Spitballs flying between Nissan and Fiat

George Kennedy — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, LA Auto Show, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric, Fiat

At the 2012 LA Auto Show, Fiat brand chief and recently crowned marketing genius, Olivier François, attempted to distance the Fiat 500e from other electric vehicles, asking rhetorically, "Isn't ugliness the worst kind of pollution?" Nissan has apparently taken issue with these comments, feeling slighted for what it considers digs at the Leaf's styling. In a recent interview with Automotive News, Nissan's marketing chief Simon Sproule shot back, "Let's face it, Fiat has not shied away from controversial styling themselves," he continued, "many would describe many of their products as visual pollution." Ouch.

Sproule says that while the 500e is a "me-too" product, made only to appease US emissions regulations, the Leaf is a serious effort at producing an EV. The Nissan marketing boss points out that the Japanese automaker has invested billions in EV development and production facilities, while Fiat will lose $10,000 on every 500e sold.

However sales of the Leaf in the US are down five percent. Nissan sold just 8,330 Leaf's so far this year, but Sproule contends that it has less to do with styling, and more with the charging infrastructure. Sproule also thinks that Nissan hit a balance between styling and practicality with the Leaf: "It's still very recognizable as a five-seat hatchback, fully functioning, absolutely competitive with the packaging of the Golf of any other mainstream vehicle." For a segment where efficiency is king, isn't that what matters most?

Spitballs flying between Nissan and Fiat originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan outlines Nismo's expansion and credentials

Zach Bowman — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:46:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Nissan

Nissan is reportedly working toward turning its Nismo arm into a legitimate sub-brand. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the Japanese automaker plans to pattern its performance wing after Mercedes-Benz's AMG, which means that moving forward, every vehicle with a Nismo badge will also pack a sizable jump in performance. Engineers will work to sharpen the suspension and brakes while offering more horsepower and revised aesthetics. In addition, Nissan will seek to burnish Nismo's credibility and visibility by putting forth bigger efforts in various motorsports series.

While speaking in an interview, Nissan global marketing boss Simon Sproule noted that Japanese brands have historically missed out on exploiting their performance history. Much of that struggle has come in the form of a lack of consistency from brands like Lexus and Infiniti with their F-Sport and IPL efforts, respectively.

Sproule says Nissan is now looking at a line of low-volume vehicles, the first of which will be the Juke Nismo set to launch next year. While the executive declined to comment on which products could be next, he stressed each vehicle will have to meet a few criteria before being branded as Nismo models. Those include significant design changes inside and out as well as a 10-percent bump in horsepower and different ride and handling calibrations. Among the possible visual cues for Nismo models? Red mirror caps as well as more aggressive grilles and front fascias. Sounds good by us, but we imagine those tweaks won't come cheap.

Nissan outlines Nismo's expansion and credentials originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Nov 2012 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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