Nissan To Ax Altima SE-R, Ponder Diesel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nissan offered an unusual look into its future product plans this week on the company's Web site, including the news that it will roll out a new concept "product" at the upcoming North American International Auto Show.

The company also said it is mulling the possibility of using clean diesel and direct-injection gas engines in its future lineup.

The information was woven into a rambling discussion with Larry Dominique, Nissan North America vice president of product planning and strategy. Dominique answered "10 questions," including what will happen with the Z in view of the impending debut of the GT-R.

"The price of the GT-R will keep it above the mass market, but the Z is attainable by most," Dominique said. "The next-generation Z will continue to deliver upon that promise. It will have considerably more performance than the current model and give a visual stimulus, beyond today's Z."

He said the automaker is "continuing to pursue higher horsepower and torque in upcoming vehicle releases, initially through displacement changes."

Dominique confirmed that the Altima SE-R will no longer be offered and hinted at a change in strategy for upcoming SE-R vehicles. "Historically, our use of SE-R has been inconsistent with performance," he said. "Sometimes it was just a badge with some appearance changes; other times true performance enhancements went along with the badge. As we plan our future sport strategy, we want to ensure consistency in content, capability and positioning."

Dominique said the Titan truck will be a "minor refinement" that will roll out in May with interior and exterior changes. A couple of Titan model variants will make their debut at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show. Armada will get "more extensive refinements," and the redesigned SUV will debut at the Chicago Auto Show in February.

He said the Versa will get "a large selection of Nismo parts" and said the upcoming Detroit auto show will feature a redone Infiniti QX56 and a new "concept product" for Nissan.

© Source: original article on insideline