#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
It’s not every day you hear two automotive giants like Honda and Nissan mentioned in the same sentence with the word “merger.” But that’s exactly what’s happening, according to a report from Nikkei. Two of Japan’s biggest car manufacturers are reportedly in preliminary talks to join forces, and if this goes ahead, it could be one of the biggest shake-ups the car industry has seen in decades.
There’s been a lot of chatter about Nissan lately. Doom-laden headlines about financial turmoil, production cuts, and whispers of collapse have been doing the rounds. Some are even saying that the legendary Japanese automaker, the one responsible for icons like the GT-R, Z cars, and the mighty Patrol, could disappear within the next 12 months. That’s a big claim. Could this really be the end for Nissan? Well, not so fast.
Early this week, I was invited to a media event at the Nissan Design Europe Centre in Paddington, London, where they were celebrating their 20th birthday by gifting themselves the extraordinary Nissan 20-23 concept car, an all-wheel drive track-focussed hot hatch style city car. No spec was revealed as this is merely a design concept, but virtual videos of the astonishing interior were revealed. It was launched by Nissan President and CEO Makato Uchido and we met Global Head of Design Alfonso Albaisa and Europe Design boss Matt Weaver and were given unique access to the inner workings of the design centre. From the first sketches, to seeing them translated to 3D digital renderings, and finally to a full-scale clay model.
The first video below focusses on the reveal of the new concept and in the second video we see the design centre and listen to the incredible insights of the design gurus.
On Sunday I was invited by Nissan UK to join them for the very last round of the Formula E season right here in London at the Excel Centre – the track is half indoors and half outside. Unfortunately, it mostly rained. In any case, I took it as an opportunity to find out more about this fascinating race formula and see and hear the race cars in action for myself. Find out what I thought of them in this video.
Full review on-road and off-road of the new 2022 Nissan X-Trail with E-Power and E-4orce all-wheel drive, from the European launch in Slovenia this month. Prices, specs, how it works, the luggage space, 7-seat practicality, comfort and driving impressions. #BCGNissanXTrail
Not a single plain straight panel on it, a bazillion miles over terrain that would defeat a modern SUV, on an odometer that’s probably long since given up clocking along with the rest of the instrumentation; still tackling this evening’s thunderous rain and treacherous flooding like a trooper, this ancient Datsun Sunny taxi, having long over-baked in the fierce South Asian sun, welds upon welds, constituting a hotchpotch of mix and match cannibalised and recrafted parts, keeps plying its unrelenting trade on the thankless streets of Karachi. This isn’t a classic, it’s a beaten-up and hardened old warrior that refuses to die. Salute.
Continue reading “Classic Karachi Cab”
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Continue reading “My latest motoring spread in Asian Leader – 3 August 2022”
Check out my review from the European Media Launch in Sweden of the new 2023 Nissan Qashqai E-Power with an all-new extended-range style hybrid drive system which features a petrol engine aboard that acts as a power generator to charge the battery. The car is driven solely by the electric motor, however there is a very clever management of sound that simulates the feel of driving a petrol car under hard acceleration while peddling an EV most of the time. #BCGNissanQashqai
Continue reading “2023 Nissan Qashqai E-Power Review”
The Nissan Leaf, launched back in 2010, marked Nissan out as one of the major pioneers in real-world electric cars, particularly as a mainstream manufacturer. And it’s since become one of the world’s best-selling EVs, with around 600,000 sold in the dozen years it’s been around. Its air-cooled battery packs have become highly sought-after for everything from home power-reserve banks to conversions of classic cars to electric.
Continue reading “2023 Nissan Ariya Review ”Which are the best car adverts from Super Bowl 2022 tonight? My reaction video and scores out of ten for the big budget ads from Nissan (Z car), BMW (iX) and General Motors, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (Zeus), Salma Hayek, Mike Myers (Dr Evil & Austin Powers), Eugene Levy, Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) and Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer). Super Bowl’s top automotive ad breaks! What do you reckon were the best? Let me know in the comments?
Continue reading “Best Car Adverts of Super Bowl 2022”