With gas prices soaring, day-to-day consumers are seeking out the cars with best mileage. Nissan Qashqai 2012 will have an advanced 1.6L diesel engine which gives one of the best fuel economy in the crossover market, 62.8 mpg. Qashqai seems an appealing choice for UK consumers as the pricing starts at £16,000 and up
EMISSIONS DOWN AND TECHNOLOGY UP IN REVISED QASHQAI RANGE
Advanced new 1.6-litre diesel engine brings enhanced efficiency to Qashqai and Qashqai+2 range
119g/km CO2emissions deliver dramatic cost savings and environmental benefits
New engine is more refined and offers stronger in-gear acceleration than the outgoing 2.0 dCi
Around View Monitor also added to Qashqai range offering luxury class visual parking
Additions set to further enhance the growing appeal of British designed, British engineered and British built Qashqai
Having created one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK car market, Nissan's Qashqai is ready to move even further ahead of the competition. The next evolution for the top selling crossover comes in the form of an all-new diesel engine that lets drivers enjoy the best of both worlds - greatly reduced emissions with improved in-gear performance.
With fuel prices pressing ever higher and the motorist not only looking to save on running costs but also reduce their environmental impact, Qashqai's new 1.6-litre dCi engine arrives at the perfect moment. Replacing the 2.0dCi manual, the new four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine delivers dramatically enhanced economy and emissions in the Qashqai and Qashqai+2.
Like every Nissan producing less than 130g/km, the 1.6 dCi wears Nissan's Pure Drive badge. The first Qashqai models to benefit from the new engine are available to order now for delivery in October, and offer CO2 emissions of only 129g/km. Early next year Nissan will add its latest Stop/Start system, automatically turning off the engine when stationary to bring the Qashqai's emissions down to an even more impressive 119g/km.
The savings for Qashqai drivers will be immediately felt. A 31 per cent improvement in fuel economy results in 62.8mpg (+14.9mpg) on the combined cycle while the first year's VED is free of charge. Company car drivers will also enjoy significant savings with a benefit in kind tax banding of just 13 per cent, for stop start versions, further broadening the appeal of Qashqai to the important fleet sector. What's more, the 1.6 dCi without stop and start costs £250 less to buy than the equivalent 2.0 dCi.
Nissan Motor GB Managing Director Jim Wright said "Current financial pressures for both the individual and company car buyers mean costs are constantly being analysed so it is good to see how Nissan's technical innovations, introduced on this engine, help to minimise overall running costs."
Unlike some eco-friendly diesel models, the new 1.6dCi doesn't forget the importance of performance, either. Engineers have not only been able to make the 130PS engine quieter and more refined than its 2.0-litre predecessor, but they have also reduced the number of engine revs required to reach peak 320Nm torque from 2,000rpm to only 1,750rpm. What this means to the driver is that despite all of the savings offered by the 1.6 dCi, acceleration in the crucial 30-50mph bracket is also quicker, taking only 6.29 seconds.
And remember, there's more to Qashqai than just a pretty face. Coping with harsh winter weather and slippery campsites is no problem for the all-wheel drive version, which becomes one of the lowest CO2 emitting crossovers on sale in the UK, while the Qashqai+2 offers the lowest CO2 emissions of any seven seat crossover on the UK market.
"This is a remarkable engine, best in class in so many respects. It provides the dynamic driving performance which matches that of the outgoing 2.0-litre dCi yet produces fuel consumption and emission figures equal to or better than our existing 1.5-litre dCi unit," said Paul Willcox, Senior Vice President, Nissan Europe.
In addition to its efficient new engine, Qashqai has also benefited from a number of innovative items of equipment including for the first time in its class, Around View Monitor. Up until now this type of advanced visual parking aid is more usually found in the luxury car class, but Nissan's commitment to delivering the latest technology to its customers means Around View Monitor will be fitted as standard to all Qashqai and Qashqai+2 Tekna variants.
