Nissan gave the media pool gathered near Lisbon, Portugal, some firsts to write about at its Nissan 360 event, where some 60 vehicles it sells around the world have been corralled for inspection.
On display was an addition to its crossover lineup, a three-row version of the Qashqai called the Qashqai+2, which is scheduled to go on sale in Europe in the fall. Execs say there are no plans to offer the stretched SUV in Japan, where it is known as the Dualis.
In North America, the crossover is sold as the Rogue. Officials say that while the Rogue could easily be offered as a seven-passenger vehicle here as well, there are no immediate plans to do so. If there appears to be demand, however, that could change.
Portugal also provided the first opportunity for short drives in the new, 2009 Nissan Teana—a popular sedan in China—which was unveiled recently at the 2008 Beijing auto show. Like the Maxima, this D-platform sedan has Nissan’s 3.5-liter V-6 VQ engine under the hood. The new U.S.-market Maxima was also on display in Portugal, but we have to wait a few more weeks to drive it.
By-Wire Technology
On the concept side, the automaker displayed its by-wire technology in the EA2 concept, which is a first-generation Nissan Murano with steer-, brake- and shift-by-wire systems. Mechanical linkages have been replaced with wires delivering electrical impulses, giving designers the freedom to increase interior room and create innovative ways to utilize the newfound space.
With electric power replacing hydraulics for the rack-and-pinion steering, the EA2 has a small, flat-bottomed steering wheel that can be adjusted right out of the way when parked to create more room up front for, er, sitting motionless? And the slim center console can be pushed rearward or fold in half to travel between the driver and passenger seats easily. In creating the EA2, the donor Murano had its wheelbase stretched without changing total length, resulting in enough additional interior room to add a third row.
Sato Manabu of Nissan says there still is work to be done to improve the steering feel, but the target is to have the system in all Nissan’s front-wheel-drive vehicles by 2015. After that, attention would shift to optimizing it for Infiniti’s rear-drive-biased luxury lineup.
Ideally, the system eventually will be fully electric with no mechanical links and an electric-cable backup system, Manabu says. In the meantime, it needs backup systems managed by three computers, which will be whittled down to a single computer running the show in the final version.
As for shift-by-wire, Nissan introduced the technology in the Lafesta mini-minivan and Manabu expects it will become more common throughout the industry with feedback from the experience of other automakers as well, such as BMW, which has a by-wire-shift system in the 7-series. Manabu says he does not know when it might appear in a Nissan vehicle in North America.
Future Product Teasers
Nissan design chief Shiro Nakamura teased the group in Portugal with hazy outlines of the next Nissan Cube and sportier 370Z (so named for the 3.7-liter V-6 set to be under the hood) coming to the U.S. next year.
He also drew attention to a sculpture of sorts on the wall that hints at an Infiniti concept to be unveiled “in less than a year.” Guessing games ensued. Our take: a coupe, perhaps full-size, and we were told the concept represents a revolutionary progression of Infiniti design language, which has us excited.
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