Yup I guess it's more than just a rumor. Nissan is set to debut a convertible version of the Nissan Murano at the 2010 LA Auto Show later this year. It has now been confirmed that the drop top version of the Murano crossover will be named the Murano CrossCabriolet. The Murano CrossCabriolet will be the world's first AWD crossover convertible.

Nissan has released the official photos of the refreshed 2011 Murano. The 2011 Murano gets a refreshed grille, restyled bumper, new taillights and new 18-inch wheels. Inside there is a new white meter color, new center stack colors and added equipment.

For 2011 there are also two new models, the SV FWD and SV AWD, which brings the total to eight models. The Murano comes standard with a 260-hp 3.5L V6 that is mated to a CVT.

"With its contemporary exterior design, 'mobile suite' interior, advanced technology and refined, premium driving feel, Murano stands out as a modern crossover SUV like no other," said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc. "With the enhancements for 2011, there are even more reasons for consumers to put Murano on the top of their shopping lists."

The 2011 Nissan Murano will be available this October.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced that the 2011 Cadillac CTS and Infiniti M have earned its top rating of good in roof strength tests. The new roof strength tests, test how well a vehicle will protect its passengers in a rollover crash.

The CTS and Infiniti M beat out the Lexus GS and Audi A6, both of which only received acceptable ratings and the Acura RL, which only received a marginal rating.

The Cadillac CTS and Infiniti M received the institute's Top Safety Pick Award after receiving a good rating in all four of its safety tests.

Infiniti is expanding the G lineup this fall with the introduction of the G25 sedan. The G25 joins the G37 sedan and will be powered by a 2.5L V6 that puts out 218 horsepower and 187 lb-ft. of torque and is mated to a standard seven-speed automatic. The new entry-level sedan starts at $30,950.

"With the new G25 Sedan, we're broadening the appeal of the G Line with a model designed to provide an additional choice for buyers looking for a true luxury sedan, but who might not need the higher levels of performance provided by our larger engine-equipped G37 models," said Infiniti Vice President Ben Poore, speaking at a media event at the 60th annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. "The G25 is positioned in the heart of the luxury sport sedan market, allowing us to bring Infiniti's Inspired Performance to a wider selection of buyers."

The G25 sedan is available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive. Three models will be offered: G25 Sedan, G25 Sedan Journey and G25x Sedan AWD.

Up until now, Infiniti has lacked a performance line to go against the best from BMW's M division and Mercedes' AMG models. Infiniti has just announced the first vehicle from its new, Infiniti Performance Line, the 2011 Infiniti Performance Line G Coupe.

"IPL was conceived to create a new premium performance envelope, going beyond equipment upgrades to accelerate the very soul of Infiniti's Inspired Performance," said Infiniti Vice President Ben Poore. "IPL brings all the elements together, styling harmonized with performance, exhaust note with acceleration feel, ride comfort and confident handling. It's the perfect formula for unmatched driving exhilaration."

The IPL Infiniti G Coupe builds upon the G37 Coupe and on the outside it gets a dramatic front and rear bumper. fascia design, sculpted side sills, rear spoiler and chrome exhaust tips. It also gets 19-inch IPL 7-spoke graphite-finish wheels. It is only offered in two colors: Graphite Shadow and Malbec Black.

Inside there are two available color treatments: Graphite and Monaco Red.

Under the hood is what matters most and the IPL G Coupe is powered by the 3.7L V6, which now puts out 348 horsepower, 18 more than the non-IPL G Coupe. The engine can either be mated to a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters.

"When you drive the IPL G Coupe, the first thing you notice is the surge in sound and acceleration feel. The inspiring swell of sound is in complete harmony with the acceleration feel as engine speed increases," said Poore. "The sound is clean and inspiring, adding to the fun-to-drive sensation provided by the 348 horsepower under the hood."

Nissan has announced the pricing for the 2011 Nissan Juke, which will go on sale in the US in October 2010. The base Juke S CVT FWD starts at $18,960. According to Nissan the Juke combines the best attirbutes of a sports car, such as a sporty driving position and powerful engine with the best aspects of an SUV.

The Juke will be available in eight models, all of which are powerd by a 1.6L direct injection turbocharged engine that puts out 188 horsepower and 177 lb-ft. of torque. The engine can be mated to either a CVT or a 6-speed manual transmission. The Juke is available with either FWD or a torque vectoring AWD system that splits torque up to 50:50 between the front and rear wheels.

Nissan has yet to officially unveil the all-new 2011 Quest minivan that is set to debut here by the end of the year, but we have our first look at the Quest thanks to the Elgrand's debut in Japan. The JDM-spec Elgrand has been revealed and it looks very close to the teaser shots that Nissan has released of the new Quest.

Although the Elgrand is very close to what we can expect for the next Quest, expect the front and rear fascias to be slightly tweaked based on what we've seen from the teaser photos. The Elgrand is available with either a 3.5L V6 or a 2.5L four-cylinder. There is also an optional AWD system

Nissan has released more teaser photos of the next-gen 2011 Quest minivan that is set to go on sale in early 2011. It looks like the minivan segment is going to get a new lease on life with the recently introduced Toyota Sienna and the upcoming Honda Odyssey this fall.

The 2011 Nissan Quest will officially debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this December.

Nissan has been slow to jump on the hybrid bandwagon and has relied on technology from Toyota. But Nissan is finally ready to get serious about hybrids and has developed its first in-house system. Even better, according to the latest reports the Nissan Fuga Hybrid (Infiniti M) will be Nissan's first hybrid and will have nearly double the gas mileage of the gasoline version.

According to Koichi Hayasaki, chief engineer of Nissan's rear-wheel-drive hybrid system."Typically, carmakers say the fuel economy improvement on their cars using a 'strong' or 'full' hybrid system is roughly 30 percent, while for 'mild' hybrids, it's 15 percent."

Nissan's hybrid system will differ from its competitors by featuring twin clutches and a lithium-ion battery pack.

Last week Nissan's CEO Carlos Ghosn stated that the 2011 Nissan leaf electric car is sold out since it has already received 13,000 orders for the car, which is its entire allotment for the US in 2011. Now according to Nissan Division Vice President Al Castignetti, more than half of the 130,000 hand-raisers who have expressed interest in the Leaf have been previous Toyota Prius owners.

"That's a pretty significant signal to us," Castignetti said. "It tells us that there is a segment of eco-friendly consumers who are interested in going to the next level. They own a hybrid vehicle. But if the next step is available, they want to take it."

The Leaf is powered by a 107-hp electric motor. When it is fully charged the Leaf has a range of 100 miles. The Leaf starts at $32,780, but after federal tax credits the price can be as low as $25,280.

According to Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, the all-electric 2011 Nissan Leaf is already sold out. Since Nissan started taking orders for the Leaf it has already received 13,000 orders, which is equal to the amount that has been allotted to the US.

The Leaf can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge and has a top speed of 90 mph. It takes about eight hours to charge on a 220-volt outlet or 20 hours on a 110-volt outlet.

The Leaf comes in two trim levels. The base SV model is priced at $32,780, but would actually cost as little as $25,280 after the federal tax credit up to $7,500. The higher trim level starts at $33,720.

The Leaf will go on sale in select markets this December.

