The 370Z launched in India comes with the Synchro Rev Match manual transmission. This system facilitates a smooth gear change by increase or decreasing the rpm of the engine so that the clutch plate and the flywheel mess at the same rpm. For instance when you change down from 4th gear to 3rd you would take the foot off the throttle, apply the clutch and change the gear, at this moment the Synchro Rev Match kicks in. It matches the engine rpm (i.e. flywheel’s rpm) to that of the clutch shaft’s (i.e. shaft connecting the clutch and the gearbox) and then re-engages the clutch which results in ultra-smooth gear change.

It does this by means of sensors (obviously). Synchro Rev uses engine rpm sensor, gearbox rpm sensor throttle position sensor and a sensor to monitor the position of the gear lever. In the 6-speed manual 370Z, the output shaft spins at the same rpm (5000 assuming) as the engine at 6th gear as the gear ratio is 1.1 (almost) but the gear ratio for 5th gear is 1.56:1 (assuming) hence when the gear is shifted from 6th to 5th the engine has to spin at 5000*1.56 rpm for a smooth gear change. Synchro Rev increases the rpm of the engine to 7800rpm so that both the flywheel and the clutch plate spin at the same rpm and then re-engages the clutch. Other than the smooth gear change, Synchro Rev reduces the wear and tear of the clutch plate.

here is a video of 370z’s engineer explaining how the Synchro Rev match works:

Juhu’s flying club saw something extraordinary than it is used to, a Nissan’s 370Z. Nissan launched the 370Z in India yesterday, when I say launched, the 370Z was literally launched off a truck container on to the ramp and then on the tarmac where it did what Japanese cars do best, drifts and doughnuts. It was quite a surprise when Narain Karthikeyan walked out of the red hot Nissan.

With the launch of the 370Z Nissan has opened its supply of its sportier Z family to India. As most of us know Z is one of the iconic ranges of sports cars to have ever drifted on earth. If Americans have the muscle cars the Japanese have the Z. Read this to know how significant the 370Z launch in India is.

Apart from its pedigree the car is quite the sports coupe for the Tokyo drifting kind of persona. But in India it is going to be more of a car for the “look how deep my pocket is” kind of persona as it is priced at Rs. 53.50 lakh for the 6-speed manual variant and a lakh more for the 7-speed automatic both ex-showroom Delhi. Actual cost of the car in the US is $33k and up on adding the 110% tax as the 370Z arrives as a completely built unit (CBU), the cost comes to about 35lakhs max. So Nissan priced the370Z rather greedily. Other two cars on this segment in India, the Boxster and the Z4 are priced at 47lakhs and 59lakhs respectively both ex-showroom Delhi.

The number 370 refers to the cc of the 370Z’s engine which is 3700 (almost). This V6 engine with a Power output of 332 hp and 370 Nm of torque pushes it from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.1 seconds. The 370Z launched in India is the sports package variant and it hosts 8speaker Bose sound system and 19” wheels. But what is unique about the 370Z is its world’s first SynchroRev gear matching system which I will get to in detail later.

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Photo courtesy: Team-bhp

Nissan NV200 van was spotted in Bangalore-Chennai Highway close to the company’s upcoming big plant. The Van/MPV comes under the same segment at Tata’s Winger considering the body type and not the features so it might start a new niche in the market.

If that happens, it would open a floodgate of sliding doored MPVs from Japan as Toyota has two aces up its sleeves in the disguise of Toyota Alphard and Previa which are a massive success in the pacific ring. In India these two are quite the celebrities as Alphard is what the CM of TamilNadu rolls in and the Previa enjoyed stardom in Kamalhaasan’s “Panchathandiram”. Honda could join up with its Freed MPV.

NV200 comes in two body types, people or cargo carrier, the one spotted testing is a people carrier but Nissan might even bring the cargo carrier as there had been speculation of a LCV from Nissan.

From the looks of it the following will form Nissan’s future line up

• X-trail (present)
• Teana (present)
• Micra (confirmed)
• Micra sedan (confirmed)
• Murano (confirmed)
• 350z (confirmed)
• NV200 (spotted testing)

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Photo Courtesy: Team-BHP

This is the 2nd set of rendering of the next generation Nissan Micra, after Nissan revealed the sketches of the production model. The new renderings are from Auto Express and are better than the older renderings as more details from the sketch are included.

The Micra will have Nissan’s “V” platform qualities. The “V” platform stands for “Versatility” and has in essence efficiency in both design and production. The car will be weighed down with 18% reduced number of parts. The sourcing of the parts will be done locally up to 80%, both these making up for efficiency.

The Micra will be produced in the Chennai plant and will be exported to Thailand, Bangkok, Japan and Europe. It will be showcased at the upcoming Delhi Auto Expo and will be available in India by may when the production starts.

The car is expected to sport a new 3-cylinder engine which will be mated to Continuous variable transmission (CVT) which is nothing but a automatic gearbox. It is also expected to have the stop-start system. both the transmission and start-stop technology will help increase the mileage of the Micra.

click here for the previous entries on this story!

