Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Translation: "Please, please, please buy something from us!"
 
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Managed to spot this in that Nissan video. Hopefully it's not a watered down crossover.
 
After seeing Jeep do that with the Cherokee nameplate, I expect Nissan will do the same.
 
The Terra already exists in China, but with Nissan trying to consolidate manufacturing, I hope we see an Xterra replacement.
 
The Terra already exists in China, but with Nissan trying to consolidate manufacturing, I hope we see an Xterra replacement.

With Nissan consolidating manufacturing and it being an F-Alpha car, it's rather likely you will see the Terra in the US, slotting neatly between the Murano and the Pathfinder and playing the little brother to the Armada. There is this issue of it only being a 4-cyl as of right now, but with them having made that nifty new 300hp VQ38DD that may be a hurdle that's relatively inexpensive to solve.
 
With Nissan consolidating manufacturing and it being an F-Alpha car, it's rather likely you will see the Terra in the US, slotting neatly between the Murano and the Pathfinder and playing the little brother to the Armada. There is this issue of it only being a 4-cyl as of right now, but with them having made that nifty new 300hp VQ38DD that may be a hurdle that's relatively inexpensive to solve.

As long as it doesn’t have a stupid CVT...
 
Long live the almighty CVT. Hopefully.... Mostly in Gena's Altima.

In that aspect, yeah. I really do not want another CVT in my life provided, it still has throttle delay or fake gears.

Looking at car searches, when did a Kia Soul, Ford Edge, and Ecosport become vehicles allowed to show up in the "wagon" search field?


EDIT

I like the Ford Flex as a vehicle, but I cannot fathom owning one because the pedal box is so small and I have no place to place my left foot.
 
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Boring parts story ahead:

I got a call the other day from a customer of ours, a mechanic. He was in the middle of a clutch job and had done what everyone should do - compared the old and new parts before trying to install anything. The pressure plates were identical, but the new clutch disc was 20mm smaller in diameter than the old one. WTF? It wasn't packaged wrong at the factory - the parts numbers all checked out.

After making a few phone calls it turned out that the component manufacturer is "working to improve gearchange quality and CO2 emissions" by shrinking the clutch disc. There's supposedly an improved friction material on the new clutch disc to compensate for the friction area lost.

I just wonder if the emissions saved by fitting a lighter clutch to this Nissan is enough to compensate for the additional CO2 generated by everyone involved when I was making calls and writing e-mails to figure this stuff out.
 
I am sure the savings in materials for the same MSRP would offset them nicely :p
 
Should put a note in the package saying “warning! This item is the correct one and 20mm smaller for fuel savings.” Or something...
 
Should put a note in the package saying “warning! This item is the correct one and 20mm smaller for fuel savings.” Or something...

there’s a technical bulletin on their extranet... close enough?

late edit: also, nobody ever reads the notes in the packages.
 
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Maybe back then they just took stuff out and sold it as spares. I know it's always the running joke that they're charging more for less but carbon fibre and other lightweight materials ain't cheap! :p

Alternatively, if you go for the Colin Chapman philosophy, lightness™ isn't as cheap as it used to be!
 
Yeah, I know that those special lightweight versions of sportscars and supercars such as Porsche's RS series use fancy materials in order to reduce weight, but at least some of the extra price is just for the sake of exclusivity.

About taking stuff out and selling it as spares... Well, one can always wonder. ?
 
It's interesting how much aviation is mirrored in automotive design.

1960 Cadillac
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English Electric Lightning (First flight 1954, introduced 1959
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We could probably do a whole thread on this.
 
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Go for it! That would be a fantastic thread for little details too. I bet 50% could be Saabs. :p

Always loved the look of the Lightning.
 
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