According to Inside Line, Nissan execs have discussed the idea of expanding the Infiniti M lineup to include coupe and convertible versions. Mercedes has sedan, coupe and convertible versions of its latest E-Class and BMW is also working on coupe, sedan and convertible versions of its next 6 Series. It only makes since that if Infiniti wants to remain competitive that it offer other versions of the new M.

If Nissan does decide to create a coupe and convertible version of the M its expected that both M37 and M56 variants would be offered.

It's only been a few days since Nissan has started taking reservations for the all-electric Leaf, but already more than 6,600 people have given their $99 deposit to reserve the vehicle.

The 2011 Leaf starts at $32,780 and after available tax credits the price drops as low as $25,280. You can also lease the Leaf for $349 a month.

Nissan hopes to have 20,000 orders by the time the Leaf goes on sale in select markets.

The Leaf is powered by an electric motor with a driving range of 100 miles.

The rumors were true. Renault-Nissan and Daimler AG have announced a new alliance today that will involve sharing and cooperating on the development of diesel and gasoline engines. The new partners are also going to combine their efforts to develop a new platform for the Smart ForTwo, a new Smart four-seater and the next-generation Renault Twingo.

The partnership also involves Renault-Nissan supplying three and four-cylinder engines to Daimler for use in some Mercedes models. In return Daimler is going to provide gasoline and diesel engines that will be used in some Infiniti models.

Lastly Daimler will now hold a 3.1% stake in Renault and Nissan and the two partners will also hold a same stake in Daimler.

Well the third month of 2010 is officially over and although most of today's news is surrounding the New York Auto Show, we can now report the sales totals for last month.

It looks like the dismal sales of 2008 and 2009 are behind us, since March 2010 was a great month for most of the automakers. Buick actually had the highest percentage increase of almost 76 percent compared to March 2009, which helped GM's core brands post a 43 percent increase over the same month last year. Everyone has been wondering how Toyota is doing with all the recalls, but don't worry, Toyota had a great month with almost a 41 percent increase, which was largely attributed to some aggressive incentives. Ford sales improved by almost 40 percent and Honda posted a 22.5 percent increase. Sadly the Chrysler Group posted an 8 percent drop last month.

For a breakdown of the top 10 best-selling cars last month check out the list after the jump.

Infiniti has officially unveiled the all-new 2011 QX56 SUV at the New York Auto Show. The large eight-passenger SUV is now built on the same chassis as the Nissan Patrol.

"We're excited to be here in New York for the global debut of the Infiniti QX, a world-class vehicle that spotlights Infiniti's inspired design, performance, technology and craftsmanship," said Ben Poore, vice president, Infiniti Business Unit. "The new QX gives us an incredible presence in full-size performance luxury SUVs - perfect for buyers seeking style, comfort, roominess and driving exhilaration."

The 2011 Infiniti QX56 is powered by a 400-hp 5.6L V8 that is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. Infiniti claims that horsepower has increased 25 percent and fuel economy has increased by 10 percent compared to the 2010 model.

The new QX56 will be available this summer starting at $56,700 for the QX56 2WD and $59,800 for the eQX56 4WD.

Nissan is set to debut the 2011 Nissan Juke crossover at the New York Auto Show tomorrow, but today we have more details about the small crossover.

The 2011 Nissan Juke is smaller than other small crossovers like the Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson. It's curvy styling with its round headlights and turn signals integrated into the front fenders is definitely going to get some people talking. It's powered by a turbocharged 1.6L 4-cylinder engine with over 180 horsepower and 170 lb-ft. of torque. The engine can be mated to either a CVT or a six-speed manual transmission. The Juke also features a torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system that can split torque up to 50:50 between the front and rear wheels and can also can split torque from side-to-side across the rear axle.

"JUKE is about to carve out a unique space in the rapidly growing compact crossover/hatchback segment with its combination of striking design, agile handling and driving pleasure and user friendly technology," said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, NNA. "Add in the convenience, versatility and high seating positioning of a traditional compact SUV - and pricing that is expected to start at just under $20,000 - and you've got a vehicle unlike any other in its class."

Although Nissan decided to drop the Quest minivan from its lineup for the 2010 model year a replacement has been in the works. Nissan has released a teaser photo of the next-generation Quest that will be released in early 2011.

Nissan hasn't released any specifics about the next Quest other than stating it "is the perfect vehicle for buyers needing the size, safety, functionality and comfort that a minivan has to offer, without sacrificing style or driving pleasure."

Nissan has announced the pricing for the Nissan Leaf EV that is going to officially go on sale at the end of the year. The Nissan Leaf is going to start at $32,780, but is eligible for a federal tax credit of $7,500, which will bring the price down to $25,280.

Nissan is going to start taking orders next month and if you want to lease the Leaf, it starts at $349 a month for 36 months.

Check out the press release for more info...

The first images of the all-new 2011 Infiniti QX56 have leaked onto the web right before its official debut at the New York Auto Show.

The 2011 Infiniti QX56 is a rebadged version of the Nissan Patrol that is sold in the Middle East. It's expected to be powered by the same 400-hp 5.6L as the Patrol.

Expect more details from the show this week.

Diesels still aren't that big of a deal here in the US as they are in Europe, so Infiniti has announced the debut of a new 3.0L V6 turbo-diesel that will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

The 3.0L turbo-diesel will be mated to a seven-speed automatic and in the EX30d it can reach 0-62 mph in 7.9 seconds and the FX30d reaches the same speed in 8.3 seconds.

"The new diesel engine allows us access to a far greater sector of the market without compromising on our core values. More than that, it's an exceptional engine, with impressive torque from very low revs helping to deliver progressive, linear acceleration with none of the typical disadvantages of unwanted noise and vibrations."

"By creating a bespoke sporting diesel, we have been able to maintain the combination of performance and luxury expected from an Infiniti with the added bonus of lower emissions and improved fuel economy. It's a win-win position," said Jim Wright.

Nissan's newest crossover, the Juke has been officially unveiled before its public unveiling next month at the Geneva Motor Show.

Nissan describes the Juke as being part SUV and part sports car. It's design is based on the Qazana concept. The Juke was created at Nissan Design Europe (NDE) and refined at Nissan's Design Center (NDC) in Japan.

"It takes the best elements of an SUV and sports car and combines them," says Pierre Loing, Vice President, Product Planning, Nissan Europe. "It's roomy yet compact, robust yet dynamic and practical yet playful. These are qualities that seem to contradict each other, yet come together in Juke to create something that's genuinely unique."

The small crossover is available with either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. In Europe there will be a choice of three engines: a 1.6L Direct Injection Gasoline turbocharged engine with 187-hp, a 113-hp 1.6-liter and a 110-hp 1.5L dCi commonrail diesel.

It's not known what will power the US version. The US-spec Juke is going to be unveiled at the New York Auto Show in April.

Nissan has officially confirmed that the Juke crossover is going to be offered in the US this fall. The European version of the Juke will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month, while the US-spec. Juke will debut at the New York Auto Show in April. The Juke was inspired by the Qazana concept car and according to Nissan is it's a sporty alternative to traditional small hatchbacks.

Infiniti has announced the pricing for the all-new 2011 Infiniti M. The 2011 Infiniti M37 starts at $46,250, which is powered by the 3.7L 330-horsepower engine. The all-wheel-drive M37x starts at $48,400. Both models come with Infiniti Drive Mode Selector, power-folding side view mirrors, Active Noise Control, RearView Monitor and
Enhanced Intelligent Key memory.

