Beefed up i-MiEV heads to the States

The USDM i-MiEV will make its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it is 285 mm longer, 110 mm wider and 5 mm taller than the JDM version. Changes have been made also to the interior.

Nissan tweaks Fairlady Z (370Z)

Nissan will do some minor changes on the Fairlady Z (370Z) in Japan. Changes will include two new exterior colours, a new A/C dial switch and a new shift indicator on the auto models.

The Nismo version will get more significant enhancements as the power will go up by 19 hp, while better tuned dampers and improved reinforced parts designed by Yamaha will be fitted. 

[Source: Nihon Car]

Honda CR-Z wins 2010-2011 Japan Car of the Year award

The Honda CR-Z has won the 2010-2011 Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) award. The nominees for the award were: Toyota Marx X, Nissan March, Honda CR-Z, Mazda Premacy, Suzuki Swift, Volkswagen Polo, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, Peugeot RCZ and Jaguar XJ. 

The 2009-2010 award was won by Toyota's Prius.

Gran Turismo 5 coming in November?

Yet another illustration showing the Toyota FT-86

Last month, a rendering of Subaru's version was posted (earlier post) and now, it's again time for another illustration (by Best Car) showing the Toyota FT-86. I really look forward for this model and I have already started saving money...

Next-gen Suzuki Solio (YK8)

Suzuki sells some very interesting models in Japan, which unfortunately we don't get. Anyway, this is the next-gen Solio, codenamed YK8, and it will share chassis and engine with the new Swift. It is expected to be released in February 2011.

[Source: autoten.com]

New Nissan Serena (C26) officially released

The new Nissan Serena (earlier post) was officially released and sales start on 29th November. It is equipped with a newly developed direct-injection engine with Xtronic CVT and a Stop/Start system. 

You can read the complete press release here.

Nissan Skyline GT-R history / 日産スカイライン GT-R歴史

Nissan has produced more sports cars than any other Japanese manufacturer and of course, the Skyline GT-R is the pinnacle. Up to now, there have been five Skyline GT-R generations and the latest model is called just GT-R. You can read the history of Skyline models (English / Japanese) and the latest GT-R (English / Japanese) on Wikipedia.

After doing some search on flickr, I came across with a lot of beautiful images, but I selected just ten of them showing the GT-R generations. I think that's the best way to refer to history... as a picture is worth a thousand words!