Using a set of discrete external cameras, Around View Monitor makes manoeuvring and parking as safe and easy as possible by giving the driver a real-time bird's eye view of the surrounding environment. Working seamlessly with the popular Nissan Connect touch screen navigation system, Around View Monitor adds three additional cameras to the Qashqai's existing rear view system to create the ultimate 360° overview. What's more, the driver can choose to focus on the image feed from any particular camera when looking out for a particular obstacle in front, behind or to either side of the Qashqai.
These enhancements are set to underline Qashqai's dominance in the crossover class. More than one million Qashqai and Qashqai+2 models have now been built at Nissan's Sunderland factory, where on average 1,200 roll off the production line every day.
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Nissan unveiled a pure electric sports concept car, the ESFLOW. Nissan ESFLOW 2011 is a two-seater rear wheel drive electric car powered by two electric motors, each driving a rear wheel. ESFLOW can sprint from 0 to 100km/h in just 5 seconds and would have a range of 240 kms per charge.
In the electric sports car class, Tesla Roadster is way ahead of the game.
Nissan ESFLOW Electric Sports Concept Car 2011
NISSAN ESFLOW
Putting the spark into electric vehicles
It may be a concept, but the Nissan ESFLOW electric sports car proves it's possible to remain environmentally sympathetic without having to give up the joy of driving.
It looks like a sports car, handles like a sports car and performs like one too. But ESFLOW is different to every other sports car yet built: it's electric. Using technology pioneered in the award-winning Nissan LEAF, the EV concept shows that driving can still be as much fun tomorrow as it is today.
At a glance
* ESFLOW - a pure EV sports car concept
* Rear-wheel drive two-seater
* Two electric motors, each driving a rear wheel
* Laminated lithium-ion batteries mounted low for best weight distribution
* Dramatic styling with wraparound windscreen for unobstructed visibility
* 0-100km/h in under 5 seconds
* Over 240kms on one charge
The Nissan ESFLOW
Nissan has a reputation for creating some of the most exhilarating sports cars on the market. Nissan has also developed the world's first practical Zero Emission family car, the Nissan LEAF.
Now Nissan has put that expertise together. It has captured the excitement of a sports car and the environmental benefits of an electric vehicle and blended them into one dramatic two-seater concept: ESFLOW.
ESFLOW has been created from the ground up as a pure electric vehicle, to give an idea how a Zero Emission sports car of the future might look. Living ecologically has often been seen as an act of austerity - to save one's environmental conscience sacrifices must be made. ESFLOW is here to address that misconception.
Owning an ecologically sound car does not have to come at the expense of driving enjoyment. The briefest glance at the ESFLOW is enough to tell you what kind of car it is: a long bonnet leading into a steeply raked, wrap around windscreen, the compact cabin placing the occupants bang on the car's centre of gravity, hunched arches over ultra-low profile tyres wrapped around six spoke wheels. ESFLOW is unmistakably a sports car, and those in the know will recognize its heritage - hints of classic and contemporary Nissan sports cars abound.
Vitally, ESFLOW is not an existing ICE (internal combustion engine) powered vehicle that has been adapted to run on electricity, but a sports car that's been designed from the outset as a Zero Emission vehicle. This means that Nissan's forward thinking designers have had free rein to place the power train and batteries in the optimum positions to benefit the car's handling and performance and enhancing the thrill of driving.
The Car
The ESFLOW is based on existing technology, implemented in innovative ways. An attractive, head turning composite body covers an aluminium chassis, incorporating its own roll cage. The powertrain unit, which employs the same technologies installed in the Nissan LEAF, is tuned to offer a sporty driving experience.
The Powertrain
ESFLOW is rear-wheel drive and it runs on two motors. The car's graceful proportions allow the twin electric motors to be placed above the axis of the rear wheels, in a mid-ship position,. These motors independently control the left and right wheels, and so the torque is optimized to ensure outstanding vehicle stability and control as well as efficient power regeneration. The motors produce enough torque in an instant for it to reach a 100kph in under 5 seconds.
