Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet to debut at L.A motor show

2011 Nissan Murano 2.5 dCi

Nissan will unveil its idiosyncratic Murano CrossCabriolet at the LA motor show next month.

The Murano CrossCabriolet will be the world’s first ever cabriolet crossover when it goes on sale in Spring 2011.

Sales and marketing manager, Brian Carolin said the CrossCabriolet is “not going to be a volume car” rather an image builder for the brand. He added it would “surprise a lot of people”.

Nissan dealerships were given a preview of the CrossCabriolet in Summer. Comments from insiders who have seen the concept said it was “kind of unusual”, while another noted “it actually looks better with the top down, than up”. Many agreed that the feedback from customers will be divided.

Citroën set to enlarge DS line-up

Citroen is looking to extend its DS range beyond the DS5 with a DS sports car according to Citroën executive Frederic Banzet.

Banzet let slip that Citroën managers were talking about the likelihood of making a complete DS sports car that would hint at the Survolt concept, and the DS won’t be a standalone brand either.

Meanwhile, the baby DS3 will spawn several special editions with fashion brands and a drop-top. Sales of the DS3 have doubled what Citroen's expectations in the first year. As part of Citroën’s worldwide expansion, the DS3 will soon be sold in China, with the DS9 model following. The DS9 has been green-lighted for production, exclusively for China and will strongly hint at the Metropolis concept.

Once the DS4 is on sale, Citroën will be working on the DS5. A production-ready concept will premier at the Geneva motor show in March. Like the DS3 and DS4, the DS5 will be longer than the DS4 and Citroën insiders guarantee it will be a “significantly different execution” of the DS concept.

The DS5 will underpin the current C5 but “not necessarily in terms of design and look”. Like the DS4, the DS5 will sit higher off the ground than the C5 and its sleek coupé profile will obtain inspiration from the Citroën Hypnos concept.

The design brief for the DS5 was to create a car that stood out when queuing in traffic. The DS5 will also receive the Hypnos’s diesel-electric Hybrid4 powertrain. A 2.0 litre HDi engine with approximately 200bhp will power the front wheels, with a 37bhp electric motor powering the rear wheels, thus making the DS5 all-wheel-drive.

Despite the performance, the DS5 will not be a sports model and will be a luxurious grand tourer.

2011 Chevy Cruze on target to outsell predecessor (U.S)

GM said the recently launched Cruze sedan is on course to outperform the Cobalt it replaces. Chevrolet dealerships sold 5,048 units, around the same number of Cobalt’s GM sold a year ago, last month.

The Ohio-built Cruze, in due course is expected to outsell the Cobalt. The Cruze sits on dealership forecourts on average of 8 days before being driven away by the customer.

GM executives claim that the Cruze is attracting a high number of young drivers, with more women buying the car. Roughly 22% of the early buyers were age 16-35 years old with more than 50% of buyers being women.

Chevy retailers report that the Cruze is attracting Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla owners.

Audi to expand diesel line-up by 2015 (U.S)

Audi wants to expand its diesel range by introducing new variants into a majority of its line-up in the U.S by 2015.

Currently, Audi has two diesel vehicles; Q7 3.0 TDI and A3 2.0 TDI. Audi is unable to keep up with demand because of the variants popularity. Approximately 50% of A3’s sold are diesel powered, with 40% of Q7’s fuelled by diesel.

"Dealers are telling us that there is significant consumer demand [for diesels]," said Audi spokesman Jeff Kuhlman.

Audi of America said the brand needs to add diesels to its product line-up to keep up with ever-changing strict emission regulations. Audi says it will be adding diesel variants to the current Q5 compact SUV, the A6 and the A8 sedan. By 2015, it will add a 4 cylinder diesel, likely the 2.0 TDI, to the 2014 A4.

Audi is also considering dropping a V6 diesel into the A4 but cost may be an issue since it could make the model too expensive for U.S customer tastes. Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, said that the brand would like to have 20% of its U.S sales to be diesel variants by 2015.

Hostages taken in BMW offices (FR)

An armed disgruntled BMW customer who taken hostages at the head office of BMW near Paris, has surrendered, reports say.

The hostage situation began on Monday afternoon at the offices of BMW France in Montigny-Le-Bretonneux, police sources say. The man, who is 60, raided the offices with a hand-gun and fired two blank shots. The BMW customer has been previously arrested 3 times in the same area.