The V8 powered M56 starts at $57,550 and is powered by a 420-hp 5.6L V8. The M56x starts at $60,050. The M56 ad M56x come with the same features as the M37 models, but the $3,350 premium package is standard. This package includes, the Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation with 8-inch VGA color touch screen, Bose® 2-channel 10-speaker premium audio system, 9.3GB Music Box® hard drive, Streaming Audio via Bluetooth®, Climate controlled front seats and Heated steering wheel.

The first month of 2010 is officially over and the final sales numbers have come in. It was a crazy month for Toyota since it was forced to stop selling eight models a few days before the end of the month, which definitely hurt its final sales numbers.

But enough about that. Here are the top ten best selling vehicles from last month. The Honda Accord took over the number one best-selling car spot from the Camry, which dropped to number 7 on this list. It's also interesting to note that with the exception of the two best-selling vehicles on the list, the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado the rest of the vehicles on the list are all sedans (the Accord Crosstour was lumped into the Accord's sales). Both the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V are missing from the list this time.

Check out the full list after the jump.

A few days ago it was reported that Infiniti is going to release a 2.5L powered G25 for the 2011 model year. At the time it was speculated that the engine would be a turbocharged version, but upon further research from the guys over at Inside Line, the G25 will not get a turbocharged engine. Instead the 2011 G25 will be powered by the same naturally aspirated 2.5-liter V6 Nissan uses in the Japan-market Skyline 250GT.

In Japan the 2.5L puts out 210 horsepower and 195 lb-ft. of torque. Those numbers put it right in the middle of the lesser powered Lexus IS 250 and the BMW 328i, which has 230 horsepower.

At launch the G25 will only be available as a sedan although if sales are strong enough the coupe and convertible could also eventually be offered with the 2.5L.

When the rumors started circulating last year many of were shocked that Nissan was actually contemplating introducing a drop-top version of its Murano crossover. Inside Line originally reported Nissan's plans to produce the convertible Murano and this week they got confirmation from an inside source that the project is still on. According to a source at the Detroit Auto Show, the Nissan Murano convertible will be a two-door with a soft-top. It is expected to be released by the end of the year as a 2011 model.

Last week Nissan released a single teaser photo of the upcoming Nissan Juke crossover that is going to be officially unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this March. At the time it was expected that the small crossover would only be offered in Europe, but new reports are claiming that it is expected to come to the US as well.

In a meeting with reporters at the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan confirmed that there will be eight new models released within the next year and one of them is the Nissan Juke. Nissan didn't give any further details about the crossover other than saying that more details will be provided next month, most likely at the Chicago Auto Show.

In addition to the Nissan Juke, Nissan is also going to release the Nissan NV 2500, a full-size commercial van, a new Quest minivan, the electric Leaf, the new Inifiniti M37and M56, an unnamed new Infiniti , the Infiniti QX56 SUV and the fortieth anniversary 370Z model.

Although Infiniti didn't officially announce any details about the 2011 G sedan in Detroit, the guys over at Inside Line have learned that Infiniti is going to release a G25 sedan for the 2011 model year.

The 2011 G25 sedan will get a turbocharged 2.5L V6, the same V6 that Nissan uses in the Japan-market Skyline 250GT. The new entry-level G25 will initially only be launched in the sedan body style and will be sold alongside the G37 sedan. in Japan the naturally-aspirated 2.5L V6 puts out 210 horsepower and 195 lb-ft. of torque and the turbocharged version puts out 280 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque.

Last year Nissan unveiled the interesting Qazana concept at the Geneva Motor Show and now the automaker has released the first teaser image of the Juke Crossover, which has the same basic form of last year's concept.

Nissan is going to unveil the Juke crossover at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March, with sales starting in October. The Juke will fit between the Note compact family car and the Qashqai crossover in Nissan's lineup. It will be manufactured alongside the Qashqai, Qashqai+2 and Note at Nissan's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Sunderland, Great Britain. It's unlikely that the Juke will be offered in the US.

Expect more details next month.

Before Chrysler declared bankruptcy and Fiat stepped in to hopefully save the barely surviving automaker, Nissan and Chrysler announced a partnership that would yield a new truck that would replace the current Nissan Titan. Well now that, that deal is off Nissan has stated that it remains committed to the full size truck market.

"We 're pretty much going it alone," says Nissan spokesman Scott Vazin. Vazin didn't state when we can expect to see a new Titan, but it is expected soon. It can't come soon enough since Nissan only sold 16,894 Titans in the first eleven months of this year compared to the best-selling Ford F-Series, which sold 365,416 units over the same period.

Nissan has confirmed that there will not be a 2010 Quest minivan. Nissan apparently needed production space at its Canton, Mississippi where the Titan, Armada, and the Infiniti QX56 are also produced. The Titan and Armada will continue to be produced at the Canton plant, but production of the next Quest and Infiniti QX56 will shift to Japan to make room for a new commercial vehicle.

Nissan isn't abandoning the minivan segment, so you can expect a new Quest in a year or two.

November 2009 is officially over and luckily for most automakers the huge declines that were experienced earlier in the year leveled off with a pretty flat month in sales. Hyundai, Subaru and Nissan all saw gains with 46 percent, 24 percent and 21 percent respectively.

It's no surprise that the top two vehicles are the Ford F-Series followed by the Toyota Camry. Overall the list of top ten best selling vehicles last month is pretty much the same as its been most of the year, with the order just changing a little bit. Note that the Honda Civic dropped all the way to the number 10 spot last month.

Check out the full list after the jump.

Infiniti has unveiled the changes to the 2010 G37, which has gotten a midlife facelift.

The changes for the 2010 G37 include a new front grille, fog light clusters and a restyled rear bumper in addition to new 17-inch wheels. Inside there are a few tweaks as well, which include new white gauges, center console, aluminum trim and leather seats. The navigation system gets a new display screen and now also features NavWeather with Real-Time Weather and 3-day forecast, Streaming Audio via Bluetooth and Zagat Restaurant Guide.

The G37 is powered by a 3.7L V6 with 328 horsepower and 269 lb-ft. of torque. The engine can be mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission.

In addition to the unveiling of the Leaf EV at the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan is also going to show off another electric vehicle, the Land Glider Concept. Nissan boasts that its extremely narrow dimensions will help it maneuver through traffic in urban areas and make it easier to park.

The Land Glider concept holds two passengers in a cockpit that looks like it came directly out of a video game. What is interesting is that the concept has the ability to lean like a motorcycle through turns.

Check out the pics and video after the jump.

Infiniti virtually unveiled the 2011 Infiniti M at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in August and today the automaker revealed plans for the introduction of the 2012 M35 Hybrid and its JDM equivalent the Nissan Fuga.

Infiniti's first hybrid, the M35 hybrid will not rely on Toyota's technology like the Nissan Altima hybrid, but rather a new internally developed hybrid system. The M35 hybrid will be Infiniti's cleanest and most fuel efficient model. It will primarily be powered by a 3.5L V6 that sends the power to the rear wheels. Infiniti claims that the hybrid components will only add to the driving experience and not take away from it, like most other hybrids. The electric motor is powered by a laminated lithium-ion battery that holds twice the power of nickel-metal hydride batteries and cools twice as fast because it's lamination.

The Infiniti M is expected to go on sale early next year as a 2011 model, with the hybrid following a year later as a 2012 model.

Nissan has released two sketches of its new Global Compact Car. The new car will be launched in Thailand next March and eventually will be sold in 150 countries. This will replace the current Micra in Europe

Nissan hasn't announced if the car will make it to the US where it would slot in below the Versa in Nissan's lineup. Although from these sketches it's much better looking than the Versa.

Nissan has released the official specs, photos and pricing for the refreshed 2010 Nissan Altima Coupe and Sedan.

On the outside the Altima gets a restyled hood, grille and front bumper and new wheels. Inside there are new fabrics and trim and revised option packages. A new nine speaker Bose audio system and the next-generation Nissan Hard Drive Navigation System with 6.5-inch VGA color touch-screen display are optional.

The powerplants remain unchanged with the 175-hp 2.5L 4-cyl, 275-hp 3.5L V6 and the 198-hp hybrid available only on the sedan.

Pricing starts at $19,900 for the base 2.5S sedan and goes all the way up to $29,600 for the 3.5 SR (no longer named SE) coupe.

Next spring, Nissan is going to start taking orders for the Leaf EV, with deliveries starting that fall. Nissan is expecting to receive 20,000 orders, which is well over the 5,000 Leafs Nissan has planned to lease in 2010.

For the first two years of production all Leafs will be imported to the US from Japan. By 2012 Nissan expects to have completed a $2 billion investment in its Smyrna, TN production facility to produce 150,000 electric vehicles and 200,000 lithium-ion batteries per year.

The Leaf is going to launch in Tennessee and Oregon as well as San Diego, CA; Seattle, WA; and the Phoenix/Tucson are of Arizona. These areas have committed to installing 2,500 electric vehicle charging stations.

Nissan has issued a recall of 26,398 according to the NHTSA. The affected vehicles are being recalled due to an issue with the upper front strut insulators.

The upper front insulators may have been manufactured out of spec. which may cause them to crack, which would allow the struts to come out of their mounting position. This problem could affect vehicle stability and possibly lead to a crash.

Nissan is going to begin notifying owners of the affected vehicles and will replace the strut insulators free of charge.

Infiniti is set to release a new QX56 SUV for the 2011 model year, but the large SUV was on display in the Middle East and one lucky guy managed to capture two shots of it.

Overall the 2011 QX56 is much smoother looking that the current generation. It features certain styling elements from the smaller FX. The QX56 is based on the Nissan Safari/ Patrol.

The 2011 QX56 should make its official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The sales numbers for August 2009 are in and thanks to the Cash for Clunkers program sales were up for a few of the automakers. Toyota, Honda and Ford saw sales increase by 10.5%, 14.2% and 17%, respectively. Although GM was down 20.2% and Chrysler by 15%.

The Toyota Camry surpassed the Ford F-Series to become the best selling vehicle in the US last month, although the F-Series also had a good month. New to the list for August was the Hyundai Elantra, likely due to increased sales from the Cash for Clunkers program. The Honda CR-V also made a return this month, surpassing the Ford Escape, which is missing this time.

* Toyota Camry: 54,396
* Ford F-Series: 45,590
* Honda Civic: 43,294
* Toyota Corolla: 43,061
* Honda Accord: 39,726
* Chevy Silverado: 32,421
* Honda CR-V: 30,284
* Nissan Altima: 26,833
* Ford Focus: 25,547
* Hyundai Elantra: 21,673

Nissan has updated the Sentra for 2010 with a revised front fascia, new headlights and taillights and new wheels. Inside the stereo has been updated with a 4.3-inch screen and navigation is now a $400 option.

Although Nissan made some changes and additions to the 2010 model, the price has been lowered by as much as $1,080 on the SE-R models.

Haha... GM announced this morning that the Volt is going to get 230 mpg and now Nissan posts that its upcoming Leaf EV is going to get 367 mpg.

"Nissan Leaf = 367 mpg, no tailpipe, and no gas required. Oh yeah, and it'll be affordable too!"

Nissan claims its 367 mpg figure was derived by using a Department of Energy formula.

We'll have to wait and see when both vehicles are actually released.

Inifiniti has released a single teaser image of the 2011 Infiniti M that will debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 14th.

The image doesn't reveal much about the next-generation M other than a more swooping design that will most likely be in line with the current G and FX vehicles.

Expect more details soon...

The sales numbers for last month are just coming in and now we have the list of the top ten best-selling cars.

As expected the Ford F-150 and Toyota Camry are at the top of the list, but the surprises this time can partly be attributed to "Cash for Clunkers." The Ford Focus was the top vehicle chosen by buyers that traded in their old cars, which added it to July's top ten list. The Toyota Prius also makes an appearance at the number 10 spot.

* Ford F-Series: 36,327
* Toyota Camry: 33,974
* Honda Civic: 30,037
* Honda Accord: 29,774
* Toyota Corolla: 29,593
* Chevy Silverado: 27,617
* Ford Focus: 21,830
* Ford Escape: 20,241
* Nissan Altima: 19,252
* Toyota Prius: 19,173

Nissan has tasked its engineers with the job of getting more miles for gallons out of its vehicles to attract more buyers that are interested in the government's Car Allowance Rebate System "Cash-for-Clunkers". The program offers more of an incentive for vehicles with greater efficiency.

"We want as many of our products as possible to pop up on the shopping list," Nissan North America spokesman Brian Brockman told Automotive News.

Today is officially the start of July and with that comes the sales numbers for the month of June. While we wait for all the official numbers, here are the top ten best-selling vehicles last month:

* Ford F-Series: 35,915
* Toyota Camry: 26,394
* Chevy Silverado: 24,766
* Honda Accord: 23,995
* Honda Civic: 20,954
* Toyota Corolla: 19,935
* Ford Fusion: 18,561
* Nissan Altima: 16,350
* Ford Escape: 15,385
* Chevy Impala: 14,931

Of course the Ford F-Series continues to dominate the list. Ford as a whole also had the most top models with the F-Series, Fusion and Escape all making the list. Missing from the list is the recently redesigned Dodge Ram.

Infiniti has announced the pricing for the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible. The G37 Convertible starts at $43,850 and the G37 Convertible Sport 6MT starts at $43,900.

The first ever G37 Convertible features a three-piece folding hardtop and is powered by a 325-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 mated to either a 7-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission.

The 2009 G37 Convertible will be available on June 19th.

Last year Inside Line reported that Nissan was working on a convertible version of its Murano crossover...many of us didn't believe the rumors. A Murano convertible? Right!

Well now Inside Line has received confirmation from sources that Nissan is still working on the Murano convertible and that it will hit dealerships before the summer of 2010. The Murano convertible is being aimed at empty nesters that need a little extra room. It will feature a soft top.

The 2011 Murano convertible will feature two less doors than the current Murano and will be powered by the same 265-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 mated to a continuously variable transmission.

Apparently a time of 7:29 wasn't fast enough around the famed Nurburgring for the Nissan GT-R, so Nissan engineers went to work on the 2010 model to make it even faster.

The engineers returned with a 2010 GT-R which features five extra horsepower, a revised dual-clutch transmission with updated launch control, a bigger fuel tank, retuned suspension and new tires. The updates were enough to lower the time to an astonishing 7min 27.56 secs.

Nissan claims that the time was posted using a 2010 GT-R with V-spec wheels and tires. The time is still slower than the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1’s 7:26.40.

Of course March sales were down last month compared to March 2008 with GM down 45 percent. For the most part most of the major automakers posted a better month than February, but the sales were still dismal.

Here's the list of the top ten best-selling vehicles last month. Of course most of the same models are listed:

-Ford F-Series: 32,728
-Toyota Camry: 25,783
-Chevy Silverado: 23,508
-Honda Accord: 22,722
-Toyota Corolla: 22,257
-Honda Civic: 20,645
-Nissan Altima: 19,521
-Dodge Ram: 19,328
-Chevy Malibu: 14,772
-Honda CR-V: 12,959

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has launched a new roof strength rating system and has chosen to put 12 small SUVs up to the test.

More than 10,000 people are killed a year in rollovers and SUVs rank higher compared to cars and minivans.

In the Institute's roof strength test, a metal plate is pushed against 1 side of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating, the roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle's weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. This is called a strength-to-weight ratio. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5. Anything lower than that is poor.

Only 4 of the small SUVs earned the top rating of good: VW Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Honda Element and Jeep Patriot. the VW Tiguan had the strongest roof out of all the SUVs tested. The Suzuki Grand Vitara, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4, Nissan Rogue, and Mitsubishi Outlander are rated acceptable. Roofs on the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape are marginal, and the Kia Sportage received a poor rating.

Nissan/ Infiniti has been slow to jump on the hybrid bandwagon with the firm's only hybrid being the Altima hybrid, which borrows its hybrid components from Toyota. Well according to a report by the Nikkei business daily in Japan, Nissan/Infiniti is going to release its first in-house hybrid in 2010 as the Infiniti M hybrid.

The hybrid system that will be offered in the Infiniti M differs from conventional hybrid systems since it will be powered by lithium-ion batteries that have more power and quicker recharge times. In addition the hybrid system features one electric motor and two clutches that allows both the engine and electric motor to power the rear wheels at the same time. The hybrid version of the M is expected to be more performance oriented.

Nissan plans to extend its hybrid offerings to other Infiniti models and sports cars.

In 2008 Nissan confirmed that the Maxima would receive a 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel, that was developed by Renault for the US market. The original plans saw the introduction of the diesel-powered Maxima being released later this year. But now it looks like those plans have either been delayed or scrapped altogether.

A Nissan spokesman told AutoObserver there is "no official word yet," regarding Nissan's maintaining the U.S. launch for diesel-powered 2010 Maxima. The spokesman would also not deny that it was being in fact delayed or that if it was actually being canceled.

"We're reviewing our mid-term product plans right now [some to be delayed, some potentially canceled], but nothing in concrete as yet," the spokesman added, saying the company's U.S. arm "should have some clarity in the coming weeks."

Other automakers have also recently announced plans to delay or cancel their own diesel programs in the US. Acura has delayed, possibly indefinitely the diesel-powered TSX. GM also announced plans to discontinue development on a new V8 diesel that was to be used in light trucks and SUVs.

Infiniti hit the Geneva Motor Show head on today with the unveiling of the Essence Concept, which combines sexy coupe bodywork with a "green" drivetrain.

The Essence Concept is a front-engined, two-seater. It features a 3.7L V6 engine mated to an electric motor that has been dubbed the 3D Motor. The combined output is 592 horsepower ( 434 from the V6 and 158 from the electric motor).

The styling of the Essence Concept draws cues from the current Infiniti lineup, but in a much sexier way. The assymetrical two-seat interior features a driver focused interior with two distinct cocoons. The driver's side is black, while the passenger's "cocoon" is an earthy red.

Nissan is planning on entering the small van market with the introduction of the NV200 at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

The NV200 will be offered in three configurations: cargo van, 7-passenger van and a Combi version for people and cargo.

The NV200 is built on a modified version of Nissan's B Platform and will be powered by either a 1.6L gas engine or a Renault-sourced 1.5L diesel engine. It will launch in Japan this summer and Europe this fall.

The sales numbers from last month have been released and they are not good. Nearly every major automaker was down in January compared to January 08'.

Chrysler lead the pact with a 55 percent drop last month. GM's sales were off by 49 percent and Ford declined 40 percent.

Japan's major automakers didn't escape the dismal auto sales with Toyota being down 32 percent, Nissan's sales were down 30 and Honda's were off by 28 percent.

The news wasn't bad for everyone though with Subaru posting an 8 percent increase, its second month in the row of sales increases. Hyundai also posted a 14 percent sales increase. Hyundai attributed its sales improvement to its new program which will take a owner's car back if they lose their job in the first 12 months of ownership.

"This program gets to the root cause of today's economic concerns — fear of job loss," Hyundai regional general manager Peter DiPersia said in a statement.

Nissan has finally unveiled the GT-R SpecV after months of speculation.

The special edition GT-R SpecV features a carbon fiber rear spoiler, a carbon fiber grille, and carbon fiber brake ducts. The SpecV is available exclusively in Ultimate Black Opal (RP) body color and the inside features a unique two-seat interior that has Recaro carbon fiber bucket seats.

There is only one main engine modification, a new high gear boost controller that increases the amount of compressed oxygen entering the twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 to deliver more torque in the intermediate-to-high speed ranges.

Sales begin in Japan at seven pre-selected dealers, with pricing set at 15,750,000 yen. There is no word yet on if the car is headed to our shores.

2008 is finally over and with it ends one of the worst years for the automotive industry in recent history. Most of 2008 was plagued by high fuel prices, which forced buyers to look for more fuel efficient vehicles. Even with this trend the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado pickups managed to remain at the top of the list for 2008.

In addition, even though buyers continued to ask for more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic were the only "small" cars to make the list.

Nissan has previously announced that the automaker is not planning on attending the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, which means that no Nissan or Infiniti vehicles will be present on the show floor. Last month Nissan and Infiniti dealers stepped up and said they would donate their own vehicles to be displayed at the show. Nissan has now reportedly asked the dealers to not participate in the show.

"The dealers were going to support a presence and had all stepped forward,” Doug Fox, auto show co-chairman and owner of Ann Arbor Nissan said in an interview with Detroit Free Press. “But the week before Christmas we received a request from Nissan to please respect their decision to not have a presence at the North American International Auto Show.”

That means Detroit show goers will not be able to see the new 370Z or even the Nissan Cube.

Infiniti officially took the wraps off the 2009 G37 Convertible at the LA Auto Show today and what better place to do it since it was in the 80's today..in November!

The G37 Convertible is powered by a 325-hp 3.7-liter V6 mated to either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission. The folding hardtop is a three-piece unit, which manages to preserve the sexy lines of the coupe.

Compared to the coupe the convertible features new body panels from the A-pillar back and is actually 1.1 inches wider than the coupe. It also features a wider track and modified rear suspension.

The top open or closes in a mere 30 seconds.

The 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible will be available in spring 2009.

Nissan has officially unveiled the 2009 Nissan Cube today at the LA Auto Show.

The 2010 Cube is powered by a 122 horsepower 1.8L engine mated to either a CVT transmission or a six-speed manual. The Cube equipped with the CVT is projected to get over 30 mpg on the highway.

The Cube fits five passengers with a “lounge sofa” style sliding rear bench seat.

