Heading To Rausch Creek This Weekend...

I am heading down to Rausch Creek, PA this coming weekend 8/21-8/23 to cover the final RCrocs event for Off-Road.com. Should be quite the shindig and I am always game for free food, music, fireworks and off-roading. If anyone else that reads this is going and wants to meet up to caravan down or just meet for some suds, just shoot me an email: dwspalinger@comcast.net

Nissan Racers Finish 2nd And 4th At Australasian Safari...

A Dakar event in style, the annual Australasian Safari event runs in Western (what else?) Australia and is 3600 kms long (2000+ miles). Growing quickly in the past few years and managed by one of the top sports marketing companies (Octagon, who handles Michael Phelps, Chris Paul and others) the AS is gaining more international competitors as time goes on. Given how well it has run the past few years, it would not surprise me to see the real Dakar move to Australia for a year or two after its stint in South America is over.

Nissan vehicles ran strong in the event finishing 2nd and 4th some 15 minutes and 1 hour 36 minutes out of the win. The 4th place winner was in a Nissan Patrol but the 2nd place

winner was in a Nissan GQ Ute--which I have no idea what it is though it looks more like a truck than a "Ute" which my American brain translates into a "Utility Vehicle" or something

more like an SUV...Second place driver/co-driver was Terry and Jodi Conner and 4th place driver/co-driver was Reg Owen and Russell Cairns, all of who are Australia natives.

The big American entry Josh Hall and his H2 SUT finished 12th after having some problems getting stuck/unstuck. The entire Hall family has a long standing habit of racing around the world and whatever is going/is happening with Hummer as a corporate entity I hope they continue to do so...

Pricing for 2010 Frontier...

has now been released as well as the updates/changes. Pricing on the low end starts at $17540 which I would KILL for right now...with the same 2.5 liter engine that is in my Altima this would be a super platform to start a desert racing team with. Nothing else in the truck market even comes close in this price range. The only real change is the availability to get the truck in the "Night Armor" color, which is good as it is (in my opinion) the best color option out there for Nissan trucks right now.

Nissan announces pricing for '10 Frontier...

Miami Vice (Movie) Review...

First off, I'll admit that as a teenager I was a big fan of the TV series. It seemed to take life seriously with relationships built and crumbling, people dying, people making mistakes, etc. It was not a Huxtable type of police drama. I had however, not seen the film version of Miami Vice until just last night.

I did have high hopes for the film given that Michael Mann was at the helm and not only had I enjoyed his original TV creation but I had loved a number of his recent films including "Heat" and "Collateral" (also featuring Jamie Foxx). Unfortunately, "Miami Vice" holds none of the suspense or excitement of these other two projects.

The drug cartel background story is a rehash of not only a prior Miami Vice TV episode but a retread of numerous other films/TV shows over the past twenty years. There is nothing here that hasn't been done over and over and over before. The plot would have been better off sticking with the story set up in the first few minutes of the film, one of human trafficking, instead of just using that as way to introduce all the key players.

The casting here is all wrong as well...mostly in the case of Colin Farrell and Gong Li, but also in the case of Jamie Foxx. Farrell and Li both mumble their way through the film talking like they have marbles in their mouth. I expect to have a bit of a difficult time understanding thick Scottish accents in a film like "Trainspotting" but I don't expect to miss half the dialogue in a film that is ostensibly about American police officers. Li also may be an attraction in China but here she comes off stilted, unattractive and borderline crippled/abused/deformed. Foxx is his usual stiff self, monotone and with little expression but given that Tubbs was similar in the TV show, this isn't as big a deal. And who thought the moustache and mullet was a good idea for Farrell's Crockett character?? OK, I understand you are looking to differentiate him from the TV Crockett but a mullet?? Really??

Action wise, Mann has done a much better job in Heat and other films and again, there is nothing new here. I do appreciate that Mann's gunfire sounds like real gunfire and not some cartoon version thereof but that is a small checkmark on a list of empty boxes.

