While new CAFE regulations will eventually force automakers to shift their SUV-heavy lineups, in today's market, SUVs are still some of the biggest profit earners. Because of this fact, some automakers best known for sports cars have entered the SUV market — such as Porsche with its Cayenne SUV. So if Porsche can make a successful high-performance SUV, why not Nissan?

Japan's Best Car Magazine has published renderings of what a Nissan GT-R-based SUV might look like. While it remains unclear if Best Car created the pictures on insider information or just for speculation, the magazine reports that the SUV would use the same 480 horsepower powerplant found in the GT-R.

And if such a vehicle is under development — although there have been no indications that Nissan plans to produce such a vehicle — the Porsche Cayenne Turbo would be a likely benchmark, just as the 911 Turbo was a benchmark for the GT-R.

As unlikely as an SUV version of the GT-R seems to be, a four-door variation of the GT-R might be brought to fruition via an Infiniti model.

TOKYO (AP) -- Nissan Motor Co. will soon sell cars that push back when drivers try to put the pedal to the metal.

The Japanese carmaker Monday announced its new "ECO Pedal" system, which makes the gas pedal press upward when it senses motorists are speeding up too quickly.

Nissan (NSANY) said in a press release the system, which will be available next year, can help drivers improve fuel efficiency 5% to 10%.

It calculates the most efficient rate of acceleration in a vehicle based on how fast fuel is being burned and other factors, and causes the gas pedal to push back to alert overzealous drivers. A special meter on the dashboard flashes and changes colors to help drive the message home.

Nissan says the system is designed to help drivers become more fuel efficient behind the wheel. Part of the company's strategy for reducing carbon dioxide emissions is modifying driving behavior.

Drivers can also opt to switch the system off