Nissan reveals the 370Z Nismo for the European market

Nissan surprised everyone by showing the Nismo version of the 370Z during the official presentation of the European Juke Nismo that took place in Barcelona. The new 370Z will be sold starting from July.

The new version includes several changes to the look of the car, and includes a new rear diffuser, 19 inch wheels, improved brakes side skirts, a front spoiler and the suspension was lowered by 10mm. On the inside we have black alcantara with a red trim.

The 3.7liter V6 engine now produces 344hp and 371Nm and will do the 0 to 100km/h (62mph) run in 5.2 seconds. The top speed was not revealed but it should be limited to 250km/h (155mph).

Source: autoportal

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Short News: China will overtake Europe in automobile production

In reality this is not something unexpected, China is one of, if not the largest emerging market in the world, so it was expected that one day the number of cars produced in the world's most populous country with about 1.34 billion people, surpass those produced in Europe.

And according to the projection made by consultancy firms IHS, LMC Auto and PwC, and investment banks UBS and Credit Suisse, that will happen this year. China will produce 19.6 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, while Europe will reach 18.3 million. in 2012, Europe produced 18.9 million, and China 17.8 million units.

And the European values include Russia and Turkey for a population of 715 million. Fortunately most European car companies have partnerships with Chinese companies and will be able to cushion losses due the contraction of the European market.

Source: autohoje

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Tesla Model S will soon be sold in Europe. Prices revealed

 

The Model S from Tesla Motors is already on sale in the U.S.A. for some time now, but now it is the time to try to conquer Europe promising an affordable electric car with a decent range.

 

The first European market to have the Model S will be the Dutch, and the distributor of the brand published the recommended prices which are much more expensive compared with the prices charged on American soil, with the base model (60kWh, we won't have the 40kWh version)) costing €72.600 ($95.800), while the base model (40kWh) in the U.S.A. costs $49.900 (€38.850), including the $7.500 Federal Tax Credit. Part of this price increase can be explained due to taxes and transportation costs.

The 60kWh version has a range of 370km (230miles) and the 85kWh model will go for 500km (311miles) on a single full charge, but that extra range will cost you €83.150. While the 200km/h (124mph) top speed isn't really fantastic, the acceleration deserves to be highlighted, achieving 100km/h (62mph) in just 5,9 seconds and if you are not satisfied and want to go even faster, Tesla offers a Performance package for the 85kW/h car that has a top speed of 212km/h (132mph) and will do 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in 4,6 seconds.

All version come with stability control, multiple airbags, LED lighting, 19inch alloy wheels, panoramic roof, 17inch LCD screen in the center console, keyless entry system, cruise control, rear view camera, electric seats, tire pressure sensor, alarm, Bluetooth, stereo system, USB, Wi-Fi and fog lights.

Sources: Tesla and Autoblog.es

 

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Short News: Customization program for the European Nissan Juke

 

The Nissan Juke has had many different versions, the Nismo edition, Batman, R, Kuro, Shiro and possibly some more that I can not remember. But now each buyer can further customize their car.

The alloy wheels, mirror caps, fog light rings, side sills, boot door handle and the rear spoiler can all be choosen from five different colors: Force Red, Glossy White, Orange Racing, Piano Black e Silver Grey.

Also available are three new design packages, Style, Premium and Exclusive. Nissan also announced that the these are the first of several other components that will be part of a bigger customization program, including interior parts.

Source: Nissan

 

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European car sales drop to 1986 levels

The European car market keeps dropping month after month to levels last seen nearly 20 years ago. The distrust in the future and in the austerity policies wreak havoc in the car markets, specially in the Mediterranean countries that are more harassed by the recessionary measures implemented, and the month of October is no exception.

Industry data published today showed that French vehicle registrations fell 7,8 percent to 162.411 registered vehicles last month, in Spain registrations dropped by 21,7 percent to 44.873, but the German market saw a 0,5 percent rise in sales that is easily explained with the two extra working days recorded. If we had accounted for the last two months Germany had a decline of 5,4 percent.

"Currently there is no early indicator or other hard data pointing to an improvement in the next few months," said Ulrich Winzen, chief forecaster in Germany for auto industry consultant R.L. Polk.

It is expected the number of cars sold this year won't pass the 12 million mark, which is a record low since 1986, with the exception of 1993. Winzen still seems to be optimist saying that "Economists tend to underestimate not only recessions but also recoveries, and if we no longer wake up wondering what terrible news about the euro zone awaits us, then there is significant pent-up demand just waiting to be released once things quiet down".

Source: Autonews

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