All in all it just feels like Mann and the cast are going through the motions in order to collect a paycheck and fullfill a contract. Watch "Heat" or "Collateral" again instead of this bad idea done badly, you'll be much better off...

The Other Pro Rally Series In The U.S....

Though you might never know it from the XGames coverage and the hype that follows Travis Pastrana, Ken Block and other drivers in Rally America, there IS another professional rally series that runs in the U.S. Known as the USRC (United States Rally Championship), it does not have the coverage or high profile drivers that RA has but it certainly has its unique niche in the world of motorsports.

A seven race series with two of these races taking place in NY state, the USRC also hits up CA, ID, WV, AZ and TN. With many of the second tier RA teams also crossing over and running in the USRC events that may be closer to their home and a decidedly more eceltic roster of entries, you will still find your typical Subarus but will also find more race trucks, more low budget vehicles and (what makes the USRC stand apart from RA the most) motorcycles...

With a bevy of KTMs and other motorcycles more often seen at Dakar and other cross-country rallies, USRC recently opened their events to a rally-moto class and has seen a significant number of moto racers at each event. The following shots are from the recent Idaho Rally and are the handiwork of Idaho photog John Marshall....

GT-R As Nurburgring Fire Engine...

I don't know how much more evidence people need to see to prove that the GT-R is amongst the world's best supercars than this. In the home of Porsche, BMW, Audi, etc. the Germans could have their pick of numerous high-end, home grown vehicles to patrol the Nurburgring as an emergency vehicle but what do they choose?? A Japanese made GT-R...equiped with a full roll cage and a back seat full of fire extinguishing foam and a hose, this GT-R is ready to help out any drivers who run out of talent on the infamous German track...

GT-R as fire engine...

Nissan STILL Looking At Chrysler For Next Titan...

Ahh....the ongoing saga of the Nissan Titan. The oft rumored cancellation of the truck has been debunked again and again and given that the Titan actually outsold the Xterra in the month of July (thanks in large part to its $5K in cash back) it may actually make it to a second generation. Further indicating Nissan's desire to have a full size truck in its lineup, if at all possible, is this article on how Nissan has confirmed that they are still expecting its next gen Titan to come from the now bankrupt Chrysler, owned by Fiat and based upon the Dodge Ram. The lack of response from Chrysler/Fiat likely has more to do with all the internal issues going on within those companies rather than an absence of interest in the project...

Nissan still looking to Chrysler for Next Gen Titan...

Desert People "Lucky 7" DVD Release...

Now announced to be available on 8/29. Likely the best done video series of desert racing currently out there the Desert People series never dissapoints. Shot in HD and always covering a range of events and racers this one looks solid as well. The only thing I can complain about the Desert People series is the last one (Check Point 6) seemed a bit short and that there are no East Coast showings on the big screen...Oh, well...have to put my pre-order in today...

Desert People "Lucky 7" pre-order info...

Who Says Rally Racers Don't Race Head To Head...

Many people see Rally racing is done solely in a "racer vs. the clock" fashion and not truly against one another as in NASCAR, IRL, F1 or SCORE/BITD. I think this picture disproves that statement, though obviously this in not that common an occurance. In this case (taken at the recent New England Forest Rally) the Ford Escape in the foreground had stopped to pull the trailing Datsun 510 out of a ditch and the Ford Focus caught the two of them from behind. Though I didn't take the picture I was present at this spot when they came by with the Focus blaring its horn trying to make a pass or get the Escape and 510 to pull over!! Though Rally is not truly a "head to head" battle in its truest sense, Rally can have its fender to fender action...

Dirty Impreza.com...

Why Rally America Should Rig The X-Games For Ford...

Edit to add: Now this article seems quite prophetic...Kenny Brak and his Ford Fiesta walk away from the X Games with the Gold medal. Congrats to him and congrats to Ford. It was a very close race until Pastrana wrecked. Hopefully in the next 9 months we will hear of Ford Motorsports putting together some sort of substantial Rally program. Certainly would draw a lot more new people to their product than the increasingly boring NASCAR...

