Autoblog

Video: Nissan unveils four new Innovation For All spots

Zach Bowman — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Videos, Nissan

2011 Nissan Quest in new ad campaign - Click above to watch video after the jump

We do love our car commercials. Oftentimes, marketing departments and ad agencies simply have a way of distilling everything we love about cars, trucks, SUVs and yes, even CUVs into easily-digestible snippets of video. Nissan has just rolled out a new collection of four ads under the Innovation for All banner, each focusing on the company's commitment to new ideas, designs and products.

If you look closely, you may even spy the next-generation Nissan Quest lurking among the quick cuts in the first ad. Judging from what we've seen, it looks like the company's minivan will be awfully similar to the Japanese-market Elgrand that Nissan debuted not so long ago.

In addition to the tech-centric commercial, Nissan is touting the fact that its vehicles have had brake override systems since 2004, ribbing rival Toyota and underscoring the company's commitment to safety at the same time. As you may recall, legislators have called for brake-override protection to be mandatory on all new cars in the wake of the Toyota unintended acceleration fiasco. Hit the jump to take a look at the spots for yourself.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Video: Nissan unveils four new Innovation For All spots

Video: Nissan unveils four new Innovation For All spots originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

2011 Nissan Quest unveiled in Japan as Elgrand

Zach Bowman — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Minivan/Van, Japan, Nissan

2011 Nissan Elgrand - Click above for high-res image gallery

Nissan is set to release the next-generation Quest minivan in the States later this year, but we may have gotten an early peek at the people mover thanks to Japanese unveil. Nissan pulled the sheets off of its JDM-only Elgrand - the corporate cousin to the Quest - and the van looks suspiciously similar to the teaser shots of the U.S. version we've seen so far. If the information on the Elgrand is any indication, buyers can look forward to getting their minivan with either a 3.5-liter V6 or a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, with all-wheel drive available on select models and both seven and eight passenger configurations.

That's not to say the two vehicles will be identical. For one thing, it appears that the American version of the van will wear slightly tweaked front and rear fascias compared to what we can see on the Elgrand. Likewise, we expect significant changes to the interior for the American market when the 2011 Quest debuts at the LA Auto Show in November.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Elgrand

[Source: NISMO Stuff, Nissan]

2011 Nissan Quest unveiled in Japan as Elgrand originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sales of Nissan NV commercial van pushed back to early 2011

Chris Shunk — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Minivan/Van, Work, Nissan

Nissan NV - Click above for high-res image gallery

If you've been champing at the bit to get your hands on Nissan's forthcoming NV series of vans, you'll have to wait a few months longer.

According to a Nissan spokesperson, production of the NV1500, 2500 and 3500 commercial vans has been delayed until the first quarter of 2011, with sales beginning shortly thereafter. The reason for the delay - and the subsequent model year change from 2011 to 2012 - was due in part to the engineering team asking for more time to complete additional validation. Contrary to earlier reports, the 2011 Nissan Quest has not be delayed and sales are still set to begin early next year.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan NV

[Source: Nissan]

Sales of Nissan NV commercial van pushed back to early 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan releases more 2011 Quest minivan teasers

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:41:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Nissan

2011 Nissan Quest teasers - Click above for high-res image gallery

Nissan dropped the first teaser image of the 2011 Quest minivan just before this year's New York Auto Show, and now we're seeing more shadowy angles of the new minivan, including the interior. Toyota's new "Swagger Wagon" is already off to a good start, and Honda's angular new Odyssey will be hitting the road later this year, so the minivan segment is starting to get pretty competitive once again.

From these teasers, we see a shapely new nose and a very upright rear greenhouse that gives the illusion of wrapping all the way around the D-pillar (sort of like what Nissan has done on the Cube). Nothing too outrageous has been done to the interior, but we expect overall refinement to be substantially better than what we've seen in previous Quests, and the usual host of cubbies and cup holders will surely be on hand.

The 2011 Quest will make its official public debut at this December's Los Angeles Auto Show, and those of you who are salivating at the thought of a new Nissan van can stay up to date on the newly launched Quest microsite. In the meantime, check out the gallery below to see the latest teasers, and follow the jump to read Nissan's (very short) press release.

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Quest Teasers

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan releases more 2011 Quest minivan teasers

Nissan releases more 2011 Quest minivan teasers originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan teases next-generation Quest minivan

Steven J. Ewing — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Minivan/Van, Nissan, Design/Style

Nissan Quest teaser image - Click above to enlarge

Earlier this year, we reported that Nissan would be dropping the Quest minivan from its lineup for the 2010 model year, but we noted that a replacement is in the works. Today, Nissan is showing off this teaser image of the next-generation model which will go on sale in early 2011.

Details are slim as of this writing, but what we can gather from this shadowy photo is that the new Quest will look substantially different than the odd-looking outgoing model. While many automakers have been abandoning the minivan segment, Japanese rivals at Toyota and Honda continue to duke it out - the former with their new Sienna and the latter with their soon-to-be all-new Odyssey. Whether because of its avante-garde styling or occasionally indifferent quality control, Nissan's current Quest has never really found its sales groove here in North America. Will the new model change things? Only time will tell.

Hit the jump for Nissan's brief statement about this Quest teaser, and click here to see the high-res version.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan teases next-generation Quest minivan

Nissan teases next-generation Quest minivan originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan recalls 540,000 vehicles for brake pedal pin, fuel gauge problems

Steven J. Ewing — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:23:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, SUV, Truck, Recalls, Safety, Nissan

Another day, another recall. This time Nissan is the automaker in question, recalling a total of 539,864 vehicles due to faulty brake pedal pins and fuel gauge components.

