Nissan Forums Philippines

Congratulations to the Nissan X-Trail for becoming the number 1 selling SUV in domestic Japan for the second consecutive year!

[Nissan Press Release]

TOKYO (April 8, 2009)– Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. (NML) today announced the sales of the X-TRAIL in FY2008 has reached to 27,001 units and achieved No.1 selling SUV for the second consecutive year. Since the full redesigning in August, 2007, X-TRAIL has received accolades for its powerful traction and stability through Nissan’s advanced four-wheel drive system, called ALL MODE 4×4i, and highly functional interior including an amply large luggage area and heated front and rear seats, applied first in its class, with water-repellent materials. Furthermore, a new clean diesel X-TRAIL “20GT”, the first vehicle in the world which meets Japan’s stringent “Post New Long-term Regulations”, was released in September, 2008 and its sales target has been greatly exceeded. In addition, in Japan’s new preferential tax scheme for environment-friendly vehicles, effective April 2009, a clean diesel X-TRAIL “20GT” qualifies for maximum tax break at zero tax for automobile acquisition tax and automobile weight tax. Nissan will continuously expand the sales with the lineup of eco-friendly vehicles qualified for the new preferential tax scheme.

Nissan, or Mr. Ghosn, may be taking things a little too obsessively and personally with all the “Porsche Killer” hype that Nissan is running with these days. There are rumors circulating that a GT-R based Cross-Over SUV may be in the works to challenge the Porsche Cayenne. The GT-R already beat the 911 Turbo around the Nurburgring, and the upcoming GT-R based Infiniti Sedan may go head-to-head with the Porsche Panamera. And it’s great that Nissan is working on utilizing the GT-R platform for use on future models, but for some it’s just a bit hard to imagine and appreciate an SUV with the looks of the GT-R. The Porsche Cayenne, which is based off of Porsche’s line of potent sports cars, wasn’t exactly met with warm reviews about its’ looks when it came out….and it still isn’t. So imagine a tall and wide SUV with the profile and mug of a GT-R? No thanks, really.

Read the rest of this entry »