Nissan has unveiled its all-new 2020 Nissan Sentra during the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. Known as their best-selling model of all time in the American market, the 2020 Nissan Sentra comes with a lot of desirable features from class-leading interior refinement, standard Safety Shield 360, seamless connectivity, to fun-to-drive performance. (more…)
The recent EE Pocket-lint Awards 2019 saw the Nissan LEAF e+ being crowned with the ‘Product of the Year’ award as well as ‘Best Car’ in a single night. Voted by the major players of the industry as well as the general public, the award ceremony celebrates the best of technologies, gadgets, and games that were released in the past 12 months. (more…)
Nissan Spain understands that when it comes to its production line, the physical wellbeing of their staff is one of their major priorities. To ensure that they get all the help they need in order to be safe, healthy, and productive, they’ve come up with a revolutionary method; exoskeleton devices. (more…)
Nissan, which can claim leadership in mass-produced electric vehicles (EVs) with its bestselling LEAF, has long experience with EVs. Though we only read about its advances in recent times, it had a running electric car called the Tama in the late 1940s which was used as a taxi. But EVs in those days had poor performance and as the technology for such vehicles was hard to develop, the manufacturers focused on internal combustion engines which became dominant up till today.
But with pressure to cut exhaust emissions drastically and reduce fuel consumption, the industry began to get serious about EVs again as the new century began. While some companies focused on hybrids, Nissan chose to focus on a pure EV and by December 2010, it launched the LEAF.
As battery and EV technology kept advancing, the performance of the LEAF kept improving and the second generation offers higher performance plus greater range. But just as with internal combustion engine cars, there is a quest to keep pushing the envelope where performance is concerned and Nissan has revealed some of the technologies that will take its next generation of EVs to a new level.
Enhanced all-wheel drive system
Recently, it showed the media a prototype based on the LEAF with an enhanced all-wheel drive system powered by front and rear high-power motors integrated. Nissan developed the chassis control technology in-house for the electric-drive all-wheel-control system. It’s a development that brings to mind the time when Nissan introduced its advanced ATTESA all-wheel drive technology in the 1980s.
“Soon, Nissan will launch a next-generation EV that will be a true breakthrough,” said Takao Asami, Senior Vice-President for Research and Advanced Engineering at Nissan. “The new electric-drive 4-wheel-control technology now being developed integrates Nissan’s electric propulsion and 4WD control technologies with our chassis control technology to achieve a huge leap in acceleration, cornering and braking performance, on par with the latest sportscars.”
High-output twin-motor drive
Using separate front and rear electric motors, the powertrain generates 227 kW of maximum output and 680 Nm of maximum torque. This output is complemented by the ultra-high-precision motor control which offers highly responsive, yet uncommonly smooth, acceleration. Drivers can benefit from the all-wheel-control system on nearly any road condition, heightening driving performance and confidence.
The prototype’s precision control of both motors provides unparalleled ride comfort. Pitch and dive are minimized by adding regenerative rear motor braking to the usual front motor regenerative braking. When slowing down on city streets, for example, this helps keep passengers from being shaken back and forth. This reduces the potential for motion sickness and related discomfort. Similarly, on rough, bumpy roads and when accelerating, motor control is optimized to maintain ride comfort by minimizing irregular movement.
Independent brake control
In addition to optimizing front and rear torque allocation, the system applies independent brake control at each of the four wheels to maximize the cornering force generated by each tyre. This lets drivers enjoy cornering that faithfully follows their intentions with minimal steering.
Inside, a 12.3-inch display mounted in the centre of the instrument panel reports, in real-time, information on the vehicle control technology via a polished graphic interface. With the custom display, the test driver can better understand car’s movements and judge the all-wheel-control technology’s performance at a glance.
Better tracking and control
Electric 4-wheel-control technology can increase driver confidence across a broad range of road conditions. When cornering on snow-covered roads, for example, the car can faithfully trace the driver’s intended line, thanks to ultra-high-precision motor and brake control. This would greatly enhance safety for the driver as well as other road-users.
Nissan has not said when this new technology will be installed in its models but with the pace of development being so brisk, it should be within the next few years. The thing about the Japanese is that they want to make sure their whatever systems they introduce are thoroughly tested and once in the market, customers will not be inconvenienced by flaws that were not resolved before production.
Visit www.nissan.com.my to know more about the latest LEAF EV which is available in Malaysia and where to test it.
The Tokyo Motor Show 2019 saw not only one Nissan EV concept, but two beautiful specimens. The Nissan Ariya Concept was showcased side by side with another EV concept that’s meant for chic urban commuters in the form of the Nissan IMk. Just like the Ariya, the IMk concept brings all the elements of high-tech and high-performance EV into a very modern and stylish package. (more…)
The Tokyo Motor Show 2019 is going on at full swing at the moment and all of the major Japanese manufacturers are showcasing their possible future in the automotive industry. Nissan is bringing their heat to the show with not one, but two concept vehicles and one of them is the Nissan Ariya Concept. (more…)
The 2020 Nissan Formula E race car has just been unveiled for the upcoming season of exciting electric street racing series with the goal to demonstrate its technological prowess, power, and performance on EV (electric vehicle) supremacy. (more…)
Mira Filzah (or Nur Amirah Filzah binti Badioezaman), the 26-year old Ipoh-born artiste, is now the owner of a brand new Nissan X-Trail 2.0L Hybrid worth RM 159,888. The vehicle was presented to her as the Grand Prize for Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian 2019 (ABPBH), which Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) was the official vehicle sponsor of.
