Nissan Juke R3

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Nissan For almost every year since the Nissan GT-R first debuted, Nissan has been figuring out how to cram more power under the hood or give it 911-like quickness around the Nürburgring. Looking to create a brand image for its performance arm, we already knew that a hotter, Nismo-branded GT-R was in the works, but it seems some details may have leaked regarding this new Nismo GT-R. While little has been spoken of this Super GT-R since February, Top Gear is reporting that Nismo is planning to make improvements to the coupe's power, handing and styling - three things that we're sure few have complained about since 2009. What could this mean for the GT-R? According to the article, Nismo could be looking to raise horsepower from the current 545-hp mark to more than 570 hp, and handling upgrades could give the car a 'Ring lap time of seven minutes and 22 seconds, which as Top Gear points out, is four seconds quicker than the new 911 GT3.Nismo GT-R poised to be fastest Nissan ever originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford The attractive new 2013 Ford Fusion has done wonders for the brand in the highly competitive midsize sedan segment - the vehicle is up nearly 22 percent compared to last year. But that sales momentum may soon hold steady due to low inventory levels of the new Fusion across the United States. According to a report in The Detroit News, citing automotive data and Ward's Auto, Ford currently has a 39-day supply of the Fusion. That might sound fine, but a normally healthy average is about a 60-day supply. If Ford were to stop production on the Fusion today, there would only be enough vehicles available to get through another five weeks of sales, according to the News. Currently, Ford produces the Fusion at its three-shift assembly plant in Hermosillo, Mexico, and will add production at its facility in Flat Rock, MI later this year. A Ford spokesperson told The Detroit News that when Flat Rock production comes online, the automaker will need to rush new stock out to the regions with the most demand for the Fusion. Ford has doubled its coastal retail market share, with huge amounts of growth in areas like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, the News reports. The Hermosillo plant is capable of producing roughly 300,000 Fusions annually, and Flat Rock should be able to make another 100,000 or so each year. This added production in Michigan - more than 8,000 units each month - would easily allow Ford to catch up to segment-leaders like the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.Ford Fusion demand outstripping supply originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments