nissan

SALINAS, CA--On a recent Friday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Nissan hosted a group of 2012 GT-R owners as part of the rollout of the revised 2013 version of the car. This was one of three such gatherings nationwide, and about 35 owners were present with their cars, while Nissan provided demo versions of the 2012 GT-R for invited members of the media. Also on hand were instructors from the Skip Barber Racing School, providing tips on driving lines and technique in a series of morning sessions using the current cars, and giving full-tilt rides in the new cars in … Read more

Intel has announced that its Atom processor will power Nissan's next-generation infotainment systems in select vehicles starting in 2013.

The chip giant, which is looking to broaden its reach, also forged a deal with Toyota in late 2011. Under that pact, Intel and Toyota would research new infotainment systems. Intel also has Atom deals with BMW and Mercedes-Benz infotainment systems.

Ton Steenman, vice president of intelligent systems at Intel, said the effort with Nissan is about "extending the digital lifestyle of consumers from home to vehicles." And yes, Intel could move a lot of chips by locking … Read more

The Feds want to ban navigation systems, a preview of the New York auto show, we take a ride in not one, but two very fast cars, and finally we say goodbye to Car Tech Live.

• Fed driver distraction guidelines make navigation unusable

• Piece the 2013 Nissan Altima together from this trio of teasers

• BMW X1 in New York heralds U.S. introduction

• Toyota new sedan

• New Acura Flagship to Debut at the New York International Auto Show

The fact that the operator of this car stereo has to wear protective ear-wear and keep the driver's door of his 1989 Nissan Pickup Truck open to fully demo the system should be your first warning sign that the outcome of the YouTube video below will be either disastrous or hilarious.

The sound-off competition starts about the way you'd expect: with a whole lot of shaking. Then, at around the 20-second mark, the bass (which is already overwhelming the camera's puny microphone) proves to be too much for the Nissan's 23-year-old glass windshield and...well, just … Read more

Say goodbye to range anxiety--well, while heading through the Pacific Northwest, anyway.

A 160-mile stretch of Interstate 5, dubbed the Electric Highway, now offers a little piece of mind for EV drivers, the Associated Press reported.

According to the story, EV drivers from the northern border of California to Cottage Grove, Ore., can stop at any one of eight stations, which are spaced out along the road about every 25 miles, for free.

Electric vehicles charge at three different levels: Level 1 DC, for example, uses 110 volts and vehicles charge over-night. Level 2 uses 240 volts, and can charge … Read more

The epic 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race on June 16-17 features a sensational vehicle that may remind one of the Batmobile.

We covered the DeltaWing previously, and now a few new developments and content make the innovative race car worth looking at again. For starters, a fresh black paint job makes this whip appear like it came from the prototype area of the Batcave. This video from Nissan Europe (below) shows some seriously sexy shots of the car and a dyno run. It also includes some introspective thoughts from the DeltaWing project developers. … Read more

The humble Nissan Altima may not stir up much excitment, but when the fourth generation burst onto the scene in 2007, its blend of value and performance was enough to give pause to the likes of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. That was half a decade ago--since then both the Camry and Accord have undergone serious overhauls, leaving the current-generation Altima looking a bit dated. We're looking forward to seeing how Nissan plans to strike back in New York.

Automakers typically don't take too many chances with their D-segment large sedans, so we're not expecting anything too revolutionary where the Altima's power train is concerned. The safe bet is that the base model will be powered by a more efficient and slightly more powerful version of Nissan's four-cylinder engine, displacing about 2.5 liters. There will likely be a step-up V-6 trim level that leaves enough power on the table to give the Maxima and Infiniti G breathing room. Of course, a hybrid model is in the pipeline that should take advantage of the lithium ion electrification tech developed for the Infiniti M hybrid, albeit at a lower displacement with a stronger emphasis on efficiency than on winning "world's fastest hybrid" contests.

On the other hand, we do have a pretty good idea of what the next Altima will look like thanks to a trio of video teasers released via the automaker's official YouTube channel that show off the vehicle's front and rear ends, as well as a bird's-eye view of the 2013 model. Check out all three videos after the jump. … Read more

The Nissan GT-R embarrasses other high-performance cars with its performance. The Nissan Juke simply embarrasses its own driver with its looks. So cramming the GT-R's internals and chassis under the Juke's body to create the Juke-R seems like the perfect storm of embarrassment for all.

But it's not. The Juke-R is actually pretty awesome. We've already seen the world's highest-riding supercar hand a trio of exotics their own overpriced hats in a (rather stacked) race in Dubai, so we know it's pretty fast. But how does this Frankensteined GT-R stack up against Godzilla himself, … Read more

Switzerland has set itself as neutral ground in Europe, a role it plays every year between the automotive manufacturing powerhouses of Germany and France. The International Motor Show in Geneva gives equal time to not only the regional automakers, but interlopers from the United States and Asia.

Geneva's proximity to the wealthy gearheads of Monaco also assures a good mix of exotic and specialty carmakers. CNET will be covering the show's press days, sending back photos, video, and stories during the week of March 5.

Here are some of the cars we expect to see. … Read more