With the finals of X-Games 15 occuring today viewers will once again get to see the skill and huevos that the current crop of Rally America drivers possess. Though the X-Games version of Rally is a watered down (not even a co-driver this year), fabricated vision of what looks good to ESPN bean counters it still is what most American likely associate with the term "Rally Racing". For good or ill it is the X-Games that have given Rally America its greatest exposure over the past few years--and thats a problem...

Rally America's parallel problem is a somewhat related one. Rally America long ago hitched its wagon to Subaru. Subaru came into the series a few years back with every intention of dominating it. And they have been massively successful in doing so. In combination with Vermont Sports Car (which derives the vast majority of its revenue from being the unofficial "works" team for Subaru in North America), Subaru has become the 900 lb. gorrilla in Rally America. Subaru's closest competitor in Rally America is Mitsubishi (a bankrupt company consistently on the verge of pulling all operations out of the U.S.). The money that Subaru pours into its Rally America operations (either directly or indirectly) vastly out strips the funds used by all other manufacturers combined. Is that Subaru's fault?? No...they have simply succeeded in an arena no one else chose to compete...

So tightly are Rally America and Subaru's motorsports operations intertwined that when Rally America decided to open an "East Coast" office, seperate from their MN base, they acquired office space in the same exact building as houses the Vermont Sports Car headquarters. Would NASCAR house itself in the same office building as Hendrick Motorsports? Would Bud Selig put his office inside Yankee Stadium?? You can see where I'm going here...The closeness of Rally America's corporate employees to Subaru and Subaru's domination of the series through pure cash outlays has not made everyone happy, but it has made Rally America a moderate success within the motorsports world...

So why is all this a problem? Let me present a few more pieces of info. Rally America's contract with ESPN ends this year. Beyond 2009, even RA's director J.B. Niday publicly acknowledges that rally racing is not likely to be seen at the X-Games as ESPN holds a tight relationship with Ricky Johnson's TORC series and is always looking for something fresh. The consistent downsizing and reductions to the Rally events at the X-Games (the first year Rally appeared it was a two day event with only the final section occuring within the stadium itself and now its a 1/2 minute sprint with no co-drivers on a mostly asphalt, bulldozed course) shows that Rally racing is not pleasing to ESPN's eye. So that is likely the first shoe to drop, Rally America will lose its prestige event, the one all the marketers love, the one that reaches the most eyeballs and makes by far the biggest impression.

If your product suddenly lost its biggest point of exposure and would see its rate of "impressions" cut in 1/2 would you continue to fund that products marketing program at the same rate? For that matter, if you are Pastrana, Block or Mirra would you continue to focus on rallying if you were not going to appear on a nationally televised, highly promoted, signature event any longer? Rallying isn't cheap and the return on investment both from Subaru's and the top competitors standpoint has to be there...

So what if Subaru cuts its rallying funds and one of the Pastrana, Block, Mirra trio walks away? Or worst case, what if Subaru guts its rallying program and/or all three decide to walk and try something else??

Which brings me to why RA should rig the X-Games for a Ford driver to win. Ford is an auto company on the move. In not taking any tax payer money earlier this year Ford has built up a cache of goodwill amongst the American public and stands as the most popular of the three "American" auto companies currently. Secondly, the car Ford is using at these X-Games is the Ford Fiesta, a vehicle that has not even begun being sold in North America yet so the marketing arm of Ford is in its infant or adolescent stage for this unit. Thirdly, Ford has a long history of supporting motorsports efforts in all types of racing, whether its NASCAR, desert racing or drag racing there is no built in aversion to using motorsports as a marketing tool. Lastly, a true competitor for Subaru within the Rally America ranks would pressure Subaru and the Pastrana/Block/Mirra trio to remain with the sport--Do you want to go out a loser to the new kid on the block, erasing the stature you have built up over the past few years as you played with the deck stacked in your favor or do you want to show that your products can compete on a truly even playing field against equally funded and managed competition?