Nissan reports that three instances have been reported where brake pedal pins have partially disengaged, resulting in a loss of normal braking ability. Additionally, the fuel gauges in certain higher-mileage vehicles may incorrectly indicate the amount of fuel in the tank. The automaker sites that no accidents or injuries have been reported with either issue, and that all of its new vehicles currently on sale are not affected by these problems.

Vehicles affected by the brake pedal pins are the 2008-2010 Nissan Titan, Armada, Quest and Infiniti QX56. Of those recalled brake pins, 178,916 are in the United States and 25,869 in other markets. As for the fuel gauge inaccuracies, this affects 2005-2008 Nissan Titan, Armada and Infiniti QX56, as well as any Nissan Frontier, Pathfinder and Xterra models produced between January and March of 2006 or between October 2007 and January 2008. This accounts for 418,865 vehicles in the U.S. and 53,253 elsewhere in the world.

Beginning this month, Nissan will be notifying all owners of the vehicles in question, and they will be able to bring the vehicles to any Nissan or Infiniti dealer to have the problems repaired at no charge. For vehicles affected by the fuel gauge issues, Nissan recommends that in the mean time owners maintain a fuel level of no less than a half-tank. Hit the jump for the full details in Nissan's press release.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan recalls 540,000 vehicles for brake pedal pin, fuel gauge problems

Nissan recalls 540,000 vehicles for brake pedal pin, fuel gauge problems originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan reportedly readying Quest minivan and Infiniti QX56 replacements for next year

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, SUV, Infiniti, Nissan

Infiniti QX56 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Last we heard, Nissan was rumored to be dumping its Quest minivan along with the Armada large SUV and its platform-mate from Infiniti, the QX56. Conventional wisdom suggested that the Japanese automaker may source its next SUV platform from Dodge since the two automakers had planned to tie up on their next fullsize pickups.

As you probably know, the previously-announced relationship between Nissan and the Pentastar is no longer in the works. As such, if Nissan's going to put out another large SUV, it's going to need its own platform. Somewhat surprisingly given the overall state of the SUV market in America - sales of Infiniti's oversize 'ute are down 41.2 percent so far this year - Wards Auto is reporting that Nissan is indeed readying a new QX56 for next year.

Also in the offing will reportedly be a new generation of the largely unloved Quest minivan. If you thought the QX56 was underperforming in its market, the Quest is even worse - down 56.8 percent though August - and that's from a not-terribly-impressive baseline in a shrinking segment. Still, it seems Nissan wants to compete on equal footing against the Honda Odyssey and the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country twins, so we're interested to see what they come up with the next time 'round.

Gallery: 2008 Infiniti QX56

[Source: Wards Auto]

Nissan reportedly readying Quest minivan and Infiniti QX56 replacements for next year originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan likely to dump Quest, Armada and Infiniti QX56

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:32:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Truck, Plants/Manufacturing, Work, Nissan, Rumormill

Click above for a high-res image gallery of the Nissan NV2500

In what seems like a foregone conclusion to us, intraweb rumors suggest that Nissan is strongly considering dumping its Quest minivan and Armada full-size SUV along with Infiniti's version of the behemoth 'ute, the QX56. The NV2500 light commercial vehicle will take the place of the Titan pickup at Nissan's plant in Canton, Mississippi, so, putting together the trail of crumbs, it's easy to speculate that Nissan is merely getting ready to phase-out the Titan truck and its platform-mates in preparation for a new Ram-based pickup from Dodge. Although the Quest doesn't share the same underpinnings, it has consistently been an under-performing nameplate when sales figures are tallied up, so its loss from the lineup won't be terribly missed.

Considering the sorry state of affairs that full-size sport utility vehicles see themselves in, we wouldn't bet on any Ram-based replacement for the Armada and QX56 either. If a minivan replacement ever rears its head in the U.S. from Nissan, it would likely have much more in common with the NV200 concept from the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show than the current Quest, minus the sweet sliding guts, naturally.

Gallery: Nissan NV2500 Concept

[Source: Motor Trend]

Nissan likely to dump Quest, Armada and Infiniti QX56 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Revamped Nissan Presage goes on sale in Japan

Chris Paukert — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 12:01:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Japan, Nissan

Nissan's latest take on a home market minivan, the Presage, has just gone on sale. Current owners venturing out to Japanese dealers to have a peek at the new model will likely immediately notice the revamped, Murano/Infiniti M-like face, which sees a familiar horizontally-straked chrome grill arc around to connect the more aggressive headlamps. The lower fascia (particularly the model seen here with auxiliary driving lamps), is similarly unusually outspoken for a minivan.

The interior hasn't been completely ignored, either. Subtle alterations include "separate, constantly lit instrument panel gauges, illuminated AT-shift position indicators and silver-colored paneling on the center cluster," among other things. In other words, those searching for a revolution would do well to look elsewhere... we're talking (very) measured improvements. Still, there's the availability of that trick blind-spot camera we first told you about back in June of last year.

The eight-passenger Presage continues to roll about on its FF L-class underpinnings it shares with the Teana, a chassis it has had since 2003. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder and 3.5-liter six-cylinder make up the powertrain choices.

Given the U.S. marketplace success of Nissan models bearing similar styling cues (the aformentioned Murano and Infiniti M35/45), it would be interesting to see if the model would generate bigger numbers than the company's slow-selling, love/hate Quest. Sadly, there's no word that the American market will ever see the Presage.

[Sources: DueMotori; Nissan]

Revamped Nissan Presage goes on sale in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 03 Jun 2006 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments