xcel
11-18-2006, 07:41 AM
Altima and Sentra are better then ever. (http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=Crv1b0eicqvvutY1osvntqu4)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Nissan_Altima.jpgMatt Nauman - Menafn - Nov. 18, 2006
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Nissan has been selling its mid-size Altima sedan in the United States since fall 1992. The company built its first Sentra on American soil in March 1985, at its then-two-year-old Tennessee factory, but it first put cars with that name on sale here in 1982.
This short history lesson comes courtesy of Nissan, which put its sixth-generation Sentra on sale last month and its fourth-generation Altima on sale last week.
Rather than mere placeholders in some historical timeline, the Sentra and Altima are key players in the success or failure of Nissan. How important? In 2005, they represented about 375,000 sales for Nissan's U.S. dealers. The two models were 80 percent of all Nissan cars and nearly 40 percent of all Nissan vehicles _ cars, trucks, vans and sport-utility vehicles _ purchased by U.S. buyers.
Both Sentra and Altima get new exterior and interior designs for 2007. They share Jell-O smooth styling that's flowing and minimalist. It mixes European and Japanese design sensibility. That's no surprise as Nissan is now part of Renault, a French automaker.
Other than their common design language and newness, the two cars share little.
The Sentra is a four-door compact built off Renault-Nissan's Global C platform. It carries a new 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and is priced from $14,750 to $18,400. It is manufactured in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
The Altima is a mid-size sedan, a rival of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. It's a shorter car than the previous version, which will improve its sportiness, Nissan executives said. Buyers can pick from a revised 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 175 horsepower or a new 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 270 horsepower. Priced from $17,950 to $28,400, the Altima is made in Tennessee and Mississippi.
These are the essential cars that keep Nissan in U.S. driveways. They're important as Nissan, whose revival over the past decade has been well documented, recently reported its first global operating profit and sales declines in several years. A successful launch also sets the stage for more glamorous products such as the GT-R sports car that arrives in 2007.
"These cars aren't the darlings of the performance set and they won't get a lot of enthusiast press ink, but they are just the kind of bread-and-butter sellers that keep dealerships hopping," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book.
Here's a look at the two new Nissan models.
SENTRA: Nissan has sold more than 3.8 million Sentras to U.S. buyers since 1982, but the 2007 model represents significant change, said Ken Kcomt, the car's chief product specialist. Exterior and interior design work was done at Nissan Design America in San Diego and some other development work was done at Nissan's North American Technical Center in Detroit.
Nissan is marketing the new Sentra to echo boomers, a 71 million-person group born from 1977 to 1996. "In studying these echo boomers, we found them to be very, very busy," Kcomt said. "We thought of the car as being a mobile backpack for them."
Design-wise, the stereo was put more prominently on the dashboard and the shifter was moved from between the seats to a higher location to make the car more functional for users. Dimensionally, the Sentra grows 2.3 inches longer, 3.2 inches wider and 4.0 inches taller. Its wheelbase increases by a dramatic 5.9 inches.
"It produces a cabin that's significantly larger than the competitors," said Kcomt. Rivals include the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Chevrolet Cobalt.
Powering the Sentra is a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder. It features variable-valve timing and makes 147 pound-feet of torque. It represents a significant leap from the 2006 Sentra, which featured a 1.8-liter four that made 126 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque.
"When consumers shop, they compare horsepower numbers," Kcomt said. "When they drive, they're comparing torque."
The only available transmission is Nissan's Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission), which works like an automatic but doesn't have gears.
Touting its larger size and more powerful engine makes sense, Kcomt said, but the car's budget-conscious buyers will certainly ask about fuel economy, too.
Those numbers rise, thanks in large part to the CVT, from 28 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway in 2006 to 29/36 in 2007, according to U.S. government ratings.
Neat features on the car include an eight-CD holder that fits above the visor and can be taken out of the car; cup holders that adjust to hold large 32-ounce soda cups and small cell phones; small nets in addition to the usual behind-seat pockets; and a trunk divider that makes for a place to hide items.
