It’s not that I regret the choices I’ve made. Had I planned my life carefully I doubt very much I’d be in a happier situation than this. Everything is as I’d want it – we’re leaving Soham, moving into a beautiful place in the country, I’m writing for a living and my husband is earning enough that we can start saving up for a house.

And yet…

It’s the lost potential. Now that I’m settled, I’m starting to realise that there isn’t just me anymore. The enormity of the commitment I’ve made is weighing heavily on my conscience and for the first time, I’m wondering if I am selfless enough to sustain my current life. I have to think of S- now when I go swanning off up the country, have to remember that I can’t just pick up everything at the drop of a hat like I used to, sail up to Edinburgh and to hell with the petrol costs. There is someone else depending on my income, on my presence. On me.

As soon as I stepped through the door an hour ago I desperately wanted to turn around, get back into the afore-mentioned Ford and hightail it to the border, never to look back… although saying that, perhaps Charlie Micra is a wiser move as taking my own car wouldn’t constitute theft…

Either way, I’m beginning to doubt my strength of character. In order to keep things as they are, in this state of socially accepted security, I have to give up so much of my old life, of my old self. I saw an ex while I was at home, and though he was happy with his wife and their child, my immediate thought was, “Ha! Dodged that bullet!” He seemed to have given up on an interesting life. He drove a Vauxhall for fuck sake – the car for people who just don’t care anymore.

I shouldn’t be thinking like that. I shouldn’t look at someone in the position I have been aiming for – consciously or not – and want to crow about how, by not being burdened by responsibility, I am better off. And the really ridiculous thing is that I do have responsibilities. I just end up sitting behind the wheel of the car, seeing the intoxicating signs that say ‘The North’ and I forget everything. I’m on the road with two of my best friends and I never want it to end. I just want to drive until we lose the land and keep going by boat, by rail, by whatever we can find.

I stood at the top of Bennachie with J- this week and felt free, like I’d been released from the stagnating thoughts that finally killed the last vestiges of my creativity – worrying about work, houses and all the other things that we fill our lives with and which don’t matter. I never want to stay still again – never want to stop trying to reach the roof of the world with people I adore. I just find myself moving further and further from my old dreams and buying into the life I swore I’d never have.

First comes love, second comes marriage, then comes the baby in the golden carriage.

I used to strive towards living on a boat in the Norfolk Broads, with a big fat cat for company. I wanted to be the girl from ‘Drops of Jupiter’ by Train* and have countless almost-love affairs, full of meaningful glances and not-quite-touches and break the hearts of everyone who saw me. I wanted to write the most tragic love story since Romeo and Juliet, and I wanted people to laugh along with it. I wanted to die unexpectedly at the age of 45 in a road accident involving a Black Shadow motorcycle, and tell the man who’d been my true love all along, from my death bed, that it had all been for him.

But I don’t suppose I’m that interesting. I’m a writer, afterall, and I dream about people like this. In reality, I clean my house, cook my dinners and don’t go tearing half way across the country to announce my feelings in epic speeches. I don’t visit the people I love often enough and make the usual excuses as to why. For the most part, I even drive the speed limit.

No, it’s not that I regret the choices I’ve made – I am happy – but I do wonder what possibilities are closed to me now. I don’t want to let another day slip by without making something that the sentimental side of my brain can call a memory, and that the rest of me will feel is an adventure. I want to drive down side roads without knowing where they go, start walking at dawn into the wild blue yonder and find myself in places I’d never otherwise have found. And whilst I’ll never be the girl in the boat who breaks hearts, maybe I can be something closer to her than I am now. Perhaps my life and hers aren’t all that incompatible afterall.

First thing tomorrow, I’m driving out to Wicken Fen – far too fast – with my Moleskine and a pencil. It’s time to write my tragedy.

_____

*Now that she’s back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there’s a time to change, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey

But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way
To see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?

Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself out there?

Now that she’s back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does Tae-Bo
Reminds me that there’s room to grow, hey

Now that she’s back in the atmosphere
I’m afraid that she might think of me as
Plain ol’ Jane told a story about a man
Who was too afraid to fly so he never did land

But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day
And head back to the Milky Way?

And tell me, did Venus blow your mind?
Was it everything you wanted to find?
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself out there

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you
Even when I know you’re wrong?

Can you imagine no first dance, freeze-dried romance
Five-hour phone conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had, and me?

But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way?

But tell me, did you sail across the sun?
Did you make it to the Milky Way
To see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated?

And tell me, did you fall for a shooting star?
One without a permanent scar
And then you missed me
While you were looking for yourself?

And did you finally get the chance
To dance along the light of day?
And did you fall for a shooting star?
Fall for a shooting star?
And now you’re lonely looking for yourself out there

Es gibt endlich die ersten Fotos vom neuen Micra zu sehen! Freundlicherweise im Nissanboard verlinkt, sind diese Bilder wieder mal von AUTOinCAR. Die Redakteure dort haben offenbar wirklich gute Beziehungen *g*.

Foto: AUTOinCAR

Noch weitere Fotos inklusive Heckansichten gibt es unter diesem Link hier zu bewundern. Momentan kann man vielleicht noch nicht ganz sicher sagen, ob es sich bei dem Fahrzeug auf den Bildern wirklich um den K13 handelt, aber wahrscheinlich ist es schon. Auf den von Nissan veröffentlichten Skizzen und den technischen Zeichnungen, die ebenfalls schon an die Öffentlichkeit gelangt sind, sieht der Wagen jedenfalls ziemlich ähnlich aus…

Im Gegensatz zum K12 ist die Formgebung um einiges weniger polarisierend ausgefallen. Wenn man daran denkt, dass Nissan den neuen Micra auf der ganzen Welt vermarkten möchte und wohl möglichst viele Exemplare loswerden will, dann dürfte diese Entscheidung auch Sinn machen. Es könnte aber auch passieren, dass der K13 deswegen auf manche Käufer in unseren Breiten etwas zu austauschbar wirkt. Prognosen traue ich mich da allerdings noch keine abzugeben und sowieso heißt es immer, erst einmal auf das fertige Auto zu warten und es mit eigenen Augen anzusehen.

Próximo compacto da Nissan, o Micra é flagrado (Fotos: Auto.qq.com)

Depois de alguns flagrantes e projeções, o próximo Nissan Micra é finalmente flagrado em suas formas finais. Vale lembrar que é grande a chance do carro ser fabricado no Paraná, já em 2010.

O flagrante mundial coube ao site chinês Auto QQ. As imagens foram feitas possivelmente dentro da fábrica da marca. Por isso e para não comprometer ninguém o fundo das fotos foi modificado.

As formas do carro são muito semelhantes ao que já haviamos divulgado. Talvez um pouco acanhadas demais. Destaque para a frente redonda e com uma grande boca.

As dimensões devem ser próximas do Fiat Punto e Citroën C2 nacional. Caso seja confirmado no Brasil, o carro deve chegar até 2011.

O pequeno veículo global que a Nissan está preparando para mercados emergentes começou a tomar forma. Com o visual bastante próximo dos renderings divulgados aqui recentemente, o modelo foi flagrado na China. Seu estilo é moderno, com linhas simples e limpas. Ele deve chegar ao mercado brasileiro em 2011, com fabricação nacional, na planta de São José dos Pinhais (PR). As fotos são do site AutoQQ.

O estilo do compacto global da Nissan não é dos mais esportivos, mas foi pensado para agradar a vários mercados. Isto inclui o gosto exótico dos chineses e o estilo moderno apreciado por brasileiros e argentinos. O visual lembra vagamente a atual geração do Micra, a qual se especula que este veículo também substituirá.

Vale lembrar que o atual Micra, vendido no Japão como March, utiliza a plataforma B da aliança Renault-Nissan, também adotada pelo Clio III. A base do modelo das fotos é a inédita “V”, assim batizada devido à sua versatilidade. Ela deve gerar um monovolume para suceder o Note e um inédito sedã, previsto para 2011. Todos devem vir ao Brasil, apesar de o sucessor do Note poder não vir devido à canibalização de vendas do Livina.