The Cube will be initially offered in three trims, Cube 1.8, Cube 1.8 S and Cube 1.8 SL.

Motor Trend has announced the winner of its 2009 Car of the Year award and this year the award goes to the 2009 Nissan GT-R.

Motor Trend had this to say about the 2009 GT-R:

"The GT-R puts Nissan on a map that thus far only designated Maranello, Sant’ Agata, Munich, and Stuttgart as points of interest,” said Motor Trend editor Ron Kiino. ”Well, it’s time to stick a tack on Tochigi. In the kingdom of supercars, the GT-R positively belongs. Be it comparing 0-to-60 sprints, quarter-mile times, 60-to-0 braking, or lateral acceleration, the GT-R is one of the world’s best.”

"Plainly put: No Nissan has ever been as formidable or as awesome as the GT-R. More significant, no other 2009 contender crushes our criteria like the GT-R. For that, it wholeheartedly deserves our Golden Calipers."

AUTOMOBILE Magazine has given the 2009 Nissan GT-R the "2009 Automobile of the Year" award.

The magazine's editors applauded the GT-R for "delivering high-intensity fun and astonishing performance". They also claim that the Nissan GT-R is the first Japanese supercar to seriously threaten the other supercars in the world with its neck-snapping acceleration, super-accurate steering, and incredible value.

The magazine also gave the 2009 Design of the Year award to the Audi A5 and named Takeo Fukui - President, Honda Motor Company, Man of the Year.

Nissan is going to officially unveil the all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z at the LA Auto Show next week, but some of the specs been trickling out.

Thanks to the LA Auto Show website we now know that the final horsepower rating for the 3.7L V6 is 332 horsepower. The engine can either be mated to a new 7-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. The new Z also has a shorter wheelbase than the current generation and more lightweight pieces to keep the vehicle's overall weight in check.

Nissan is going to unveil the NV2500 Concept at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Athough Nissan hasn't released any official specs of the concept it's supposed to preview Nissan's entry into the North American Commercial Vehicle market in 2010. The concept looks bigger than Ford's commercial vehicle, the Transit Connect.

When the concept enters production it will be built at Nissan's plant in Canton, Mississippi.

The 2009 Nissan 370Z is set to be officially unveiled in just over a week and now more info is leaking out about the 370Z NISMO S-Tune packages.

The first package is the NISMO S-Tune Aero Package that improves the car's aerodynamic performance a new nose, front lip spoiler, side skirts and rear spoiler that will reduce lift and provide extra downforce. Also included in this package are rear fender protectors and a set of NISMO-badged floor mats.

Last week Nissan announced a new entry Versa that starts at $9,990, which means its the cheapest car you can buy in the U.S. Although it starts below $10k, when you actually want A/C or any other "normally standard" features be prepared to pay more.

KickingTires, did some research into the pricing of the 2009 Versa 1.6 and discovered that the base model does not come with air conditioning, power windows or door locks, and a stereo. Reminds me of the base econo cars of the 80's and early 90's. Of course cruise control and a driver’s seat height adjustment are also missing. The standard model also has a manual transmission. The automatic transmission costs and extra $1,000, but requires that you also get a/c, which is $1,000 as well. After adding an auto transmission and a/c you're already at $12k.

The economy is bad, so Nissan has just announced that the new Nissan Versa 1.6 is the cheapest car sold in the U.S. at a starting price of $9,990.

The Nissan Versa 1.6 is powered by a new 107 horsepower 1.6L engine, which is obviously smaller than the Versa's other 1.8L engine. The 1.6L also gets better gas mileage than the 1.8L at 26/34 for the 5-speed manual and 26/ 33 for the 4-speed automatic transmission.

Nissan has officially unveiled the 2009 Nissan 370Z ahead of its official unveiling at the LA Auto Show in a few weeks.

Although Nissan has released three photos of the new Z, official specs have not been released. All that we know right now is that it is powered by the same 3.7L V6 as the Infiniti G37.

Stay tuned.

Chrysler and Nissan announced earlier this year plans to share some vehicles in the future. At the time most of the press surrounded the replacement for the Nissan Titan, which would be built off the new Ram 1500. Now Chrysler has unveiled a Dodge version of the Nissan Versa subcompact, dubbed the Dodge Trazo C1.8.

The Dodge Trazo C1.8, which will be built by Nissan gives Dodge an entry in the subcompact market in Latin America, specifically in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Trazo C1.8 is powered by an E-100 ethanol-capable 16-valve 1.8-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine that can be mated to either a manual or automatic transmission.

Overall the Trazo C1.8 is essentially the same thing that we get here in the U.S. as the Nissan Versa, although there have been a few, very small styling changes. Even though the Versa is available as a sedan and a five-door hatchback, Dodge only plans on selling the sedan version.

Sales of the Trazo C1.8 will start in mid-2009. Chrysler hasn't announced any plans to sell the rebadged Versa in the U.S.

Nissan announced today that the automaker is going to cut production at two of its plants in Japan due to slow sales in the U.S

Ikue Matsuura, a spokeswoman for Nissan said today that production will be cut from November through March of next year on some of its Infiniti models and the Nissan Murano and Rogue.

Nissan's sales dropped 37 percent in September.

Infiniti has announced the pricing for the 2009 Infiniti G37 Sedan and Coupe.

The 2009 G37 sedan gets a new 328 horsepower 3.7L V6. The G37 coupe gets the addition of an all-wheel-drive model, the Infiniti G37x. Both the G37 coupe and sedan get a new 7-speed automatic transmission.

The starting price for the 2009 Infiniti G37 sedan is $33,250 and the G37 coupe starts at $35,900 with the 7-speed automatic. The G37x coupe starts at $38,900.

In addition to the changes under the hood the G37 sedan gets new sport 18-inch wheels, available sport brakes and standard Scratch Shield paint.

We've already seen several spy photos of the new 2010 Nissan 370Z, but now we have some un-camouflaged shots of the car thanks to the promo site for Need for Speed Undercover.

The 330 horsepower 2010 Nissan 370Z is going to be officially unveiled next month at the 2009 LA Auto Show.

The 2009 Infiniti EX35 has been a sales disappointment for Nissan.

Potential buyers have complained about the fact that the rear seat has very little legroom and that the cargo area is somewhat limited. To address these concerns in an effort to boost sales, Nissan has announced that the 2010 Infiniti EX will get more rear legroom.

According to Nissan North America’s vice president, Larry Dominique, the EX grabbed a lot of attention when it was unveiled, but has failed to move off dealer lots. Through September, Nissan sold 10,289 units of the EX, an annual rate of approximately 15,000 units.

Infiniti has released a seconds teaser photo of the 2009 G37 Convertible that is going to be officially unveiled at the LA Auto Show next month.

The G37 Convertible features a retractable hardtop and is powered by a 328 horsepower 3.7L V6.

Stay tuned until next month for all the details from the show.

A few months ago Nissan took the GT-R to the famed Nurburgring in Germany and completed it in a very fast time of 7:29. Well now Porsche is speaking out and saying that Nissan cheated in order to record that record time.

Porsche recently took the US-spec GT-R to the ring with its 911 Turbo and GT2. Unfortunately the GT-R could not compete with the two German cars and came in a full 25 seconds slower than the time that Nissan recorded.

