Off-Road: Nissan Mines New Tech Opportunities

Dec. 15 – Urahoro, Hokkaido Prefecture – There are trucks, and then there are super-trucks, the kinds of industrial vehicles that stagger in size and utility.

The tires of Hitachi Construction Machinery’s mega-dump trucks are nearly twice the average human’s height, with reach extending over 14.5 meters on delivery.

At global mining sites, that supersize requires maximum intelligence for drivers on location and safety, and Hitachi and Nissan are partnering to bring the digital co-pilot visibility of cars today to the trucks of tomorrow.
Nissan’s multi-camera Around View Monitor (AVM) and Moving Object Detection” (MOD) technology offer greater visibility as well as alert drivers to movement.

Tomohiko Yasuda, Hitachi Construction Machinery’s General Manager and Senior Officer for the Mining & Heavy Equipment Division, says particularly when drivers are starting or stopping, the added monitor visibility is key.
“This kind of super dump truck has extremely limited visibility. There are six mirrors and the driver always must check each of them to get a fuller picture of what’s around. But this is very difficult for the driver, as he must do it each time,” Yasuda said.
“Using the AVM technology, he has a better sense of what’s around. For operators the most dangerous times are starting, stopping and parking. At those times, having a single monitor is very advantageous and safer.”

MOD technology helps supplement a car driver’s vision in situations such as start up, parking or at intersections with audio alerts.
Nissan’s Koichi Iwata, General Manager of Technology Licensing, says bringing greater safety to industrial vehicles is a natural progression from road cars.



“Hitachi Construction licensed our Around View Monitor technology for its big trucks.
In addition to AVM, for extra capability we began discussion on licensing the Moving Object Detection technology,” Iwata said.
“To have Nissan technology as part of this partnership is very gratifying.”
Since introducing the AVM system in 2007, Nissan has steadily expanded its safety technology offerings, which have become a cornerstone of Autonomous Drive technology development.
For Nissan and Hitachi, the technology may become standard in more construction vehicles, making roads and mines safer for all.

“Nissan Titan Truckumentary” Tells Story of Next-Generation Pickup Truck Development

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – To celebrate the reveal of the next-generation Titan, Nissan will be telling the story of its upcoming full-size pickup’s development via a series of short videos under the “Nissan Titan Truckumentary” banner.
A teaser of this video series was issued today along with an introductory letter to the series from Nissan North America’s Director of Product Planning for trucks and SUVs and Chief Product Specialist for the next-generation Titan, Rich Miller. The video and letter can be accessed via Nissan’s U.S. online newsroom at NissanNews.com/Titan or on Nissan’s U.S. YouTube channel.
“The ‘Truckumentary’ is not meant to be the all-encompassing last word on Titan,” said Miller. “Rather it’s the continuing story of the vehicle’s evolution, accompanied by a close look at the American-based team that is bringing this all-new truck to market.”

Introducing the New GT-R

Nov. 25 – Yokohama – The 2015 Nissan GT-R will go on sale today at all Nissan dealerships throughout Japan.

Since its release in 2007, the Nissan GT-R has been recognized as the world’s foremost high performance super sports car, embodying Nissan’s commitment to “innovation that excites”.

The GT-R’s “multi-performance” character allows the driver to enjoy the full depths of the GT-R’s capabilities, whether navigating corners of a winding mountain road, simply cruising on the open highway or even running errands on neighborhood streets.
Among modifications to the 2014 Nissan GT-R were improvements to the car’s driving comfort – without any sacrifice to its remarkable performance, while the 2015 model takes that mission one step further: Dramatically improving ride quality, while keeping the GT-R one of the best handling cars in the world.
From low parking lot speeds to the extreme cornering situations of a race track, the 2015 GT-R exhibits better handling stability than ever before, enabling the driver to trace the desired driving line with unmatched precision.
Also, noise and vibration have been significantly reduced to further improve the environment within the GT-R’s cabin.
For drivers who desire even more performance, Nissan has added the Track Edition, engineered by Nismo, a new grade based on the standard model enhanced with Nismo technology.