Would a Ford Fiesta winning the X-Games=Ford joining RA with a full on "works" team? No, but it certainly would raise a bunch of eyebrows within Ford's marketing wing. If you go through the Fiesta website and build your own Fiesta you will see that the "performance" options (a turbo package, sport tuned suspension and sport tuned exhaust) are the most desired options for the Fiesta currently and running a Fiesta within Rally America would just be another step in reaching what is fast becoming its target audience.

If Rally America is smart, it will rig the event for Foust or Brack as I believe Ford will enter Rally America in a big way if it can successfully show off its product at these X-Games. I further believe that Ford's entry into RA is the only thing that will offset the loss of X-Games coverage in '10 and beyond and allow RA to grow beyond its current status as being merely a small wing of Fuji Heavy Industries massive marketing arm.

Short Course R/C Nationals....

Another article of my that was recently posted on Off-Road.com. Wow...that makes three paying articles I have completed...Only 24 of these a month at the rate I'm being paid for them and I can make up for being unemployed!! Regardless, the event was a good time and made me wanna work on upgrading and racing my own Traxxas Slash and buy a new HPI Blitz when they come out in September...Read more with pics and vids...

Short Course R/C Nationals Coverage...

Roadside Bomb Video...

Just a video of what our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are up against. Fortunately this one looks like it was detonated either too early or too late to impact any of the vehicles and also looks like it was buried too deep as the pavement and dirt seems to contain most of the explosion but this is still some of the scariest video I've seen and truly shows the power of such a simple weapon...

Nissan LOORRS Results From Last Weekend...

Though missing their top gun (Casey Currie) the Nissan contingent in Unlimited (Pro) Lite still ran very well last weekend in Lake Elsinore, CA. Under the lights on both Saturday and Sunday nights, as ususal it was the Unlimited Lites that provided the best racing action of the night. Saturday night saw John Probst (who has been making the trek from the mid-west all year long to be in the LOORRS) finishing 4th, Jimmy Stephensen in 5th, and Todd Cuffaro in 11th out of 12 entries. Sunday night saw Cuffaro finishing 4th, Probst 5th, and Stephensen in 8th. On the year, Stephensen sits 4th in the overall Unlimited Lite points while Cuffaro is only 8 points behind him in 5th and Probst stands in 7th overall.

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series...

Sweet Titan Pre-Runner Running on 37's...

From a recent Off-Roadweb article. Firberglass front and rear, 20 inches of rear travel, 16 inches of front travel, triple bypass shocks, 37" BFG Baja tires...All in all a great looking vehicle...I still question how long that rear end is going to last given the weak rear diff/gears/axles but for now it looks and supposedly performs really well.

Off-RoadWeb article...

Not Such a Good Result in Spain...

for Nissan this past weekend. Lest I be accused of talking about Nissan race results only when they are good, may I present the '09 edition of the Baja Espana. With two of Nissan's top privateers entered in the event (Boris Gadasin and Krysztof Holowczyc) expectations were appropriately high. Neither competitor saw the end of the race however. Holowczyc truly blew an engine while Gadasin had an engine sensor fail giving him an inproper signal that made him think he was about to toast his engine and thus resulting in him abandoning the race, only later to discover the faulty sensor...One Nissan did finish in the top ten, that being the Patrol of Technosport Spain driven by a Maruzio Traglio who finished in ninth place...Back to the drawing board I guess...

HPI Racing's New Blitz Short Course Truck...

So I was at the R/C Shortcourse National event today in Enfield, CT. I didn't know I had taken a picture of one of HPI's brand new Blitz short course trucks till I came home. The above picture is what one of them looks like. Note the real, licensed Maxxis Tires...There was one of the Blitz's running in today's events but I am unsure of how it finished, though it was being driven by one of HPI's employees/factory pilots, so I assume it finished pretty well. Will edit this post when I figure it out from looking through my pics/video. Can't imagine it will be long before we see a FULL SIZE HPI sponsored short course race truck in the Lucas Oil Off Road Series in the near future. Traxxas has their sponsored racers, Associated has theirs and would think HPI might follow suit...More info...HPI's Blitz...