Também já se fala nos motores que o novo modelo deverá utilizar. Por aqui, a aposta ficaria para o trio de propulsores da Renault: 1.0 16v, 1.6 8v e 1.6 16v. Ele ficaria numa faixa próxima de Clio e Sandero, segundo rumores. Para o mais potente pode haver opção de transmissão automática, seguindo a tendência do mercado nacional.

A previsão é de que este modelo seja lançado no mercado asiático em março de 2010. Por aqui, ele chega no fim do ano que vem. As primeiras unidades devem começar a ser testadas nas ruas no final do primeiro semestre de 2010.

GALERIA

O hatch da Nissan chegará em breve ao Brasil (Ilustração: Auto Express)

Enquanto a Volkswagen dá um tapa no Fox e prorroga a vinda do Polo europeu e a Ford deve trazer o Figo ao invés do Fiesta europeu, a Nissan prepara para atacar com o novo Micra. Um carro moderno e atual, feito para ser vendido em mais de cem países.

A ilustrãção acima é feita a partir dos esboços que vazaram do órgão de registro de patentes europeu na última semana. Por isso, pode confiar que o carro será assim mesmo.

O modelo tem uma ampla entrada de ar no pára-choque, faróis ovalados e dois vincos fortes sobre o capô O teto é alto e janelas amplas. A traseira segue a receita de muitos compactos: lanternas pequenas e verticais que formam vincos na tampa do porta-malas.

O novo Micra deve ser produzido na planta do grupo Renault-Nissan, sediada em São José dos Pinhais (PR). Ele deve chegar ao mercado em 2011.

Já não é segredo que a Nissan trabalha em um veículo compacto, de baixo custo, para o mercado brasileiro. A intenção da empresa é atuar no segmento de modelos baratos, como Ford Fiesta e Fiat Palio. Com o vazamento de imagens recente, agora surgem informações e projeções de fora do país. Elas vêm da revista inglesa AutoExpress.

Pelo que se sabe, este modelo será a nova geração do Micra. Tratado como projeto X02A, ele também deve vir ao Brasil. Aliás, a partir do ano que vem, sua comercialização chegará a 150 países, começando pela Ásia. Ao que tudo indica, o compacto será produzido também no Brasil – ou ao menos no México.

A plataforma é nova, conhecida como V, por sua versatiblidade (a do Logan é a B0, por exemplo). Com baixo peso e amplo aproveitamento de espaço, ela dará origem também a um sedã, para mercados emergentes, e a um monovolume. Este substituirá o Note. A base mecânica será 50 kg mais leve que a do modelo atual, ainda que com mais ênfase em segurança, e deverá ser adotada também pela Renault.

O primeiro motor confirmado para o modelo é um novo três-cilindros a gasolina. Ele deve adotar o sistema Start-Stop, para economizar combustível. Além disso, terá opção de transmissão continuamente variável (CVT), a depender do país.

Seu grande rival será o futuro compacto Toyota, que a empresa produzirá no Brasil.

GALERIA

Projeção do próximo Micra feita e divulgada pela própria Nissan

O mercado brasileiro deve vender 3 milhões de carros este ano e se tornar de vez um dos principais mercados automobilísticos do mundo. A Nissan sabe disso, e não quer ficar de fora.

Os planos da fabricante japonesa são ambiciosos. Em 2011, a Nissan irá lançar no país o hatch Micra, que ganha nova geração no ano que vem. Um ano depois, em 2012, a Nissan lançará um sedã com cara distinta e mesma plataforma do Micra.

O hatch será a aposta da Nissan não só no Brasil, o carro deverá ser vendido em nada menos que 150 países. Ele chega primeiro na Tailândia, já em 2010. A fabricante espera vender 500 mil unidades do novo Micra, no mundo, no ano de lançamento.

Aqui no Brasil ele terá que brigar principalmente com o Ford Fiesta, que já será igual ao europeu. O carro deverá ser fabricado em São José dos Pinhais, no Paraná.

Confira essas imagens também divulgadas pela Nissan no início do mês.

Der nächste Micra-Generation wird auf einer neu entwickelten Plattform stehen, über die jetzt die ersten Details bekannt geworden sind.

Foto: AutoMotoPortal.HR

Die “V” – Plattform wird weltweit eingesetzt werden und neben dem Micra noch zwei weitere Fahrzeuge tragen, nämlich einen kleinen Van nach dem Vorbild des Nissan Note und ein Fahrzeug mit angedeutetem Stufenheck für konservativer eingestellte Märkte. Ausgelegt ist sie auf Autos bis 1600 Kg Gewicht und ein maximales Drehmoment von 200 Nm, also wird ein 1.5 Liter Turbodiesel der größte Motor sein, der in den Modellen verbaut werden wird…

Die “V” – Plattform ist etwas größer als die Vorgänger-Version und ist gleichzeitig um 50 Kg leichter. Außerdem werden die “V” – Autos aus weniger Komponenten zusammengesetzt werden als die früheren Nissan Kleinwagen, was die Kosten nach unten drückt. Ein kleinerer und leichterer Tank unterstreicht außerdem, dass der Verbrauch gesenkt wurde, was beim Micra mit kleinen 3 Zylinder Motoren mit einem Hubraum von 0.9 und 1.2 Litern und mit Tubolader erreicht wird. Ob es auch weitere Spritspartechnologien oder gar eine Hybrid-Version geben wird, wurde von Nissan – Seite aus noch nicht bestätigt, aber auch nicht dementiert.

Laut Nissan werden die neuen Kleinwagen drehfreudig agieren, aber dank der der leichteren Bauweise im Vergleich mit der Konkurrenz sehr sparsam unterwegs sein. Klingt alles schon recht interessant, langsam könnten wirklich die ersten Bilder vom fertigen Micra auftauchen *g*.

barnoldswick car incident, originally uploaded by North West Air Ambulance.

Two emergency helicopters attend East Lancashire road traffic accident

A road traffic accident in Kelbrook Road near Barnoldswick became the first incident attended by two air ambulance emergency helicopters. The new North West Air Ambulance based in Manchester joined its sister aircraft from Blackpool in providing assistance following the collision earlier this week.

The two air ambulances landed close to the scene in a field and supported land ambulance and rapid response teams in providing assistance. The driver was airlifted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and a passenger in the car to Airedale Hospital. Police later confirmed that Winifred Hoyle, 73, of Barnoldswick died at Airedale Hospital.

NHS East Lancashire provided much needed support to help introduce a second air ambulance and the helipad at the Royal Blackburn Hospital is recognised as one of the best in North West England allowing rapid transfer of patients to the emergency department.

Lynda Brislin, Chief Executive of the charity that operates the helicopters said: “This was a tragic accident that took place in a remote part of the region. The two air ambulances provided vital support and rapid transfer to the emergency hospitals.

“At this time our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mrs Hoyle.”

The Air Ambulance is a charity and relies 100% on public support so please visit www.nwaa.net or call 0800 587 4570 to donate.

Völlig ohne Hintergundinfos, weil ich leider überhaupt keine zu diesem Bild gefunden habe, präsentiere ich euch eine weitere Zeichnung vom neuen Nissan Micra. Gefunden auf AUTOinCAR und dort ebenso wortkarg veröffentlicht.

Foto: AUTOinCAR

Zum Vergleich sei nochmal auf die Zeichnungen verwiesen, die von Nissan Anfang Oktober in einer Pressemitteilung veröffentlicht wurden und die ich an anderer Stelle hier im Blog präsentiert habe. Ist das Bild oben vielleicht eine Blaupause, die so beim Patentamt eingereicht wurde und irgendwie ihren Weg ins Internet gefunden hat?

Ebenfalls neu sind außerdem zwei Skizzen auf 7tune.com, die einen Ausblick auf das nächste Infiniti G Coupé zeigen, das 2010 als Konzeptauto auf der New York Motor Show vorgestellt werden wird. Viele Designmerkmale vom Infiniti Essence sollen in diesem Fahrzeug umgesetzt werden und auch das Antriebskonzept mit dem 3,7-Liter V6 Benzin- und dem zusätzlichem Elektromotor soll für das Topmodell übernommen werden. Allerdings werden sich zukünftige Fahrer der Hybridversion mit insgesamt “nur” 450 PS begnügen müssen, weil der Verbrennungsmotor im G Coupé ohne Turbolader auskommen muss.

Foto: 7tune.com

Auch wenn man das neue Hybrid Coupé kaum als Ökoauto bezeichnen kann, im Vergleich zum Vorgänger wird der Verbrauch trotz deutlich mehr Leistung nicht ansteigen. Was sich allerdings deutlich erhöhen könnte, das ist der Preis *g*.

Foto: 7tune.com

A atual geração do Micra é conhecida por seu bom acabamento e pelo estilo um tanto ousado demais. Tido como um veículo mais feminino, ele terá um sucessor mais esportivo, que também será vendido em mercados emergentes – como o Brasil. Novo compacto global da marca, o modelo acaba de ser revelado. Não diretamente, pois ainda não está pronto. Mas o desenho registrado pela marca como sendo dele chegou à grande rede.

O novo modelo foi oficializado na Oficina de Patentes Europeia, onde ficam os produtos quando registrados. De lá vieram as imagens vista abaixo, que denunciam todo o estilo do modelo. O desenho é mais limpo que o do Micra atual e lembra vagamente a geração comercializada agora na Europa.

GALERIA

Nissan have just revealed some details about their brand new Micra which won’t hit the UK until late next year.

The new Micra will also move from its factory in Sunderland to India – and is set to go on sale in an amazing 150 countries.

According to some sources the new Micra may even be slightly cheaper than the current model – and if not cheaper it certainly won’t be much more expensive.

The new model is also set to be cheaper to run as it has been built from lightweight materials and has been specially designed to cheat wind – it will therefore be more fuel-efficient, which is great news if it saves us money at the pumps.

Some of the initial designs have also been released which show the new Micra to have a more dynamic look – as do many hatchbacks at the moment!

What do you think of the current design??

For some reason Nissan Micra’s recent (or is it still current?) social media venture, TweetCity has been on my mind a lot recently. The reason is, is that I’m still undecided as to whether or not it was the right medium to hit the young female target market of the Micra. For me, it keeps coming back to Twitter’s user demographics, which seemingly has many people at odds with each other.

Before I did a bit of research for this post, I was under the impression that Twitter was predominantly used by older generations (35+), however I’m now finding conflicting research findings. Pew Internet & American Life Project’s Twitter Study found that the 25-34 age bracket led the demographic breakdown with 20 of users, followed by the 18-24 age bracket with 19% of users. 35-44 year old users only account for 10% of users. However, comScore’s Sarah Radwanick claims that the 18-24 year old users only make up 10.6% of all Twitter users.  If so, that means that the campaign missed it’s mark.

Being in the target market and an active Twitter user, I loved the campaign, but not many (I can count them on one hand) of my female friends in the same age group are on Twitter. That being said, over 4000 people have had their tweets analysed, and over 500 of them have come after the competition to win a Micra had ended.

So, here I am, still torn over TweetCity. I think it was a great campaign, linking the car with the medium and linking various personality types with the various personalities of the cars. But, an effective campaign lies in its ability to reach the target audience and give them a call to action, which they hopefully follow through. I’m still not convinced that TweetCity did that. And now I’m more confused than ever as to the demographics of Twitter.

What do you think, is TweetCity effective? And what are your thoughts on Twitter’s audience?

Nissan hat zwei Skizzen vom neuen Nissan Micra veröffentlicht. Der Wagen soll im März 2010 in Thailand vorgestellt werden und dann sukzessive in mehr als 150 Ländern eingeführt werden.

Foto: Nissan-Global

Allzuviel ist bisher noch nicht über den K12-Nachfolger bekannt, die Pressemeldung gibt sich ziemlich wortkarg. Außer den Premieren-Daten steht nur drinnen, dass der Micra in Thailand als erstes Modell als “Eco-Car” eingestuft wird, das die neuen strengen Umweltrichtlinien des Landes erfüllt. Faktisch bedeutet das, dass der Verbrauch der kleinen Rennsemmel sehr niedrig sein wird…

Was können wir unter der Motorhaube erwarten? Meldungen zufolge zur Markteinführung in Asien zwei aufgeladene Benziner mit 1.0 und 1.2 Litern Hubraum inklusive neuer Doppeleinspritzung, die nochmal etwas Treibstoff einspart. In Europa wird der K13 sicher auch von Anfang an mit einem Diesel-Motor an den Start gehen, aber dazu hab ich noch keine Infos finden können.

Foto: Nissan-Global

Das Design sieht jedenfalls schon mal flott und gefällig aus, auch wenn der neue Micra nicht mehr so eigenständig wie sein Vorgänger daherkommt. Allzuviel sollte man aber vielleicht noch nicht in die Skizzen hineininterpretieren und lieber das fertige Modell abwarten. Ich sehe zB. in den Zeichnungen nicht, dass der K13 den Nissan-Trend zum SUV mitmachen wird, wie im Netz an einigen Stellen vermutet wird. Dann würde er sich nämlich kaum als “Weltauto” eignen.

Já não era segredo que a Nissan vinha trabalhando em um novo compacto global, voltado aos vários mercados em que a marca pretende alcançar grandes volumes de vendas. Agora, a marca japonesa divulga os primeiros sketches do hatch, que deve ser produzido no Brasil a partir de 2010 ou 2011. Ele também substituirá o Micra ao lado do fruto do projeto do conceito Qazana.

O novo hatch deverá ter novidades divulgadas durante o Salão de Tóquio – isto se não for apresentado como conceito. Sua produção começa em março do ano que vem na Tailândia. Ele chegará a nada menos que 150 países, incluindo o Brasil. A intenção é chegar em modelos de alto volume de vendas, como Sandero e Fox.

Outras novidades chegarão no fim do mês, durante o evento nipônico.

GALERIA

Today we went to look at a Daewoo Matiz on behalf of mum. She has a nissan micra (so do I….and no I’m not a nun!) but she is convinced her one is bigger then mine and keeps ‘hopping’ it off the garage wall. So I saw a daewoo matiz advertised. Never seen one before so we went to have a look.

Well we had a look at the outside and weren’t that impressed but it was small so we got in it, it’s got a lot of plastic on the dashboard and you couldn’t see the bonnet so I knew mum wouldn’t like that.

Then Andy started it, well it was really ‘chuggy’. I’d say that our lawnmower sounds healthier then the car did. We didn’t even bother taking it out on the road….I had to stop myself running down the road screaming….apologies to any matiz owners. On the plus side is had a cd player and cup holders

Mum will have to stick with her micra for now.

Letztes Jahr haben zwei Nissan-Modelle das Auto-Umwelt-Zertifikat des Öko-Trend Instituts für Umweltforschung erhalten, damals waren das der Nissan Note 1.4 und der Qashqai 1.5 dCi. Heuer hat das Wuppertaler Institut gleich fünf Fahrzeuge aus dem Nissan-Fuhrpark geadelt. In der Erklärung zu den einzelnen Modellen zeigt sich, dass zu einem umweltfreundlichen Auto auch eine umweltfreundliche Fahrweise gehört, wenn man wirklich sparsam unterwegs sein will.

Foto: en_ry70

Der Pixo fällt da als einziger ein bisschen heraus und gefällt den Testern vor allem wegen dem geringen Verbrauch von unter 5 Litern bei trotzdem flotter Fahrweise. Der kleine 1-Liter-Motor kommt mit dem geringen Gewicht des Alto-Bruders eben gut zurecht. Ebenfalls in die Kategorie Kleinstwagen haben die Tester den Micra eingereiht, der in der Basismotorisierung weniger als 6 Liter schluckt und sich dank dem gut abgestuften Getriebe problemlos niedrigtourig bewegen lässt…

In der Kategorie Kompaktvans sind wie schon letztes Jahr der Note und der Qashqai mit dabei. Den Qashqai mit dem 1.5 dCi bewegen die Wuppertaler Tester in der Praxis mit Verbräuchen von knapp über 5 Liter bei drehzahlschonender Fahrweise. Der Note mit dem 1.4 Benziner liegt knapp darüber, bei etwa 5.5 Litern, und wird ausdrücklich wegen der Elastizität des Motors und dem gut abgestuften Getriebe gelobt. Ebenfalls ausgezeichnet wurde heuer der Note mit dem 1.5 dCi, der auf Praxisverbräuche von 5 Litern kommt, wofür neben dem Motor vor allem das serienmäßige 6-Gang-Getriebe verantwortlich ist.

Neben geringem Treibstoffverbrauch fließen in die Bewertung aber noch eine Menge anderer Kriterien ein. Gute Geräusch- und Schadstoffemissionen gehören da genauso dazu wie die Einhaltung von ökologischen Standards seitens der Hersteller. Alles in allem hat Nissan da also ein rundes Paket geschnürt. Interessant dürfte aber noch werden, welche Punktezahl der Leaf als Elektroauto bei den Tests erreichen wird *g*.

1989 Micra march super turbo AT 110,000km ep71 turbo.

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By Cara Sulieman

THE FUNERAL of one of the 17-year-old boys killed in a horror car crash last Friday is to take place this weekend.

James Whitecross was driving a Renault Clio with his friend Daniel Neil, also 17, who was in the passenger seat when they collided head-on into another car in Macmerry, East Lothian.

Friends and family created a memorial at the scene, decking it with flowers, card and football strips.

The service for James will take place in Tranent Parish Church this Saturday at 9.45am before moving on to Tranent Cemetery at 10.30am.

“Always in our hearts”

His family, parents Kirk and Debra and siblings Scott and Sophie, included a touching poem dedicated to the tragic teen.

It read: “If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to heaven, and bring you home again.

“Forever young, forever loved, forever missed. Always in our hearts.”

Sheena Bruce, who was following her husband back home in her Nissan Micra, also died as a result of the accident.

Nissan GT-R

Jakarta, 24 Juli 2009 - PT Nissan Motor Indonesia (NMI) menggelar pameran dan test drive untuk seluruh line-up nya dengan tema “Explore the Nissan Nation” di Senayan City, Jakarta, periode 27 Juli – 2 Agustus 2009.

Pada pameran terbesarnya tahun ini, NMI khusus mendatangkan 4 unit mobil CBU (completely built-up). Sebagai unit display ada Nissan GT-R dan Infiniti FX50, di samping Nissan Fairlady Z (350Z) dan Nissan Micra yang dapat diuji coba oleh para pengunjung.

“Event ini kami tujukan kepada masyarakat yang ingin melihat, meng-uji coba dan membeli produk Nissan. Jadi kegiatannya murni kegiatan sales sekaligus edukasi mengenai teknologi Nissan serta performa kendaraan Nissan mulai dari tipe sport, SUV mewah, sampai line-up Livina. Ada juga mobil Nissan yang ikut dipamerkan dan diuji coba yang tidak dipasarkan di Indonesia, yaitu Nissan Fairlady Z dan Nissan Micra. Kami ingin masyarakat Indonesia lebih mengenal produk-produk kami,” kata Teddy Irawan, Deputy Director Sales & Marketing NMI, di Jakarta, Jumat.

Di pameran “Explore the Nissan Nation” ini Nissan menyediakan 11 unit mobil yang dapat diuji coba (test drive), yaitu masing-masing satu unit Nissan Fairlady Z dan Nissan Micra, dan lainnya adalah semua line-up Nissan yang saat ini dipasarkan di Indonesia, mulai dari Grand Livina 1.5XV A/T, Livina X-Gear 1.5 A/T, New X-Trail 2.0 CVT, New X-Trail 2.5 CVT, Navara 2.5 A/T, Latio 1.8 A/T sampai All New Nissan Teana.

Nissan Fairlady 350Z

Nissan Infiniti FX50

Nissan Micra

Public launch All New Nissan Teana

Di event ini, All New Nissan Teana secara resmi diperkenalkan kepada publik. Dengan mengusung mesin 2.5L V6, lengkap dengan Xtronic CVT, interior yang mewah dan desain yang elegan, New Teana menawarkan performa terbaik dalam hal kualitas dan safety.

Sedan mewah menengah ini juga dilengkapi sun roof dengan desain stylish, memiliki fitur safety terlengkap dengan 6 airbags.

“Kami percaya New Nissan Teana dapat memenuhi kebutuhan target customer kami yang menginginkan sebuah sedan menengah mewah yang dapat merefleksikan gaya hidup yang stylish dan elegan,” kata Teddy.

New Teana secara resmi dipasarkan pada 24 Juli 2009, dengan harga on the road Jakarta Rp 475 juta.

Limited Edition: Grand Livina 1.5 AT Ultimate

Khusus di ajang pameran ini, Nissan mengeluarkan satu varian baru Grand Livina edisi terbatas, yaitu Grand Livina 1.5 AT Ultimate dengan kapasitas mesin 1.5L matic. Harga on the road Jakarta Rp198 juta.

Fasilitas

Bagi pengunjung yang ingin mencoba line-up Nissan di pameran ini tetapi membawa anak-anaknya, ada children corner yang menyediakan berbagai permainan dan hadiah berupa: Serena cutting & coloring paper, PIVO2 coloring paper dan Grand Livina puzzle. Anak-anak dapat bermain sambil menunggu orangtua mereka yang sedang ikut test drive.

Nissan juga menyediakan souvenir bagi pengunjung yang mengikuti sesi test drive selama pameran berlangsung.

Roadshow

Selain Jakarta, pameran serupa juga akan dilaksanakan di dua kota besar lain yaitu Bandung pada 5-9 Agustus dan selanjutnya Surabaya pada 14-19 Agustus 2009.

Sales Program

Sejak Juni hingga rangkaian pameran dan roadshow ini berakhir di bulan Agustus, Nissan menawarkan bunga rendah mulai 1.96% bagi customer yang melakukan pembelian secara kredit khusus untuk Grand Livina 1.5 XV dan Livina X-Gear.

Di samping itu, ada juga penawaran bunga 2.96% untuk pembelian New X-Trail 2.0 CVT, New X-trail 2.0 MT.

Die vierte Generation des Nissan Micra wird ab 2010 in Europa verkauft werden. Langsam trudeln immer mehr News und Presseberichte zu dem neuen Kleinwagen ein.

Foto: AUTOinCAR

Wie ich Anfang Juli schon geschrieben habe, wird der K13 im Frühjahr 2010 vorgestellt werden. Für den europäischen Markt wird er in Indien, und zwar im neuen Werk von Chennai, produziert werden. Die Fabrik wird Juli 2010 betriebsbereit sein und hat eine Kapazität von bis zu 200.000 Fahrzeugen pro Jahr. Davon werden bis zu 70% nach Europa gehen.

Der nächste Micra wird eine von Nissan neu entwickelte Technologie unter der Haube haben, die kleinen Motoren beim Sprit sparen helfen soll, nämlich eine Doppeleinspritzung. Damit soll der Verbrauch um bis zu 4% gesenkt werden. Das klingt vielleicht nicht nach einem großen Sprung, aber an der Tankstelle freut einen ja jeder Tropfen *g*…

Allzuviel ist ansonsten noch nicht bekannt. In der Entwicklung wird besonderer Wert darauf gelegt, dass der K13 von der verbauten Technik und vom Platzangebot im Innenraum her mit Fahrzeugen aus höheren Klassen mithalten kann, aber trotzdem zu einem günstigen Preis angeboten werden kann. Da die Produktionskosten in Indien sicher geringer sind als in Japan oder England, könnte ich mir vorstellen, dass das auch gelingt.

Wie der K13 aussehen wird und welche Ausstattung er haben wird, ist noch reine Spekulation. Genauso wie das Bild oben *g*.