Dual front, side and side-curtain air bags are standard, anti-lock brakes are an option on all models and a stability control system isn't offered.
ALTIMA: Compared with the Sentra, changes to the Altima are less significant. Still, Nissan executives insist the car's improved driving characteristics are worth noting.
"This generation Altima represents both an evolution and a revolution," said Pete Haidos, the car's chief product specialist.
The current Altima was a "huge success" for Nissan, Haidos said. Annual sales grew from 153,000 in 1999 to 255,000 in 2005. That made it the fourth-most-popular car on the U.S. market last year.
In wheelbase, width and height, the 2007 Altima varies little from the 2006 version. But it's 2.5 inches shorter to give it a more aggressive look. That reduction in length is coupled with a new front suspension and a stiffer body. The goal, Haidos said, is to make the Altima "the world's best performing front-wheel-drive sedan."
Analyst Nerad describes the decision to make a shorter Altima "a risk in a segment where bigger is usually seen as better."
Owners of the current version complained about torque steer and the car's interior quality. Both areas have been improved, Haidos said. The car has less body roll but still offers good ride comfort. The cabin gets a new look, complete with chrome trim, padded armrests, bigger seats and a new instrument panel design.
The car's four-cylinder engine gets 100 new parts. Its performance numbers don't change _ 175 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, but Nissan said both acceleration and fuel economy improve. It describes the 3.5-liter V-6 as a "next-generation" engine. Horsepower grows from 250 in 2006 to 270 in 2007; torque is up 9 pound-feet to 258.
A six-speed manual or a CVT can be had with each engine. Six air bags, a push-button starter with a smart key and dual-zone air conditioning are standard on all models.
The typical Altima buyer is 45 years old. About three-fourths of owners are married. But, the Altima's appeal to men and women varies based on its engine, Haidos said. With the four-cylinder, 61 percent of buyers are women. With the V-6, 57 percent are men. With Toyota's Camry, women represent 56 percent of four-cylinder buyers and 55 percent of V-6 buyers.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2007_Nissan_Altima.jpgMatt Nauman - Menafn - Nov. 18, 2006
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Nissan has been selling its mid-size Altima sedan in the United States since fall 1992. The company built its first Sentra on American soil in March 1985, at its then-two-year-old Tennessee factory, but it first put cars with that name on sale here in 1982.
This short history lesson comes courtesy of Nissan, which put its sixth-generation Sentra on sale last month and its fourth-generation Altima on sale last week.
Rather than mere placeholders in some historical timeline, the Sentra and Altima are key players in the success or failure of Nissan. How important? In 2005, they represented about 375,000 sales for Nissan's U.S. dealers. The two models were 80 percent of all Nissan cars and nearly 40 percent of all Nissan vehicles _ cars, trucks, vans and sport-utility vehicles _ purchased by U.S. buyers.
Both Sentra and Altima get new exterior and interior designs for 2007. They share Jell-O smooth styling that's flowing and minimalist. It mixes European and Japanese design sensibility. That's no surprise as Nissan is now part of Renault, a French automaker.
Other than their common design language and newness, the two cars share little.
The Sentra is a four-door compact built off Renault-Nissan's Global C platform. It carries a new 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, and is priced from $14,750 to $18,400. It is manufactured in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
The Altima is a mid-size sedan, a rival of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. It's a shorter car than the previous version, which will improve its sportiness, Nissan executives said. Buyers can pick from a revised 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 175 horsepower or a new 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 270 horsepower. Priced from $17,950 to $28,400, the Altima is made in Tennessee and Mississippi.
These are the essential cars that keep Nissan in U.S. driveways. They're important as Nissan, whose revival over the past decade has been well documented, recently reported its first global operating profit and sales declines in several years. A successful launch also sets the stage for more glamorous products such as the GT-R sports car that arrives in 2007.
"These cars aren't the darlings of the performance set and they won't get a lot of enthusiast press ink, but they are just the kind of bread-and-butter sellers that keep dealerships hopping," said Jack Nerad, executive editorial director at Kelley Blue Book.