The Telegraph has reported that Nissan will be launching its world renowned mid-sized crossover SUV Murano in India with the first half of next year. It will first be displayed at Delhi Auto show in January.

The price of the Murano is expected to be some where in-between 35-40lakhs with the added 110% import taxing as it will be shipped in as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) from Japan.

The SUV may come in three variants — the base S, the mid-grade SL and the top of the line LE. The all-wheel drive vehicle is expected to be strapped with a 3.5-litre petrol V6 engine.

Murano has always been a stand out design with its front chromed grills and curvaceous body. With its not so text bookish dimensions the car looks contemporary or even futuristic. For now we will let you off with the brochure.

Headlight magazine has made a rendering of the Nissan Micra based on the production model sketches. The rendering is quite accurate with the sketch and the car looks better in this now that it is colored. Micra is headed for the Indian and Global launch next year may.

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Couple of weeks back Nissan officially released couple of weak renderings of the soon to be launched Micra. Now the sketches of the actual production model have surfaced on the interweb. Based on what we see here, the Micra has gone all mellow with its surface looks and is far from being a contemporary design.

But what of course a pencil sketch of even the Alfa 8C will be less than impressive. This sketched Micra will be produced from May 2010 in its Chennai Facility and will be launched soon after.

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Nissan revealed a couple of sketches of its “Global small car” yesterday. This is the replacement for Nissan’s current small car Micra in Japan and elsewhere. It is to be sold in 150 countries and it might bear a different name in different regions. The car will be produced primarily in Chennai, Thailand, china and two other undisclosed locations.

The new styling curves suggest that Nissan has kept the design on the conventional side. This New Micra shreds off its girly looks, which was unique. This will be Nissan’s entry level car in India with production starting from May 2010 at the Chennai Plant and sales soon after.

Check out previous posts on the Micra here.

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A Japanese newspaper reports that the Nissan Micra will be launched in India as early as May next year. May of 2010 is the month in which production will start at Renault-Nissan plant in Chennai. We cannot confirm the launch date but what we can confirm is, the next generation Micra which is up for the Indian launch will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor show in March 2010.

It is expected that the Micra will sport a 1L engine available with two options. The first being a entry level naturally aspirated engine , the second is rather interesting with both turbo and supercharger working side by side to boost up its power. This second variant will have dual-injection technology (will have to wait for Nissan to explain that).The Micra is likely to be made in two more body types, a sedan and a multipurpose vehicle (MPV).

Nissan Z-series is the sports sector of the company which started back in 1969 with the 240Z. All the Z cars were named “Fairlady Z” in Japan but exported under the names 240Z, 370Z etc. As I was saying 240Z started the Z-series with a 2.4L inline-6 which produced 151 bhp. Back then Nissans were branded as Datsun for the western market.

The 240Z was replaced by 260Z which had a bigger engine with a 2.6L capacity and power output of 162bhp, the 260Z offered a 2+2 seating option. The 260Z was replaced by the 280Z with an engine capacity of , ya u guess it right 2.8L and an output of 170bhp, the 280Z is the first in the series to get a fuel injection by Bosch, until now all the Z-series cars used carburetors.

The 280Z was replaced by the 280Zx which was designed to be more luxurious because of the growing demand for luxury. The 280Zx had Tagra-top (removable top), automatic and turbo-charged options. The 280Zx was named Motor Trend’s car of the year 1979 which helped Datsun gain recognition.

Then for the first time ever V6 engine was introduced in to the Z family. In 1984 the 3.0L V6 engined Datsun 300Zx was launched. This later became the cult favorite among Japanese Drifters. This was the first model to have both Datsun and Nissan brandings in the U.S. then from 1985 Datsun brand was killed off for good and the Nissan name emerged.

There were numerous variants of the 300Zx from 1985 to 1989 but none were worth mentioning, but then came the 1990 version of the 300Zx which is still the most prettiest Z. the only thing which the 1990 300Zx had in common with the previous 300Zx was the engine displacement. The model went through a complete overhaul. The 300Zx was one of the cars to have been completely designed using CAD. The 300Zx offered top of the line technical advancements like twin-turbo, intercoolers, variable valve timing, dual over-head camshafts and 4-wheel steering in one of its special variants. The car won so many awards that helped it reach the 1 million sales mark in 1990 and made it the all time best selling sports car at that time.

The 300Zx saw the glory days of Nissan and the Z cars. After the 300Zx Nissan almost went burst with its financial problems but recovered and under the new leadership of Renault which bough 44% of Nissan’s stakes, the Z-series came back to life with the launch of the 350Z in 2002. The 350Z as evidently had a 3.5L V6 engine with a power output of 300bhp. The car was priced at 26,000 US$ (13lakh Rupees).
The 350Z came in a variety of trims starting from the basic model to the track ready variant named “Nizmo”. The nizmo soon grows popular among sports car enthusiasts. The 350Z had limited slip-differential, traction control, vehicle stability control, satellite navigation, Bose music system and Brembo brakes.

The 350Z was replaced by the current Z model the 370Z, which is making its debut in India during the January of 2010. I will post another article complete on the technical insights of the 370Z with complete analysis of the various features and its applications.

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