Nissan has adjusted the pricing for the 2009 Nissan GT-R.

There have been rumors that Nissan, Infiniti's parent company is working on a new entry-level Infiniti coupe that would compete the new BMW 1-Series.

Infiniti has released one single photo of the upcoming G37 Convertible before its official unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November.

Nissan has finally confirmed what many of us have been waiting for the Infiniti G lineup.

The Nissan GT-R is one awesome car. Nissan's CEO has already shot down rumors that Nissan is working on a four-door version of the GT-R for the Infiniti brand...let's hope they're also not working on a convertible.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released the results of its first ever side crash testing of five small pickup trucks.

GM released a video of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 on the famed Nurburgring yesterday. The video shows the ZR1 completing a lap around the track in 7:24:6, which officially beats the time of 7:29 that was set by the Nissan GT-R.

Nissan has announced that the 2009 Nissan GT-R will finally be hitting dealerships on July 7th, but approximately 70 percent of this year's allocation has already been spoken for.

Nissan has announced the pricing for the all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima.

The first all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima has rolled off Nissan's assembly line in Smyrna, Tennessee. The car signals the Maxima's return to a "4-door sports car".

Nissan recently held a private event where the new Nissan 370Z was unveiled. Apparently the automaker forgot to take away all the camera phones from the attendees.

Yesterday Nissan announced that the Nissan GT-R completed a lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:29. That announcement may be put to rest sooner than later if GM engineers manage to pull it off. They are hard at work on the 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1. Last week GM released official stats, 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque. GM also released a video of the car reaching 205 mph on the track.

Nissan has announced that the Nissan GT-R had a lap time of seven minutes and 29 seconds on the infamous Nurburgring in Germany.

Yesterday Nissan and Chrysler announced a new partnership that is going to spawn a new small car and full-size pickup.

Infiniti has released more info and photos of the all-new FX that was unveiled earlier this month in Geneva.

Last week Nissan released the first teaser images of the all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima. Now thanks to a few sites we have the first official images of the car that is going to be officially unveiled tomorrow.

In addition to the 2009 Nissan Maxima photo leaks, the Denaki Cube Concept is also showing up on the internet before its official unveiling tomorrow.

Nissan has released four teaser images of its all-new 2009 Nissan Maxima that is going to be officially unveiled next week at the New York Auto Show.

Last week a single teaser shot of the all-new 2009 Infiniti FX leaked onto the web. Today Infiniti officially unveiled the all-new FX in Geneva.

After 75 years of being in the number two spot in the US, Ford has given up the title to Toyota.

The Nissan GT-R is definitely one of the most anticipated new cars for the new year. THe GT-R has been on the cover of nearly every automotive publication and touring the auto show circuit. Just when you thought that the news on the GT-R was finally going to slow down, new spy photos of a future version have surfaced.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Nissan is going to start taking orders for the 480 horsepower GT-R on January 1, 2008 and deliveries will start in June 2008.

It seems like everyone is jumping on the RWD bandwagon. Hyundai just unveiled its RWD Genesis coupe and now there are rumors that Nissan is working on rear-wheel-drive replacement for the 240SX a.k.a Silvia in Japan.

Nissan unveiled the all-new GT-R at the LA Auto Show last week and announced a starting price of $69,850 for the supercar.

Right before Nissan brought out its awesome GT-R supercar, Nissan's CEO unveiled the all-new 2009 Murano CUV at the LA Auto Show today.

Last week the first few images of Nissan's all-new 2009 Murano leaked onto the internet. Now we have two more which provide further detail of that weird looking front end and a throughly reworked interior.

The all-new 2009 Nissan Murano is going to be officially unveiled at the LA Auto Show next week, but thanks to the NICOclub forums we have the first few photos of it.

Chevrolet's all-new 2008 Malibu is just now hitting your local Chevy dealers. GM has high hopes for the Malibu, as the new sedan is one of their most important new releases for the 2008 model year.

Hot on the heals of the official release of the Nissan GT-R it is being reported that an even hotter version the V-Spec will be released sometime in 2009.

Nissan has officially unveiled the all-new Nissan GT-R at the Tokyo Auto Show and now we have one of the first promotional videos of the car.

Following the massive leaks of photos and specs last week, Nissan has finally released official photos and specs of the all-new GT-R.

We're only a few days from the official unveiling of the Nissan GT-R and now a video has surfaced of Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn showing off the new GT-R on Japanese TV.

Well today has been a fun day. This morning Motor Authority posted a scanned photo of the next issue of Motor Trend which has the all-new GT-R on the cover. Motor Trend is now requesting that those photos be taken down (see my previous post). AutoWeek also decided to post photos of the car, which you will have to check out on your own. Now Inside Line has jumped on the bandwagon and released their own official photos of the car.

Have you seen a BLACK-MASK member? Here are some of the videos....

Is this the first official photo of the new Nissan GT-R? The Nissan supercar is going to be unveiled later this month and CAR has posted this first photo of the side profile of the GT-R.

We all now that Nissan is finally going to unveil the new GT-R at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month, but that doesn't mean that the automaker isn't going to bring anything else to the show. Nissan is going to unveil a very weird looking concept dubbed the Pivo 2.

Nissan has launched the official site for the upcoming GT-R that is set to be officially unveiled on October 24th, 2007.

The production version of the Nissan GT-R is set to be unveiled at the upcoming Tokyo Auto Show. Sony is going to going to release a demo version of the next Gran Turismo game to coincide with the unveiling.

Carlos Tavares, Nissan’s global product boss recently told Automotive News that Infiniti plans on adding 10 or so models to its lineup by 2010.

As I was fishing the internet this morning I came across this banner that is advertising $1,500 cash back on the new 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid. I was shocked and immediately thought it was a mistake, but after a visit to Nissan's website the deal is confirmed.

Starting tomorrow Nissan is going to start selling their entry in the crowded compact SUV/CUV segment, the Rogue. The new Rogue will primarily compete with the CR-V and RAV-4 heavyweights.

Unlike most automakers who are focusing on hybrid technology to improve the gas mileage of their vehicles, Nissan has pledged to build a high-mileage car without hybrid technology.

BMW has just announced the 335i is going to get all-wheel-drive, which actually makes it faster than the rear-wheel-drive version. Infiniti is likely to make AWD optional on the new G37 coupe to keep it competitive with the 3-Series coupes and the upcoming Audi A5/S5.

Nissan is going to unveil its new Mixim Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. The Mixim is a fully electric vehicle that is powered by a compact lithium-ion battery pack that drives two electric "Super Motors".

Nissan plans on going head to head with Toyota's RAV4 and Honda's CR-V this fall with the Rogue SUV. In the first seven months of this year, the Honda CR-V has moved up to steal the top spot as the top selling SUV in the U.S. Nissan hopes to get in on the action with its new Sentra based SUV.

According to Nissan's global design chief Shiro Nakamura, Infiniti is considering adding new models to its lineup that will stray from Infiniti's current image. A new small car, a large "people mover", a GT-R based coupe and new smaller engines are reportedly in the works.

The unveiling of Nissan's GT-R supercar is right around the corner. The car has yet to enter production and there is already a waiting list. Some of those buyers on the waiting list may be looking to flip the Nissan GT-R to make a profit, but they may have to think again.

