT RS has plenty of global appeal which means it’ll have plenty of global demand down the road. And besides, Audi consistently finds itself at the Le Mans podium; you just can’t argue with success.

1,400 metric tons of diesel fuel is difficult to imagine from an average consumer perspective. That’s enough to power a diesel compact car for about 350,000 miles, much more than it would probably ever drive.

That’s also how much diesel Nissan will save every year thanks to a new transport ship which launched on its maiden voyage last Friday. The Nichioh Maru is the company’s newest freight liner and it’s making a splash in the green technology world thanks to it’s innovative design which offers an 18 percent fuel savings over similar ships without the technology.

The ship features 281 solar panels on the deck which power LED lighting throughout the ship. It also has a specially coated hull to reduce drag and is about the length of 1.5 football fields (557 feet).

The Nichioh Maru carries up to 1,380 cars and travels at a top speed of 24.4 mph or 22.1 knots to make two domestic round trips per week totaling just over 2,200 miles. Nissan released a video featuring the ship, you can watch it below.

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In a bit of surprising news, Japanese automaker Nissan has confirmed that it will be unveiling two vehicles at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Auto Show, one of which is its a refresh to their popular sports car, the 370Z.

The 2013 Nissan 370Z will reportedly be getting some changes, which comes as a surprise since there have been no rumors of such an update. The current model 370Z convertible and coupe last saw changes in the 2009 model year, so it is about time for a refresh.

The other vehicle Nissan will be unveiling is part of the NV commercial vehicle line. There’s a strong possibility that it will be the NV200, which is currently sold in 40 other countries and Nissan had already spoken about plans to bring it to the US market. Earlier this year, Nissan had debuted the e-NV200 Concept at the Detroit Auto Show.

Look for coverage from the Chicago Auto Show on February 8th and see the complete Chicago Auto Show preview here.

[Source: Chicago Tribune]

If you’re a fan of car porn (and really, who isn’t), you have to feast your eyes on the new showcase video for the Nissan GT-R.

Brought to you by motor sports film company Clash Production, this flashy video will keep you mesmerized for 2:12… which turns out, is not nearly long enough. Shot against the backdrop of Dubai, we’re treated to the beauty and art that the Nissan GT-R can inspire.

Watch the video after the jump – it’s just over 2 minutes long. But be warned… this video is so cool you may feel the urge to light up a cigarette after it’s done.

[Source: Youtube Via Crank and Piston]

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Of the major Japanese Automakers, Nissan Motors has been one of the least affected by natural disasters and the strengthening yen, effectively minimizing exposure to regional risks by erecting facilities overseas.

Nissan has announced plans to build another manufacturing complex in Aguascalientes, Mexico, to expand North American production. An investment worth $2.0 billion USD, the new facility will be joining two other Mexican Nissan factories already in place. When construction is completed, operations are projected to begin late in 2013, with an initial production capacity of 175,000 vehicles annually.

Operations in the new complex include body, trim, and chassis installation, paint manufacturing, associated parts warehousing, as well as an on-site test track for quality assurance tests of new vehicles. All this means that the manufacturing complex will provide up to 3,000 new jobs at the facility, and approximately 9,000 new jobs from supply chain and wider community. All in all, Nissan’s expansion will allow a total of 13,500 jobs provided for Aguascalientes.

Nissan currently makes up six of the ten most popular vehicles sold in Mexico. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said, “Mexico is a key engine for Nissan’s growth in the Americas. Together with our new plant in Brazil, this new manufacturing facility in Aguascalientes is an important pillar in our strategy to ensure that Nissan has the capacity it needs to increase sales volume and market share across the Americas.”

Jose Munoz, president and general director of Nissan Mexico adds, “No other automaker is investing in Mexico more than Nissan. Nissan’s investment in new manufacturing, engineering and technology resources in Aguascalientes validates what thousands of our employees, suppliers, and customers already know. Behind our market leadership is an unparalleled commitment to deliver the best vehicles for Mexico and more than 100 international markets.”

Out in Charlotte NC, some automotive enthusiasts were gathering for the Wrong Fitment Crew Meet 3 that also celebrated Lunar New Year at the same time. Unfortunately the owners of these Nissan 350Zs are clearly not looking forward to The Year of the Dragon, as bad luck struck right as the New Year was around the corner.

Fortunately the collision caused no major injuries, but its cause is a bit of a freak accident. A caravan of vehicles were heading to the meet, and this Infiniti G35 had a camera on its dash filming the drive. Both 350Zs were traveling the speed limit when the black Vortech-supercharged 350Z tapped the gas and a brand new tire on the car broke loose. Combine that with the wet roads and the car went straight left, veering into the poor innocent silver Z.

Check out a video of the wreck after the break.

[Source: YouTube via Autoblog]

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