Nissan at 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon

Nissan will showcase in total nine models at 2011 Tokyo Auto Salon. Photo of the Leaf concept has already been posted (earlier post) and those are some new photos of all the models to be displayed.

• Leaf Aero Style Concept 
• JUKE Sporty Package (with dealer installed exterior accessories designed for the European and North American markets)
• Elgrand Rider Premium Concept (specifically tuned up for a higher level of driving performance)
• Serena Rider
• March Bolero
• Nissan NISMO GT-R RC (specially developed for circuit driving)
• NISMO Version FAIRLADY Z (engine output is increased to 261kW (355PS), a higher level of sporty handling is realized through special body and suspension tuning and modification of the power steering characteristics. For the exterior, excellent aerodynamic performance is achieved through use of special body components providing greater downforce and reduced air resistance)
• Elgrand S-tune 
• MOTUL AUTECH GT-R

Nissan Juke on the streets...

On Saturday night, I got the chance to see the Nissan Juke for the very first time and actually, I saw four of them parked next to each other (I took those shots with my mobile phone and thus the low quality). There should have been an event somewhere, cause they  were demo cars.

When the first official photos were released back in February, I was rather shocked. Some kind of typing mistake should have been made. The name should be Joke and not Juke... However, seeing the car out in the real world left me with mixed feelings. The first thing I noticed was the fact that in the reality, it's smaller than what I expected. The front end is definitely weird and people will need a bit of time in order to get used to it, while the rear end (where some Volvo design elements are evident) looks better and it matches the overall design of the car. In general, I believe that it is not a nice car to look at, there is no doubt about that, but at the same time it's just different from what we have been used to. Since each car was in different colour (silver, red, black and white), I found silver and white to suit best the car's design.

What really surprises me with Nissan is the fact that it's the first Japanese manufacturer to follow the trend of turbocharged engines with the DiG-T engine. Japanese automakers still try to avoid using turbocharging and one good example is Mazda with its new SKYACTIV technology (earlier post). I believe that there is a good reason behind this, as we are talking about mass produced cars, and it is a good practice to keep the design with as few parts as possible. Avoiding complexity is a basic principle if you want a reliable product.

Considering that prices start from €17k, it should sell well and Suzuki's SX4 is now in big trouble...