Baja Espana...

The third round of the FIA Baja series will be held this weekend in Spain. I have to say that as much as I like Trophy Trucks and such here in North America, I like the looks of Dakar/FIA race vehicles even more. They look like a cross between a Rally car and a desert racing truck...just really mean and modern looking. There are a number of Nissans entered in this race including Krsyztof Holowczyk and Boris Gadasin who have entered their South African built Navaras/Frontiers in this event and should be expected to do well. So far, only the initial Super Special has been completed and Holowczyk and Gadasin stand 5th and 6th respectively. A big event this race also has Dakar regulars Stephan Peterhansel, Nani Roma and Guerlain Chicherit all in their BMW X3s. 2009 Baja Spain...

RA: New England Forest Rally Recap...

My report can be found here: NEFR Recap...

Amazing that I got paid (minimally even) for attending and writing about this stuff...how I would like to make a living from this kind of stuff...anyone?? anyone??

Minimal Changes For '10 Frontier and Titan...

Though the changes are miminal (Night Armor color available on the Frontier and a new "value" edition of the Titan, etc.) about the best news out of Nissan on the Titan and Frontier is that they live on through '10 at all. With numerous rumors out there over the past year or more about one or both being cancelled, we can now say the '10s are on their way...

2010 changes for Titan and Frontier...

Rally America NEFR Video...

This is about the best version of this that I can get up on this blog...still not the greatest but not bad...all video was shot by me with a Canon Powershot SX100IS and a cheap Best Buy tripod...Let me know what you think...

Autoblog Reviews the Frontier...

And not surprisingly, give it excellent reviews. More truck than most people need with great reliability and performance. Of course the morons who still want solid axles on everything have their say in the comment section but then again...they're still using dial up and perusing their favorite BBS's in their free time...

Autoblog Review of the Frontier...

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days...I spent this past Thurs-Sun up at Sunday River in Maine at Rally America's New England Forest Rally covering the event for Nissan Sport Magazine and Off-Road.com and have been spending the last two or so days working on video, pics and a story about the event. I will return to sprinkling in new posts today...Stay tuned...

Interview: Nissan Motorsports S.A. General Manager...

Just in case you hadn't see my links to it in all the other places I frequent. This is the first article that I have been PAID for...It wasn't much, but it is a start...Excellent interview if I do say so myself...

Interview with Glyn Hall, Nissan Motorsport S.A. General Manager

New Dual Injection Fuel System Coming To A Nissan Near You...

Most likely in smaller cars (Versa? Cube? the next Rogue? Sentra?) at first but I would bet in most Nissan models eventually this brand new design is said to both reduce the amount of precious metals (read: Platinum, etc.) needed in catalytic converters and improve fuel economy due to a better atomization of the fuel. Not sure if the increase in cost due to the new design will be offset by the decrease in precious metal costs but if its a relatively even trade then the improved performance will be worth it. I would look for it in '11 or '12 models.

New Engine From Nissan Detailed...

Casey Currie Shines At TORC Bark River Event...

Casey Currie put in a strong weekend out at Bark River, MI in rounds 7 and 8 of the TORC series. As the most active driver in short course offroad racing, Currie has traversed the country from AZ to TX to CA to WI to MI as he competed in both LOORRS and TORC events this year. Additionally, he was signed Monster Energy to be his primary sponsor, creating one of the coolest looking Pro-Lite trucks out there...

This past weekend, out at the Bark River, MI event he took home a 4th place finish on Saturday and gave Monster Energy its first Pro-Lite podium of the year, coming home 3rd on Sunday. Entering the weekend in 4th place, only 3 points behind Marty Hart for 3rd place overall, Currie should have moved up a spot after this weekend given Hart's 3rd and 7th place finishes.