In 2002, the man bought a BMW 530d from a dealership. After paying a hefty amount for the vehicle, the car started developing problems on the freeway/dual carriageway. The kept slowing down and started emitting unusual noises, so the customer took the car back to the dealership on several occasions to have it repaired.

With the problem persisting, the owner of the 530d wanted a replacement vehicle or a full refund. BMW France refused either, unleashing the owner’s fury. Full of rage, the man sets fire to himself inside a BMW showroom, later on he placed fake explosives around Paris in three BMW retailers. After these shenanigans, he threatened to kill the salesman (and his family) who he brought the car from.

The man is now remanded in custody for 1 year, pending trail where he faces a €150,000 fine and upto 10 years in prison.

Nissan Cube sales wilt (EU)

Whilst the latest incarnation of the Nissan Cube is flourishing in its home market of Japan, European sales of the Cube have become frail.

Sales of the controversially styled Cube have been way below Nissan’s annual projections with many allotted units by country remaining unsold as the year draws to an end.

The UK has been the Cubes largest market, with 686 units sold, followed by Italy with 251 units. Nissan had anticipated selling 2,000 Cube’s in both markets. Dutch sales have been grim with only 107 Cubes sold.

We believe the Cube has flopped in the UK due to its high entry purchase price, looks (front fascia is apparently inspired by a bulldog wearing sunglasses), poor dynamics, hard interior plastics, expensive personalisation options and meagre fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The more practical, spacious and better driving Note can be brought for £3,000 less.

Nissan dealerships across the UK are heavily discounting the Cube. Ex-demonstrators are selling for less than £9,000, depreciating nearly 40% of its £14,000 price tag.

Speculation suggests that Nissan will be killing-off the Cube in Europe next year.

On the brighter side, in Japan the Cube has sold in excess of 1m units since its launch back in 1998 and is now in its third generation. U.S sales are also doing very well, with 20,000 units sold yearly.

2011 Toyota Yaris/Vitz brochure pictures leaked

Leaked brochure images of the 2011 Toyota Yaris have surfaced on the web. We reported that the forthcoming Yaris will underpin the iQ city-car platform, but this is isn't yet official.  The Yaris will make extensive use of the outgoing Yaris bodywork, so it will be a mild refresh instead of an all-new model. Like other cars in its class, the Yaris will grow by 100mm, its wheelbase by 50mm and its overall height will be reduced by 20mm.

While details are limited, the Yaris will feature an aggressive front bumper, Camry-inspired grille and the iQ’s exterior design. A sporty body kit will be available for the Japanese domestic market (JDM), but it remains unclear whether it’ll be offered globally.

In 2012, an 80mpg+ Yaris hybrid will reach European showrooms. The hybrid is set to emit under 80g/km of CO2. It’s doubtful that the Yaris/Vitz will use the 1.8 VVT-i petrol engine from the Prius and Auris, but Toyota does have a 1.33 and 1.0 VVT-i petrol units at hand. The 1.4 D4-D diesel engine is likely to remain, with both manual and automatic transmissions available. This will be tuned to offer better performance, fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions.

In Europe, the impending Yaris is set to debut in concept form at next year’s Geneva motor show, however, sources claim the Yaris (Vitz in Japan) will be on sale during Spring in Japan. While the U.S is unlikely to receive the hybrid model, the U.S Yaris will move up in size. Toyota Europe has been intensely opposing Toyota North America’s decision to move the car into the C-segment, so it will reveal its own concept at January’s Detroit motor show.

Both 3dr, 5dr hatchback and 4dr saloon will be offered, the latter primarily for Asia, Australia, Americas and Eastern Europe. Sales of the Yaris will begin late next Summer in Europe.

Teaser site in Japanese:

2011 Toyota Vitz teaser website

Car Performance Upgrades With Cat Back Exhaust Systems

Replacing your stock exhausts with new and upgraded, aftermarket cat back exhaust systems has been a popular form of car upgrades now a days. Cat Back system really allows your car to perform well with some power upgrades and increased efficiency. Pimping your ride with a new cat back exhaust kit has been popular because the whole system is easily available with being too much onus on your pockets. Secondly, installing cat back is lot easier and considered by many people, a DIY job.

What Is A Cat Back Exhaust System?

Many people who are interested in car mods but yet they are not so good in technical terminologies. For them I would explain the meaning of a cat back system. "Cat Back" is the whole part of the exhaust system installed from  the catalytic converter to the tailpipes. Therefore the exhaust manifold is excluded when we speak of a "Cat Back System"

The entire system can be categorized in to three parts. First is a straight pipe which goes to straight to the axle. The second are the exhaust tubes looping around the axle and the third part is a set of tailpipes ending on the mufflers.


Since the cat back exhaust gives a more efficient performance hence they are seen as a replacement of the OEM stock exhausts with low power. Adding these definitely adds into your car's horsepower. Furthermore, the sound which is created by the cat back exhaust (the famous growling and roaring), is adored by the car enthusiast, hence another reason to get their old stock replaced.

Legal Issue:

Amendments in your emission system does not leave you without some legal implications. We suggest you read our post, Lawful Car Modification, to assess your legal position after you tamper with your emission system. Additionally, some countries may have maximum sound restrictions regarding car modification. So we would advise to have a good knowledge of the local road laws and regulations. However if you believe to modify the parts of the exhaust system which will not have any implications on your car emissions and you are able to prove as well, then definitely you will not be charged for it.

Price increase for 2011 Nissan 370Z (U.S)

Nissan has hiked prices for the 2011 370Z sports car. Entering the 2011 model year, the sticker price has increased by $200 from 2010 and include a $750 shipping charge.

The 2011 Nissan 370Z Coupe starts from $31,360, while the ‘11 370Z Roadster is priced at $38,270.

Externally, one colour is offered; Gun Metallic and the 370Z is available with a reversing camera, optional with the Navigation package.

ECU Tuning - Perform ECU Remapping Yourself.

With the advent of modern technology, even the cars have been made smart and their performance tuning has been made even simpler. Now a days engine tuning can be performed via computers. Car engines can be made more efficient, producing more torque and power and become economical as well as far as fuel consumption is concerned. This all results can be achieved by remapping your car's ECU settings.

Now a question arise what actually is ECU remapping?

Before telling you about it lets talk about some fundamentals. Different car's performance parameters are now judged by sensors embedded at various places in the car. These parameters may include ignition timing, fuel consumption, air flow, throttle position, crank position e.t.c. All these are closely monitored via sensors and their performance reports are send to car's engine management system or electronic control unit (ECU). So ECU basically is a software program which process the signals send by the sensors and helps in better performance of the car in any given condition.

Having said that, the question is automatically replied that why you should have your ECU remapped. Of course for better engine performance. The car manufacturers do not always tailor make their ECU settings at sports performance level. It may sound weird for all car enthusiasts but its a fact. The logic behind it is that why would a granny still able to drive or a mother who drives along with her kids, would require a high performance engine. So they address the concerns of all the end users and make sure that their product is well enough for almost every conditions.

So ECU remapping can be done by just over writing the existing software program of your car and replacing it with a more tuned software, best fitting your conditions. The remapping, until recently was done by removing the existing chip containing the software. It has been made easy after the advent of serial port remapping, and now ECU remapping can be performed by just plugging and overwriting engine map by a better sports performance version in to the serial port.

Tuning ECU is a simple performance upgrading but it may become complicated if you are not aware of your car's specification and would end up in creating a mess if you do not pay consideration to the conditions, the car will have to endure. If you are a newbie and want to perform a rather non professional remapping, I would advise you a simple tool best fit for this purpose. It is known as "Galletto" and use to read your car's ECU tuning file. It's available at more or less $100 from the internet. You need to connect this tool with the obd socket and can be used to diagnose any fault in the car. When the information in the ECU tuning file is retrieved you need to edit and amend it according to your desire using a better tuned software program. But be careful here as the information would be in the form of binary numbers. The software programs which are used to edit these information can be either "race 2000" and "winol". Don't forget to put back tuning file back in to the ECU after you are done.

ECU remapping do have some fuel implications if you are looking for an increase in engines power and torque. However an car can be tuned to an optimum level to save fuel and raise the power and torque as well. The results of the ECU tuning vary according to the engines on which you performed the remapping.

For a turbo charged petrol engine, you can achieve an increase of 20-30% in power and 20-40% in torque. The increase is about 10-15% in power and 15-20% in torque when there is a normally aspirated, non turbo petrol engine. Similarly turbo charged diesel engine ECU tuning may yield a result of 25-50% and 50-75% rise in power and torque respectively. With all these engine upgrading, high power, more torque and better fuel efficiency, why would you not go for DIY ECU remapping?