Autoblog

Honda is one of the few automakers that's demonstrated studied restraint during the recent SUV boom. There is the Pilot, which is a big ol' thing, but it's also as efficient as something that size can be, with unit-body construction, and an engine that shuts off three of its six cylinders whenever possible. The company also has a long history of making small cars that aren't penalty boxes, and amazingly clever engineering. It should be little surprise, then, that the man at the helm is an engineer by trade, deftly maneuvering the automaker into whatever endeavors hold promise, popular fashion be damned. Takeo Fukui worked on the company's CVCC engines early on in his tenure, and his respect for the vision of Soichiro Honda has netted him the title of Man Of The Year from Automobile magazine. The new focus on fuel efficiency (though today, oil is under $50/barrel for the first time in three years) has made Honda seem oddly prescient for its steadfast manner. Cheers!

[Source: Automobile]

Here it is. It's "tomorrow" in Japan, and Nissan has unleashed the motherlode of new Nissan Cube photos – including three showing the U.S.-Spec version that'll be rolled out at the LA Auto Show tomorrow. There's no accompanying press release at the moment, but the Japanese media is running their stories as we speak. JDM Cubes are equipped with a 107-hp/109 lb-ft 1.5L four-cylinder mated to a CVT transmission. Front- and four-wheel-drive versions are available. We'll get a different engine with more power that should deliver fuel economy in the Versa neighborhood. More on that tomorrow from our team in LA.

The three shots of the U.S.-market bodywork show, as expected, the reverse of the JDM car. Kudos to Nissan for doing a second body for left-hand drive markets. Inside, the simple appointments of the current Cube are updated with better shapes and, hopefully, a bigger, more upscale mix of materials. The bench seat returns in the JDM car, and there's no reason to believe we won't see it here as well. A water-droplet theme introduced in that silly teaser video we showed you last week is present in the cupholders and also available as ceiling trim inside the passenger compartment. Check out the galleries below for photos of just about everything, including the Japan-specific Lifecare (disabled access) and Autech Rider versions.

Come back tomorrow, when the gang in LA will deliver live coverage of the U.S. car's debut. We liked the JDM version, and we're really looking forward to trying out the Cube again now that it's been engineered for our market's needs.



[Source: Nissan]

The redesigned 2010 Nissan Cube will be unveiled in the U.S. tomorrow at the LA Auto Show, but Nissan's boxy little wagon is already making its way to Japanese showrooms, as evidenced by these shots of a transporter loaded with them. What you see here is what you'll see in LA tomorrow, only with one major difference: we'll get a reversed version of the car's asymmetrical layout. Stay tuned.


[Source: Newcar-News via TTAC, Motive]

Click above for gallery of Itasha supercars

In Japan, Otaku are the rabid fans of anime who often take their passion to extremes. One way they show their affection is to pull their favorite characters out of the imaginary world and plant them on vehicles in the real world. The pain caused by leaving their fantasy lives to join mainstream life lends its name to the show vehicles on which these characters land, itasha. Itasha has become a huge fad in Japan, with shows around the country almost every weekend. Fans decorate their cars with custom paint jobs or vinyls that act as a tribute to their favorite movies, games and characters.

One such Otaku happens to be a chairman of Age Soft software, creators of the game Total Eclipse, among others. At a recent Itasha show he brought along three of his favorite rides, all decked out with manga. That in itself might not seem so newsworthy, but when you hear what three cars he had done up in anime glory, you might be a bit shocked. Yoshida San showed up with his personal BMW M5, Lamborghini Gallardo and Lancia Stratos. Check out the gallery to see the madness for yourself. Click any image for a gallery of itasha, and follow the jump for an AOL video that explains itasha. Grazie per il tip, Francesco!


[Source: HobbyMedia.it]

The JDM market is apparently enamored with vehicles that look like they're stuck in the shipping crate. We saw the first generation Toyota bB here as the Scion xB before it went on an eating binge and lost all its charm. That original bB went on to another generation, and has its own scions in form of some Daihatsu models. Subaru inked a deal back in April to share models between Toyota and Daihatsu, and this hideous little box with the star-motif badges is the result. There are three trim levels, and the Dex will relieve you of $15,000-$20,000. And here we thought even Subaru had relinquished its weird years ago. Turns out it was there all along, and the Dex is the ballcap-shaped box of contrived quirk that proves it.

[Source: Inside Line]

The Nissan GT-R will benefit from a few engineering and cosmetic tweaks for the 2009 model year in Japan, beginning with a slight bump in performance that brings output up from 480 to 485 PS (just under five hp). Other modifications include a larger fuel tank – expanded from 71 liters to 73.8 liters – a slight increase in fuel economy (about .3 km/l), "Nissan" replacing "Brembo" on the brake calipers, a new mounting location for the front license plate and a new paint code for Storm White (changed fro QX1 to QAB).

Pricing will also increase by another 5% in 2009 and it's expected that most of these changes will be adopted on U.S.-spec vehicles when the "Series II" production run begins next year.


[Source: GTRBlog]

Any guesses on what car Japanese jurors might pick as their Car of the Year? Guess again; and again. That's right, the Nissan GT-R only managed to snag enough votes to garner a bronze finish in Japanese COTY voting. Wondering what epically amazing machinery bested the mighty Godzilla? That would be the miniscule Toyota iQ. Once again, it is clear just how far the priorities for transportation have changed. Supercar levels of acceleration, on-board supercomputers and remarkable handling prowess just aren't enough to woo the top pick from judges in Japan. Not only was the iQ the top overall choice in a landslide victory, the Citroën C5 managed to garner enough votes to steal second place from the mighty GT-R.

Don't get us wrong, the Toyota with the funny name is a vehicle deserving of all the recognition it gets. A packaging miracle, the smarty-pants iQ manages to cram four real human beings inside a footprint that's pretty darn close to that of the smart fortwo, a car that seats just two people including the driver. These days, exceptional fuel economy, low emissions and intelligent packaging are apparently the way to a Japanese heart, and likely many from the rest of the world, as well. What do you think? Is the Toyota iQ the, ahem... smart person's COTY?


[Source: Inside Line]

Reports about the release and pricing of the Nissan GT-R Spec-V have been circulating for months and Nissan HQ has supposedly confirmed the rumors and targeted an on-sale date in Japan in late January or early February.

The GT-R Spec-V is expected to be packing another 100 hp through the use of a new exhaust, more boost and a retuned ECU. Carbon fiber will replace some of the body panels to reduce weight, while new wheels, upgraded brakes and suspension tweaks will round out the mods.

Rumors suggest that Nissan could release the Spec-V at the 12th annual NISMO Festival at Fuji Speedway in Japan later this month. Pricing could be up to 15,000,000 yen – 2,000,000 more than earlier predictions – or around $154,000, more than double the cost of a standard GT-R. If the Spec-V goes on sale in the U.S., expect pricing to be considerably lower.


[Source: GTRblog.com]

Rumors have been circulating for almost a year that Nissan plans to campaign the GT-R in several different series outside of SuperGT, including the Grand Am championship and the 24 Hours of LeMans. Japan's Best Car magazine supposedly has it on good authority that Nissan is developing a road-going model of the LeMans competition car that will carry an "LM Edition" badge and be sold in limited numbers.

According to the Japanese pub, the twin-turbo, 3.8-liter V6 will be putting out approximately 600 hp and will be equipped with upgraded brakes, lightweight wheels, a beefed up transmission and reworked suspension components, in addition to a new aero kit to increase downforce.

Nissan has produced several limited edition models of each generation of the Skyline GT-R before, including an LM Edition of the R33 that campaigned in LeMans in the late 90s. One good turn deserves another, and with 600 hp under the hood, things are bound to get interesting both on the track and on the street.

[Source: BestCar via Carscoop]

We're just over a week away from the official unveiling of the Nissan 370Z, but a factory brochure of the NISMO S-Tune Z34 has leaked out from Japan, showing the two in-house tuned models buyers abroad can choose from when the new Z goes on sale later this year.

The first package is the NISMO S-Tune Aero Package that reduces lift and provides increased downforce through the use of a new nose, front lip spoiler, side skirts and rear spoiler. Also included in the package is a set of "fender protectors" – essentially mud flaps – and a set of NISMO-badged floor mats.

The NISMO S-Tune Performance Package is more our style, and includes a stainless steel exhaust, NISMO LMZ5 wheels – featuring five spokes and sized 19-inches – an S-Tune suspension, upgraded brakes and the obligatory floor mats. Pricing in Japan is outlined in the spec sheet, and you can check the gallery for a handful of images detailing what may (or may not) be offered in the U.S. later next year.


[Source: GTRBlog]