If you would like to see Currie in action, you can either wait for the TV broadcast on 7/19 on ESPN2, or if you can handle watching the race in low-rez, the TORC homepage has Saturday's entire Pro-Lite race available to view here: Entire Bark River Pro-Lite Race...

Looks Like The "Dakar" Race Won't Be In Dakar Anytime Soon...

Not from the look of things at least...this report from the NYT shows that the Al Qaeda groups in North Africa are actually getting stronger, not weaker. Not much of a surprise given that the governments of most of the countries there are barely out of the stone age but it sure will prevent the ASO from returning the Dakar to Africa any time soon. I don't think the U.S. will be lending much support to the erradication of Al Qaeda forces there with their hands squarely tied behind their back just trying to get a handle on Afghanistan. After two years in South America, will the ASO be looking for some place else to run the event?? I'm betting they will be...

NYT Reports Al Qaeda forces gaining strength in North Africa...

Latest Video of Nissan GT-R At Nurburgring...

Shaving a few more seconds (or tenths of seconds) off its time around the famous track. Its new time of 7:26.70 is sure to set off a new round of flame wars between Nissan fanboys and similar know it all Corvette and Porsche fans...

Vegas To Reno 2009--BLM Finds No Significant Impact...

In response to numerous environmental groups BITD's Vegas to Reno race was under increased scrutiny this year. Numerous rumors earlier in the year had the race potentially cancelled. Given the changeover at the top of the governmental food chain and a big increase in left leaning enviros in all federal departments this was not at all surprising. Earlier this year a good sized movement to get desert racing enthusiasts to send in positive comments regarding the race and the benefits it would have for Nevada was started and as part of such I sent in a letter regarding my support for the race to the BLM's Tonopah Field Office. A couple months later now, I received in the mail today a letter from said field office stating in oh so much legalese mumbo-jumbo that all public comments that were accepted during the open comment period have been addressed in an Environmental Assessment and that a draft Finding of No Significant Impact has been completed. Now, I'm not an expert on the BLM's language and procedures but I believe that this letter and its associated EA and Finding of No Significant Impact is an extremely positive sign for the race and desert racing in Nevada in general. It has once again been found that Casey Folks and BITD take all the reasonable, necessary steps to mitigate any of the potential negative impacts from the race and that Vegas to Reno races fall well within the intended use of BLM lands. I have a scan of the letter that the Tonopah field office sent me below with the sentence mentioning the Finding of No Significant Impact highlighted. I also have provided a direct link to the 81 page Environmental Assessment.One final note...the fight to keep the race and the desert open is not over however. There appears to be yet ANOTHER comment period as indicated by the final paragraph of the Tonopah letter which states now that comments regarding the EA can now be sent until 7/30. You can be sure a whole new round of letters detailing the EA's failures to address who knows what will be coming from numerous environmental groups. I would suggest desert racing fans again express their own support and send their letters in. The people wanting to stop desert

racing will not stop their efforts to end desert racing and we cannot fail to express our support for it at every opportunity...

Because The First Trillion Wasn't Enough...

Look, no one wants the economy to turn around faster than I do...I've been unemployed for nearly six months now and I'm not exactly making headway on my life goals with my unemployment checks. That being said...My god...though most of America may not have the words on their lips yet, be forewarned here, the phrase "Stimulus Package Part 2" will soon be broadcast nightly on the evening news. With less than $100 Billion of the first TRILLION $ stimulus package spent so far (how those renovated bathrooms in Missouri state parks treating you??) Obama and the rest of his staff are prepping the public by floating numerous trial balloons and making various comments in the press for the introduction of a second TRILLION $ package which will come up in Congress in August...Which is all in addition to the takeover of Chrysler and GM and the socialization of medicine. And don't even get me started on what the master plan is here (anyone for socialized urban communes under the guise of energy Independence and equality for all??). Bottom line is...if you have a sane brain cell in your head, please become aware of the FACTS regarding this administration and not just the pablum that is fed to you on the nightly news...Thats all I ask...

Trial Balloons regarding 2nd Stimulus are now being floated everywhere...

New Dirt 2 Trailer...

Ahh...This is what I've been waiting for...Not only is it a new trailer for the Colin McRae Dirt 2 video game but it includes clips of non-rally vehicles including the Honda Ridgeline Stock Mini currently dominating its class in SCORE and BITD races and the classic Terrible Herbst Landshark truggy. I can't wait for this to come out now that I know it won't be a purely closed track, all rally car video game. It looks like it will be everything that I wish the Baja: Edge of Control and other recent offroad video games could have been...

Nissan Xterra--The Straight Scoop On Its Future...

OK...OK...all you Xterra fans (myself included) you can come in off that ledge now. Recently there was a post on The NewX.org website detailing a meeting between some Nissan dealership GMs and Nissan management in which it was said that the dealerships were told that the decision had come down to cancel the Xterra and that there would actually not even be a 2010 model. Needless to say, this caused quite a kerfuffle (love that word) amongst the offroad loving segment of Nissan owners. As one of the last true, body on frame SUVs with the toughness to tackle a real adventure the Xterra has a special place in the heart of many an American.

Well, your intrepid reporter here at NismoStuff got to the bottom of this story and here it is:

100% UNTRUE...In speaking to Scott Vazin (Head of Product PR at Nissan), who was very gracious in taking the time to speak to me after I basically spammed all of Nissan management with an email expressing my displeasure in hearing that the Xterra was cancelled I learned quite a bit that gives me hope for the Xterra's future. First and foremost, the Xterra has not be cancelled in any way shape or form. Scott stated that after receiving my email that he gave a call over to the head of Nissan's head of product development to make absolutely sure that there was nothing he had not become aware of and was told the Xterra is currently scheduled to run its full life cycle through '10 and '11, continuing to be produced at the New Smyrna, TN plant alongside its other F-Alpha brethren (Frontier, Titan, Armada, Pathfinder). When I asked how Nissan's plans to also produce its upcoming line of Electric Vehicles at this same plant would impact these plans, I was informed that there is more than sufficient capacity at the New Smyrna plant to produce both the EVs and all the body on frame Xterras, Frontiers, etc. and that ramping up production of the EVs would not have a negative impact on their ability to produce our favorite petrol burning trucks. Let me be crystal clear here--Nissan WILL produce the Xterra through its full life cycle until 2011. Period. Kill the rumors...

Now...all that being said...Scott was also frank with me in regards to the fact that no decision on the future of the Xterra BEYOND its current life cycle has been made. The decision to build a 3rd generation of Xterras has yet to come to a head and will obviously also involve similar decisions in regards to the future of the Frontier, Pathfinder, Armada and Titan. Scott was also candid in stating that the Titan is obviously the one they are looking at with the most scrutiny right now, though even if the Titan were to be cancelled today, the Armada would continue in production. The future of all these vehicles is understandingly dependent upon economic conditions and consumer preferences. This makes these decisions so difficult given that what is true today almost certainly not be true in 2 or 3 years when the fruits of today's decisions will finally be seen. Though we have no assurances at this point on a 3rd generation of Xterras, we have through 2011 at a minimum and perhaps we as fans of the vehicle and consumers can help shape what the future Xterra could be (a mini Patrol?) if it is to continue ...

On a slightly separate tangent Scott shared with me that what the GM who told his employees COULD have been referring to is the 2nd generation Rogue. A decision HAS been made at this point to produce a 2nd generation Rogue for U.S. consumption, meaning the current Rogue will be phased out in the near future. This means that any sights of our Canadian neighbors Xtrail vehicle is exceedingly unlikely that we Americans will continue to see them with Canadian plates.

