Nissan to debut three autos at N.Y.
The New York International Auto Show started Wednesday with two days of press previews before the show opens its doors to the public Easter Weekend.
My news beat starts with Nissan, the company that cracked 100,000 annual sales for the first time last year, with rising sales percentages that give it reason to boast that it is the fastest growing automotive company in Canada.
Nissan will debut three vehicles later on Wednesday and Thursday.
An early sneak peak reveals that the company’s premier division, Infiniti, will unveil two models.
The QX30 Concept makes its North American debut after its initial unveiling in Geneva earlier in the year.
This premium compact coupe crossover, aimed primarily at European markets but also at North America, should make quite a global splash if engineers can parlay the concept’s dynamic coupe-like design and bold “dual wave” styling lines into an actual production model with the same intense flavour. Curiously, the QX30 is based on the MercedesBenz GLA and will even be powered by a shared 2.0- litre turbocharged direct injection powerplant with a 7-speed automatic. Expect a 2017 production model by next year.
Infiniti’s second debut features a new and revamped 2016 QX50 (formerly the EX35 model) with a longer wheelbase, stretched by 80 mm (3.2”) for more interior passenger room, especially in the second row. Exterior changes with new front and rear treatments mirror the Q50 sport sedan style. The QX50 also features LED lighting, new wheel options, new side mirrors with integrated LED signals, an acrossthe-board increase in content, a standard moonroof for all trim levels and a new shade of Hagane Blue added to the colour palette.
On Thursday, Nissan will unveil the company’s flagship, the 2016 Nissan Maxima, promising a bolder, brasher style in keeping with the original Maxima idea of a “four-door sports car”. The Maxima more or less skipped 2015, carrying over the 2014 model while engineers finished the new car, hopefully with influences from last year’s Sport Sedan Concept with an aggressive stance, V-motion front, boomerang-style headlights and taillamps (a la Nissan Z) and the floating roof with blacked-out pillars. I would also expect an incremental power increase, say 5-10 hp more from the awardwinning VQ35 3.5-litre engine.
But we’ll see when the curtain rises.
We’ll present a final wrap-up after the show.