The 2008 models are right around the corner. Infiniti has released the full specs and photos of the 2008 Infiniti M sedan. The car receives refreshed styling and the M45 will have an all-wheel-drive option.

Infiniti has released photos of its upcoming compact SUV. The new smaller SUV borrows styling cues from the other Infiniti models. The EX35 also uses the same 3.5L V6 that is in the G35 with over 290 horsepower.

Or Maybe not... According to BusinessWeek Volkswagen takes the award for having the most recalled 2007 models. VW recalled just over 1 million New Beetles because of faulty brake light switches.

Nissan has announced the pricing for the 2008 Nissan Maxima, which is currently on sale. The Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE Xtronic CVT starts at $28,120 and the 3.5 SL will start at $30,380. With the exception of a new Platinum package there are not any changes to the 255hp Maxima.

Nissan's 350Z has taken a backseat to other more important models in the Nissan lineup. The coupe was supposed to receive upgrades for the 2009 model year, but due to the release of the Nissan GT-R, small sports coupe and various hybrid models, the changes are being delayed.

Reuters has posted a list of the 20 top-selling vehicles in the U.S. through July of 2007. There aren't really any big surprises here.

Infiniti has announced the pricing for the 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe that will be in showrooms on August 21st.

Forbes has put together a list of the top 20 most dangerous vehicles on the road. The Buick Rendevous SUV/ Minivan topped their list as possibly the worst car to buy right now in terms of safety. Compared to other minivans the Rendevous is up to three times more likely to cause a fatality.

A few weeks ago, spy photos of Nissan's new 2008 Skyline GT-R surfaced after the car appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Autocar has posted some spy photos of the interior that were also taken at the festival.

It seems like every carmaker is trying to get a piece of the rapidly growing car market in India. Renault-Nissan, Toyota and other automakers have all announced plans to release "cheap" cars for that market. Well now Honda has announced that the automaker is also planning on releasing an ultra-cheap car by 2009.

We've already seen spy photos of the upcoming 2008 Nissan Skyline GT-R in Mexico, but this weekend an almost naked version of the car showed up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK.

Nissan is currently working on a diesel engine for its full size Titan pickup, according to Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. The new engine is being developed with US truck and engine maker Navistar International Corp.

Honda has already announced that the automaker will have a new diesel powered Accord in the US by 2009. Now Honda has announced that they are hoping to be able to launch their low-pollution, fuel-efficient diesel powered vehicles in Japan within the next few years.

Last week it was reported that Nissan is working on a new small sports coupe model that will take cues from the Nissan Urge Concept. Now spy photographers have caught an interesting prototype testing at the Nurburgring in Germany. At first glance it looks just like the current 350Z, but upon closer examination you can see that there are differences.

Spy photographers have caught the next generation 2009 Nissan Murano testing in Southern Europe. The current Murano has been on the market since 2003 in the U.S. So it is time for a new one.

Lately it seems that hybrids get all the attention for being fuel-efficient, but there are a handful of non-hybrid cars that get close to the same levels as the hybrids. In the US this list is dominated by Honda, Toyota and Nissan. Only one European model made the list, the MINI. The big question is: Why aren't there any models from Ford, GM or Chrysler on this list?

Last year Renault-Nissan was in talks with General Motors about a possible alliance between the automakers. But unfortunately the talks ended when neither side could come to an agreement on the price of the relationship. Now fast forward to 2007 and Renault-Nissan is reportedly looking for a relationship with either Ford or Chrysler.

The Detroit Free Press has posted the list of the top-20 best selling vehicles in the US last month. The list looks pretty similar to last month, with only a few vehicles moving up or down the list. The overall trend seems to be that consumers are moving further away from trucks and SUVs.

A new study by Harbour Consulting has announced that Toyota is the most productive automaker, since it only takes Toyota 29.93 hours to make a car. Nissan came in second with 29.97 hours and Honda came in third at 31.63 hours.

According to Autoweek, Nissan is thinking about making a convertible version of its new Altima Coupe that was just released. Nissan wants to expand the Altima line and a convertible seems like the next logical step.

According to the Nikkei, Nissan is going to launch three subcompact cars in the US. The cars are expected to be here by the end of next year. The new cars will allow Nissan to compete with Toyota's Scion.

It has been reported several times that the new BMW 335i actually produces more power than is stated on paper. BMW states that the 335i coupe and sedan have 300 horsepower at the flywheel, although according to several dyno tests the car actually puts out between 275-300 horsepower at the wheels. Using simple math it is estimated that the actual horsepower at the flywheel is 350-375 horsepower. Those are exciting numbers!

PC Magazine has listed what they feel are the vehicles with the best technology. For the second year the BMW X5 was listed as their top vehicle and took home the magazine's "Digital Drive Car of the Year" award. The X5 was picked because of its adaptive drive, spilt-screen navigation, real-time traffic reports and front and rear sonar.

New images of the upcoming Nissan GT-R have surfaced in an unknown Japanese magazine. The images shown here do look like they may have been photoshopped, since the car in these pics differs somewhat from the test models that have been caught testing in Germany. There are extra vents around the rear wheels and the spoiler is a bit larger as well.

Spy photos of the upcoming Opel Vectra have surfaced. Most people know that the Opel Vectra is essentially the same thing as the Saturn Aura that we have here in the U.S. This is likely to continue with the next generation Vectra, which is due for 2010.

Edmunds.com has posted a list of the most wanted cars in 2007 based on reader feedback. Out of the 32 categories you may be surprised which automaker took home the most awards....

Recently I had the chance to drive the 2007 Nissan Altima S for the day. When given the choice at the rental car counter between a Ford Taurus, Chevy Impala, Pontiac Grand Prix or a brand new 2007 Nissan Altima, I immediately jumped at the chance to drive Nissan's popular mid-size sedan. With the ever-increasing gas prices, more economical sedans are becoming increasingly popular. The version I was given was a 2007 Altima S, which is the base 4-cylinder.

April's auto sales numbers have just been posted and almost every major automaker had a sales decrease last month. Even the Asian automakers that have been making headlines for their sales gains, took a hit.

The current Nissan Maxima has been overshadowed by the smaller Altima. According to some Nissan insiders the current Maxima has lost its way. Years ago it was seen as the sporty alternative to the Camry and Accord sedans. It was also even referred to as a Four-Door-Sports-Car (4DSC).

Kelly Blue Book has compiled their list of the top 10 coolest cars under $18,000. Today as the average car price is well into the $20,000's it is good to know that there are cheaper alternatives that are still cool to own.

In Eastern Europe and India automakers are already selling cars for $7,000, which is far below the lowest priced car in the U.S. Cars such as the Renault Logan and Hyundai Santro are selling very well. The plant that produces the Logan is running 24 hours a day just to keep up with demand.

Nissan has announced the pricing for its all-new 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe, which will go on sale May 25, 2007.

Infiniti is going to showcase a new concept crossover at the New York Auto show. The EX Concept is supposed to give a hint of the actual production crossover that will be in showrooms by the end of 2007.

Infiniti is going to release the new 2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe at the New York Auto Show next month. This will be the second generation of the coupe and with that comes a slightly different name. The coupe is going to be the first application of the the new VQ37VHR WEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift) 3.7L V6 with an estimated 330 horsepower and 270 lb ft. of torque.

Nissan has confimed that the 2008 Infiniti G7 Coupe will be unveiled at the New York Auto Show next month.