Here's a look at the two new Nissan models.
SENTRA: Nissan has sold more than 3.8 million Sentras to U.S. buyers since 1982, but the 2007 model represents significant change, said Ken Kcomt, the car's chief product specialist. Exterior and interior design work was done at Nissan Design America in San Diego and some other development work was done at Nissan's North American Technical Center in Detroit.
Nissan is marketing the new Sentra to echo boomers, a 71 million-person group born from 1977 to 1996. "In studying these echo boomers, we found them to be very, very busy," Kcomt said. "We thought of the car as being a mobile backpack for them."
Design-wise, the stereo was put more prominently on the dashboard and the shifter was moved from between the seats to a higher location to make the car more functional for users. Dimensionally, the Sentra grows 2.3 inches longer, 3.2 inches wider and 4.0 inches taller. Its wheelbase increases by a dramatic 5.9 inches.
"It produces a cabin that's significantly larger than the competitors," said Kcomt. Rivals include the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3 and Chevrolet Cobalt.
Powering the Sentra is a 140-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder. It features variable-valve timing and makes 147 pound-feet of torque. It represents a significant leap from the 2006 Sentra, which featured a 1.8-liter four that made 126 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque.
"When consumers shop, they compare horsepower numbers," Kcomt said. "When they drive, they're comparing torque."
The only available transmission is Nissan's Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission), which works like an automatic but doesn't have gears.
Touting its larger size and more powerful engine makes sense, Kcomt said, but the car's budget-conscious buyers will certainly ask about fuel economy, too.
Those numbers rise, thanks in large part to the CVT, from 28 mpg in the city and 34 on the highway in 2006 to 29/36 in 2007, according to U.S. government ratings.
Neat features on the car include an eight-CD holder that fits above the visor and can be taken out of the car; cup holders that adjust to hold large 32-ounce soda cups and small cell phones; small nets in addition to the usual behind-seat pockets; and a trunk divider that makes for a place to hide items.
Dual front, side and side-curtain air bags are standard, anti-lock brakes are an option on all models and a stability control system isn't offered.
ALTIMA: Compared with the Sentra, changes to the Altima are less significant. Still, Nissan executives insist the car's improved driving characteristics are worth noting.
"This generation Altima represents both an evolution and a revolution," said Pete Haidos, the car's chief product specialist.
The current Altima was a "huge success" for Nissan, Haidos said. Annual sales grew from 153,000 in 1999 to 255,000 in 2005. That made it the fourth-most-popular car on the U.S. market last year.
In wheelbase, width and height, the 2007 Altima varies little from the 2006 version. But it's 2.5 inches shorter to give it a more aggressive look. That reduction in length is coupled with a new front suspension and a stiffer body. The goal, Haidos said, is to make the Altima "the world's best performing front-wheel-drive sedan."
Analyst Nerad describes the decision to make a shorter Altima "a risk in a segment where bigger is usually seen as better."
Owners of the current version complained about torque steer and the car's interior quality. Both areas have been improved, Haidos said. The car has less body roll but still offers good ride comfort. The cabin gets a new look, complete with chrome trim, padded armrests, bigger seats and a new instrument panel design.
The car's four-cylinder engine gets 100 new parts. Its performance numbers don't change _ 175 horsepower and 180 pound-feet of torque, but Nissan said both acceleration and fuel economy improve. It describes the 3.5-liter V-6 as a "next-generation" engine. Horsepower grows from 250 in 2006 to 270 in 2007; torque is up 9 pound-feet to 258.
A six-speed manual or a CVT can be had with each engine. Six air bags, a push-button starter with a smart key and dual-zone air conditioning are standard on all models.
The typical Altima buyer is 45 years old. About three-fourths of owners are married. But, the Altima's appeal to men and women varies based on its engine, Haidos said. With the four-cylinder, 61 percent of buyers are women. With the V-6, 57 percent are men. With Toyota's Camry, women represent 56 percent of four-cylinder buyers and 55 percent of V-6 buyers.