gavriil

Nissan Plans Tone For By 2006 - - Source: The Car Connection


Nissan unveiled the design study for a brand new car that will be added to the Nissan lineup in Europe in 2006. Patrick Pelata, Nissan executive vice president and head of worldwide product planning, said the new Tone will replace the Almera, the current car that the Japanese automaker now sells across Europe. The wheelbase on the Tone will be just 20 millimeters longer than the wheelbase of the Volkswagen Golf but the overall length of the new vehicle is just over 4 meters. Nissan plans to market the new car to young families across Europe. "We learnt that busy young families didn't have the car they need. They want a car that is easy to live with every day - particularly if they have young children. But they also need a car that's fun to drive and affordable because it be the only car in the family,"

Pelata also announced that Nissan would start to sell the 350Z Roadster in Europe this fall. Nissan also plans to begin selling the Pathfinder, a traditional body-on-frame sport-utility vehicle, for the first time in Europe this year. The Pathfinder is designed to appeal to a growing number of active families who use their vehicle to escape the city. The new Pathfinder has three rows of seats and room for seven occupants as well as four-wheel-drive and a 2.5 liter, common-rail turbodiesel engine. The new 350Z and the Pathfinder are only two of six new products that Nissan plans to introduce in Europe over the next year. Nissan hopes the new models will help boost its presence in the European market, added Pelata.

Pelata said Nissan had to become more visible on European streets. "To have healthy growth here, we can not just do what everyone else is doing. We have to offer something different but which is relevant to new customers," he added.

titan

Interesting. Nissan took the success of the G/Skyline's looks in the U.S. and Japan and will apply them to an all new car in Europe. It'll obviously be FWD, and it's the size of a Golf. If they get rid of the lines in the hood, get rid of the very G35 headlights, and keep the Maxima Skyview roof, could this be the next (and LONG overdue) Sentra?

heyitsme

Looks horrible compared to Hondas entry.

gavriil

Yeah. These front lights look like an MR2 afterthought.

titan

Honda's is hot shit. Cleaner look.

F23A4

Can you blame Nissan of borrowing some cues from the G35S (headlights, contours), Murano (grill) and Altima (lower fascia)?? They're all selling pretty good so, it makes sense. If they could just shoehorn the QR25DE into it, then we'd be in business.