Nissan acquired NISMO’s light tuning division

Nissan Motor Company has recently acquired the light Nissan parts tuning division of the Nissan Motorsports International Company (or NISMO). This was done so that such service may be availed easily as this will be evenly distributed in Nissan dealerships across Japan.

The division of light Nissan parts tuning has a bigger following compared to motor sports tuning. For that, the service that has a bigger demand has to reach more customers, thus Nissan took hold of the light-tune auto parts business. In this set up, more Nissan owners that are seeking expertise on NISMO light auto parts and tuning can avail of the service practically in any Nissan dealer in Japan.

Aside from benefiting the light-tune parts customers, the reorganization is also a convenient for NISMO heavy-tune parts division. With the light tuning division out from its wing, this Nissan affiliate can further focus more on developing and tweaking NISMO performance parts of racers and enthusiasts geared for the speed world or other motor shows.

Customizing and tuning are some of the booming markets in the automobile industry that Nissan has taken advantage of in its homeland. In a few years, the company is also planning to bring the same services abroad.

On the Nissan Forum Concept

Nissan Motor Company is keen in keeping motorists and automobile enthusiasts excited as it releases bits and pieces about its upcoming concept car christened as Nissan Forum. New sketches of the futuristic minivan came out as teasers to its debut introduction in the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in Tennessee this January.

Among the unique Nissan Parts the Forum Concept has is the ‘Turntable Seating.’ These middle seats are designed to be capable of a 90 or a 180-degree rotation. So, these can face the back row that makes the passengers more intimate in terms of the positions of the seats. Such feature of the Nissan Forum, however, is said to be similar to the American-made 2008 Chrysler Town and Country mini van with the ‘Swivel n Go’ seats.

Aside from the futuristic seats of the Forum, there are other Nissan Parts that are still kept undisclosed by the Japanese automobile company. This initiative taken by the company is meant to keep the highlights of the vehicle down low to avoid other automobile manufacturers in copying its ideas.

The few details being given away by the company is sure to make rear passengers-focused Nissan Forum one of the anticipated concepts in the annual auto show.

Nissan 2009 GT-R’s 480-hp

The specifications are important for any upcoming vehicle model, like the 2009 Nissan GT-R. These are crucial because these Nissan Parts and features help market the product at hand to potential customers. As important as the specs are, the Japanese automobile company has yet to dish out the final horsepower output of this upgraded muscle car slated for release in the United States early next year.

As of posting, the only specs available are for the Nissan GT-R vehicles that are allotted for the Japanese market release next week. This model, which is equipped with precision-engineered Nissan Parts, is capable of as much as 473-horsepower. The US version of the Nissan GT-R, however, is going to be more powerful according to the company’s project chief Kazutoshi Mizuno. A whopping 480-horsepower is the targeted strength of this latest find of Nissan.

Slated to hit dealerships across America in January, the Nissan GT-R, which has a projected total units of more than a thousand cars annually, will be carrying a burning tag price of $69,850.

Nissan works on elderly-friendly vehicles

A big chunk of Nissan vehicle users are those who were born between 1946 and 1964. Nissan Motor Company sees it important that its cars or sport utility vehicles are comfortable enough to accommodate these baby boomers, thus the Japanese automaker incorporates a special “elderly suit” during research and design of its dedicated engineers.

To effectively design Nissan parts and features fit for older people, engineers of Nissan in the Nissan Technology Center (NTC) in Tokyo use special elderly suits. The special elderly suit provides its user with a simulated feeling of what it is like to age. Ageing causes various physical affects and one of which is it limits a person’s normal movements.

“As we get older, it can become harder to perform physical maneuvers,” said Etsuhiro Watanabe, who is the design engineer of Nissan in Japan. “When it comes to driving, that can mean more difficulty seeing writing on the switch gear, reach and use controls, distinguish colors on navigation equipment or get in and out of seats.”

The well-made elder suit imitates poor foot balance, arthritic pain of legs and arms, and stiffness of ankles, ankles, and joints, among others, that affect navigating Nissan parts. Moreover, a 250 mm wide and 50 mm thick belt of the suit provides the feeling of a middle aged spread that makes it difficult to move around. With the suit, an engineer experiences great difficulty and discomfort behind the steering wheel as well as going in and out of the vehicle. Complementing the elder suit is a cataract goggle and a color-deficiency goggles. The former provides the user poor eyesight, while the later brings difficulty in identifying colors.

The suits are very helpful for the company’s engineers, who are mostly in their 20s and 30s, to have an accurate feeling of what is like to age. Such stimulation definitely allows the designers and engineers of Nissan to come up with vehicle features that accommodate these baby boomers. Furthermore, the suits allow the company not to get older drivers to participate in its product research.

“It’s not always practical to recruit older motorists for product research,” said Watanabe, “so these special suits allow Nissan’s engineers and designers to come up with solutions that make car use a safer and more positive experience.”

Aside from the elder users of Nissan vehicles, the suits also provide engineers and designers at NTC to know problems of partially disable drivers regardless of age.

Nissan sponsors London exhibit on Environment Tech

Nissan Motor Company shows full support on different environmental technologies as it sponsors the Science Museum’s “The Science of Survival” exhibit in London starting this April.The seven-month long exhibit will have interactive displays instead of the usual ones. Part of the exhibit will include “The Science of Spying” and “The Science of Aliens”. There will also be a special spot for what sort of lifestyle is in store by 2050. Among the subjects in this area is the Japanese automaker’s Nissan Pivo. This concept electric car is powered by a compact lithium-ion battery. Debuted at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, Pivo’s unique Nissan parts and features include a bubble-shaped cabin that is capable to face all directions via a full 360-degree rotation. The vehicle is part of the automaker’s Nissan Green Program 2010 that aims to lessen the noxious Carbon dioxide emissions of Nissan vehicles in the environment.

“We are proud to be supporting this world class educational program and to help bring awareness to the mobility issues faced by society,” said Simon Sproule, who is the corporate vice president of global communications at Nissan. “Creating long-term sustainable mobility will be a major technological challenge, but it is one that Nissan is committed to addressing through the development of advanced programs such as electric vehicles.”

The “Science of Survival” will run from the 2nd of April until November 2. After its seven-month stint in the Science Museum, the exhibit will head on to its global tour for five years.