Design and Heisman winner Marcus Allen light up the stage for Nissan at the LA Auto Show

LOS ANGELES – Nissan entered this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show as a brand on the move. The company is enjoying its best sales year ever in the U.S., up nearly 14 percent against an industry average of around 6 percent.
“Now we are going after a strategy of fewer, bigger, better. The bigger moments in the world (are) in the United States, when you have all of the eyeballs focused on watching what is going on,” said Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing and Operations U.S., Nissan North America, Inc. “The Voice Partnership that we have locked up for the next three years was a huge commitment that we made on behalf of the Nissan Brand.”
At the LA Show, Nissan put its all-new Murano on stage. There are big expectations for this crossover, a vehicle that Nissan says will practically sell itself on premium design and advanced technologies.
“Third generation Murano is a beautiful vehicle. When you look at the concept car that we showed the world a few years ago – and now the actual production model and look at how amazingly close the two look to one another – I think we have really, really, done it. The designers have outdone themselves,” said Diaz.
Sharing the stage with Murano is the new Nissan JUKE. It is redesigned and offers a long list of standard tech features, more connectivity and, importantly, a way to stand out in the crowd. With Nissan’s Color Studio, JUKE owners can find nearly unlimited color personalization for their new ride.
“While many cars are for basic transportation, the JUKE at its very heart is ‘fun,’ and that is what we want to bring out,” said Bob Munson, Product Planning, Nissan North America, Inc. “We want to bring the fun back into transportation so it fits the theme of the vehicle very well.”
Nissan invited a special guest to the stage to preview a Color Studio option for the new JUKE – Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen, who hails from the University of Southern California. Nissan has enjoyed a multi-faceted relationship with the Heisman Trophy Trust for many years.
“Now that is my color, right there. That is awesome, man. Do you mind if I drive it to the game this weekend?” asked Allen.
Nissan promises that there is a lot more on the way in 2015. The company is bringing new partnerships and new vehicles to drive brand strength and increasing sales results.
“The new products are to die for,” said Diaz. “So it is a combination of the products, the people and the enthusiasm that we are putting behind everything, and then finding the right marketing message and the right venues to be in – to make sure that the world sees these beautiful cars that we are showcasing and selling,” said Diaz.

Infiniti’s Michael Bartsch, Alfonso Albaisa on How Design is Driving the Future

Nov. 20 – Los Angeles – Michael Bartsch, vice president, Infiniti Americas, and Alfonso Albaisa, executive design director, Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd., were at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week to support the North American debut of the Q80 Inspiration Concept. Bartsch and Albaisa discussed the importance of this vehicle as a beacon of design for vehicles destined for dealer showrooms.
Q1: What is significant about Infiniti’s Q80 Concept with regard to future direction for the brand?
Michael Bartsch, vice president, Infiniti Americas: That is one piece of stunning automotive design. That is an enormous statement about the prowess of the brand, a very powerful statement about the DNA of the brand. The design language expressed in that is something that will be drawn through all of the vehicles that we have. So you can see elements of that in the Q50 and of course in what is coming down the line in terms of what is touchable in the next 24 months.
Q2: What was the inspiration for the Q80 Concept in terms of design?
Alfonso Albaisa, executive design director, Infiniti Motor Company, Ltd.: How do we make an 80? What is the inspiration for that type of car? So we thought, silhouette. It is a big car, almost the length of QX80 actually, but it is a road car. This kind of come-hither silhouette, it is leaning back. It has a relaxed pose, but it looks like it could leap and do anything at any time.
Q3: When will consumers see some of this beauty on the showroom floor?
Bartsch: The most important thing about 2014 when we look back, and then when we look into 2015, is that history will look it as being the really foundational years of consolidating the brand and getting the fundamentals right.
Albaisa: The last two years have been quite busy. We were able to design seven or eight, nine, cars all at one time. So this is what has been happening for the last two years. The significance of Q80 is in a word, inspiration, really – in that it shows parts of cars that are coming. So in Detroit we are showing Q60, the concept. So you are going to recognize the body artistry from Q80 in Q60. Because this really is about, it’s not a throw away car, or a throw away exercise. It shows the aspects. The new grill – very thick grille – much more performance; you’re going to see it. The body structure, the romance – you’re going to see it. The very simple rear-end, the crescent cut – you’re going to see all of these aspects. So it’s really a celebration of the key aspects of all the cars coming.
Q4: What’s essential now to growing the Infiniti brand?
Bartsch: The recent satisfaction results that we got from J.D. Power and Associates are incredibly encouraging. It really is a green light on the approach we are taking to business. You know there are a number of pillars to be successful. One is customer relations, your customer experience. We are getting the touch points right with the IREDI program; we are getting the substance of the experience right in the dealerships, everything down to what sort of coffee we are serving.
Q5: What did the design team at Infiniti want to deliver with the Q80 Concept?
Albaisa: I am so excited that we are going to bring rarity to the road, and this has been a dream. The automobile is not just a functional object. It is not just an A-to-B kind of a thing. It is about history. It is a reflection of society. I think the dreams of people are romantic. It is a romantic notion and the automobile is a mirror of that romanticism. So I am very excited at the chance with this new portfolio to make these real rare-feeling, custom-feeling cars that will actually be available and attainable by everyone.