Power for the motors comes from the same laminated lithium-ion battery packs used in the Nissan LEAF, but in ESFLOW the packs are located along the axis of the front and rear wheels. This centralizes the mass of the car, and thus its rotation point, close to the driver's hips. These cleverly positioned batteries enable the car to travel over 240km on one charge.
The Chassis
An aluminium chassis has been built around the drive train, taking full advantage of the opportunities that Zero Emission electric propulsion provides. Power cells are incorporated in such a way that they benefit ESFLOW's strength and poise, not detract from them. Indeed, unlike a conventional fuel tank, batteries do not get lighter as they provide energy, so the car's weight distribution remains constant throughout a drive.
The high waistline afforded by the ESFLOW's classic sports car proportions allows strong, yet unobtrusive roll bars incorporated in to the structure behind the seats to safely take the entire load of the car in the event of a roll over, negating the need for obtrusive, thick, reinforced A-pillars and the blind spots they inevitably create.
This almost unobstructed view ahead will not be unfamiliar to fighter pilots, and just as such pilots speak of "strapping their planes on to their backs", we hope ESFLOW owners will also feel the car to be an extension of their bodies, reacting to their slightest whims. The driver must be at the centre of the sports car both physically and metaphorically.
The Body
The ESFLOW is undoubtedly an attractive car. Crisp, clean lines not only convey the purity of its sporting potential, but suggest the clarity of electric power. The colour scheme chosen for the concept car is inspired by glaciers - highly reflective solidified liquid with blue tints in its shadows. Like its ZEV concept forebears and contemporary stable mate the ESFLOW's headlights and Nissan emblem are tinted cool blue. The six spoke wheels contain blue carbon inserts while the same material adorns the side sill, roof mounted lip spoiler and lower rear bumper.
Blue LEDs accentuate the futuristic lights slashed into the bodywork both front and rear. Where the Nissan LEAF's protrusive headlights are used to guide airflow around the door mirrors, this is not needed on ESFLOW as the mirrors have been replaced with minute rear view cameras at the base of its A-pillars. The ESFLOW's front lights do protect a secret of their own however: flip out charging points built in to the air ducts beneath.
The Interior
Ecological minimalism need not come at the expense of luxury. The cabin of the ESFLOW is clean and open and weight saving has been a priority throughout its design, but it is still a comfortable and pleasant place to sit. By far the heaviest components in modern cars' interiors are the steel framed, thickly upholstered and increasingly motorized seats. In ESFLOW the seats are sculpted into the rear bulkhead of the car, negating the need for a heavy frame. This of course means that they are immobile, but this is of no consequence as the fly-by-wire steering and pedals adjust electrically to the best spot to suit each individual driver's size and preferred driving position.
The seats themselves are upholstered in gold leather and perforated gold suede while the doors are trimmed in dark blue leather and suede. The blue and gold motif, the colour of sparks, is continued across the dashboard, which is also adorned with silver carbon trim, and features four multifunction illuminated LCD displays.
The Driver
Daniel, an ESFLOW owner, works in tech, but lives for the weekend. On Friday night after work, he gets behind the wheels of his ESFLOW which instantly links with his pocket PDA and determines the fastest route to his girlfriend's home. Finding street side parking is a synch as the ESFLOW's compact dimensions allow it to slip in to the narrowest of spaces. On Saturday he drives to a popular club to exhibit his DJ skills and his friends are impressed by his cool EV sports car.
On Sunday he drives through the mountains for leisure. ESFLOW's superb weight distribution and unobstructed view ahead enables him to effortlessly nail every apex, every time. His descent from the mountains is more relaxed and he allows the ESFLOW to overrun on the long sweeping curves, turning the potential energy he and the car gained climbing up the gradients back in to electrical energy he can use once he hits the roads around Barcelona.
As his ESFLOW sips energy in its garage Daniel prepares himself for the week ahead, batteries fully recharged.
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