Lastly, I also inquired about Nissan's EVs which are getting so much press lately. While GM and others are focusing on Hybrids and "kind of" EVs like the $40K Chevy Volt, Nissan will be introducing its line of 100% EVs beginning in VERY late 2010 to fleet customers and then to the consumer market near the 2nd/3rd quarter of '11 and will be staggered to accommodate the the markets most likely to have a high demand for them--meaning if you live in Minot, ND, you are not likely to see a Nissan EV anytime soon...

So there you have it...the straight scoop (from the head of Nissan PR and head of Nissan product planning no less) on the current state of Nissan's thinking regarding our beloved Xterra. Feel free to shoot down rumors of the Xterra's imminent decline wherever you see fit.

Hot Wheels 2009 #1 Nissan GT-R...

Well, for '09 Hot Wheels certainly knew the right car to put as their #1 for the year. The Nissan GT-R is arguably the most written about and discussed performance car to come out in the past 20 years. I have also seen this Hot Wheel in blue and red though the Wal Mart near me had them only in white. Ebay has them listed for like $2.99. It is a nice addition to the Datsun 510 Hot Wheel I purchased earlier this year and posted about earlier in the year...

HPI Racing's Awesome RC Cars...

One of the leaders in the R/C market, HPI Racing, has recently introduced a line of vehicles they call their "Cup Racing" line of mini R/C cars. Measuring 390 mm long by 160 mm wide, these true 1/10 scale cars possess incredible detail and all high end, reliable parts as HPI is well known for. As an added bonus, two of the first three body shells they have released for these cars are Datsun/Nissans. One is a Datsun 510 body and the other is a Nissan 240Z. More info here: HPI Racing Cup Racer Line...

Cash For Clunkers--Bad Idea...

Though I have certainly been tempted by the $4,500 that I would get for my 2000 Xterra, in balancing out the negatives of entering into such a deal (new car payments, higher insurance, etc.) I have come down on the "No, thanks..." side of the ledger as this writer has. A well written article, using the authors '00 Frontier as an example, on how the "Cash For Clunkers" deal now in effect is a poor proposition for most reasonable, logical people. Of course if you are looking to increase your debt, decrease your cash flow and end up worse off than you were before--but with a shiny new vehicle--have at it...

Pickup Trucks dot com Cash for Clunkers article....

Sarah Palin's Hardbody For Sale!!

No...not THAT hardbody...I am talking about their 1997 Nissan Hardbody. It was recently for sale on Ebay, though it failed to sell...guess the fact that it used to be owned by the current Gov. of Alaska was not enough for someone to start out with a $6,500 bid on a 13 year old, salvage titled truck...Maybe if you contact the buyer he might let it go for less at this point...Love the "photoshopped" pics of Palin in the truck as well...

Sarah & Todd Palin's old Hardbody...

And Now For Something Completely Different!!

As I was doing my usual Flickr search for Nissan or Rally photos, up pops this!! A Yellow Fronty leading the way at this past weekends 6/28 NYC Gay Pride parade!! Yeah, say what you will but putting a Nissan at the front of their parade makes them OK in my book!

Might Wanna Rethink Your Vehicle Strategy Nissan...

OK...first the bad news...Nissan sales continue to decline along with the entire auto industry and were down some 22% in June. This is however a major slowing of the decline seen in the past six months and is a better performance than most manufacturers other than Ford who saw sales drop by only 10%. I am picking Ford as the auto company most likely to start kicking ass and taking names over the next 5 years by the way---THEY GET IT. They understand that the American and World markets are two distinct things and make their vehicles accordingly. Unfortunately Nissan is heading in the wrong direction at the moment looking to phase out ALL trucks and SUVs and go solely to a small, urban, electric lineup (perhaps a bit over exaggerated but not far off...). Which brings me to my point. Nissan's truck and SUV sales are leveling off far quicker than their car sales are and given the greater profitability to be found in trucks/SUVs and the cost savings to be found in single platform derived vehicles such as the Xterra, Frontier, Titan, etc. Nissan may want to rethink becoming Obama's pet foreign car maker...

Nissan June Sales Press Release...