The talented Mira Filzah, who garnered 6,320,463 votes in ABPBH from September 19 – 22, has acted in few popular dramas and films such as Eksperimen Cinta, Cinta Si Wedding Planner, Meh Sandar Pada Aku, Pujaan Hati Kanda, Sweet Dreams, Rise: Ini Kalilah and Sangkar.
Established in 1987, ABPBH is an annual event organized by Berita Harian to bestow awards to the most popular Malaysian singers, actors and celebrities in the Malaysian entertainment industry based on popular votes by readers of Berita Harian and Berita Minggu. It is one of the most prestigious people’s choice awards in Malaysia’s entertainment industry.
“We are honoured to work along with Anugerah Bintang Popular 2019 Berita Harian as this contest recognizes Malaysian artistes’ hard work and dedication in growing the local entertainment industry. We are delighted to award the most popular artiste with Malaysia’s first locally-assembled Hybrid technology SUV, the new Nissan X-Trail 2.0L Hybrid,” said Christopher Tan, ETCM’s Sales and Marketing Director.
The hybrid technology enables the X-Trail to achieve best in class fuel economy of 16.1 kms/litre, It also comes with Nissan Intelligent Mobility advanced safety technologies to protect the occupants and has been rated the maximum of 5 stars by ASEAN NCAP.
Check out the X-Trail Hybrid and other Nissan models at any Nissan showroom nationwide. To locate an ETCM Branch or Nissan dealership near yet, visit www.nissan.com.my.
Edaran Tan Chong Motor Sdn Bhd (ETCM) has unveiled their latest Nissan Retail Concept (NRC) to further improve the overall Nissan customer experience in line with their ever-evolving global presence. The first Nissan showroom to adopt this new retail concept is Nikaijaya Resource (KL) Sdn Bhd. (more…)
Prince Motor Company, arguably the first Japanese luxury automotive manufacturer, was born out of the Tachikawa Aircraft Company, itself founded in Japan in the early 1920s. After producing military and civilian transport planes for several decades, Tachikawa eventually used its engineering expertise to establish an electric car division which, over time, began to build internal combustion-powered luxury and performance automobiles. It became the Prince Motor Company in 1952.
The first Prince-badged vehicle, simply called Sedan, was a modest executive car. Introduced in 1957 as the Skyline, it was available as a 4-door premium sedan and 5-door stationwagon. Prince engineers used their background in aeronautics to make the Skyline light, enhancing its performance. Even with its 60-bhp, 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine, it had impressive performance for that time and the handling was also enhanced with a sophisticated de Dion rear suspension. A luxury sedan version of the Skyline, called Prince Gloria, joined the line in 1959.
Hiring an Italian designer
The Sedan’s successor, however, was the one that set the company on a new path and it’s one which not many may be familiar with. In early 1960, Prince product planners and engineers hired famed Italian sportscar designer Giovianni Michelotti to design and build a luxury coupe unlike any other at the time.
After working for several Italian coachbuilders, including Stabilimenti Farina, Vignale and Ghia-Aigle, Michelotti started his own studio in the late 1950s. His work included several Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo sportscars, as well as those from Triumph.
Using the chassis and engine from the Skyline and Gloria, Michelotti penned the coupe with a large, confident front grille and canted dual headlamps, popular design characteristics for American and Italian cars at the time, but rare for period vehicles of Japanese origin.
The car’s bonnet was long and elegant, with a tall windsplit down the middle. Its sides were highly sculpted, flowing into vestigial rear fins that housed the coupe’s taillights. Yet perhaps the most intriguing feature of the design was the slight kick up, or ‘crescent cut’ in the coupe’s rear quarter windows, providing a greenhouse unlike any other car on the road.
The Skyline’s interior was crafted of fine leather; the instrument panel – which housed a series of aluminium-ringed instruments – bore a two-tone effect with the addition of black accents, and the large steering wheel would have been appropriate in any Italian sportscar of the day.
Birth of the Skyline Sport
The name given to the model was ‘Skyline Sport’ and it was a hit at the 1960 Torino International Motor Show. With positive response, Prince management was willing to put the car into limited production, with the bodies handmade at Michelotti’s studio. A convertible version soon followed and over a 2-year model run, some 60 cars were built. Due to their exclusivity, their pricetags were quite high and estimated to be 20 million yen (about RM784,000) by today’s currency value.
Soon after the introduction of the Skyline Sport, Prince introduced the first Japanese single overhead cam (SOHC) 6-cylinder engine, which was available in the Gloria luxury sedan. In 1964, the company’s management decided a racing pedigree would help further establish its performance image. The engineers took a Skyline, extended the car a few centimetres from the front cowl and installed the new, 127-bhp, 6-cylinder engine from the Gloria.
Challenging Porsche
The result was called Skyline GT, which was entered into the first Japanese Grand Prix and narrowly lost the overall race, coming in second to the Porsche 904. Several hundred Skyline GT performance sedans were then built to homologate the cars for Prince’s racing aspirations. Propelled by their success in the 1964 race, Prince engineers developed the R380, considered one of the first purpose-built Japanese race cars. The R380 campaigned in the second Japanese Grand Prix in 1966, taking the first two positions against the Porsche 906.
That year also marked the merger between Prince Motor Company and Nissan Motor Company and the former Prince-branded models were integrated into Nissan’s line. The Skyline and Gloria then had a second chapter of successes and have created legacies of their own.
© Copyright – Piston.my 2023 Trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved
