Sneak Peek of the New Nissan Juke
February 15, 2010
Here it is!! Nissan provides a sneak peek of the new Nissan Juke. Nissan North America Inc. released photos of the new crossover, due to no real-life Nissan Juke’s to display. The Juke will reach U.S. retailers in the fourth quarter.
The front-wheel-drive Juke, built off the Versa’s small-car platform, will give Nissan dealers a crossover smaller than the Rogue. The Juke will become the brand’s third crossover, following the Rogue and the larger Murano.
The vehicle was unveiled in Paris and it will be displayed next month at the Geneva show. The North American version will be displayed at the New York auto show in March at which time vehicle specifications and possibly the sticker price will be announced.
“The Juke will provide our customers with a sporty alternative to hatchback that are on the road today,” said Rich Latek, director, chief marketing manager at Nissan North America. Latek was interviewed at a Nissan event in Chicago.
The Juke was developed on Nissan’s global B platform, which is shared by the Versa, and other Nissan and Renault vehicles, such as the Nissan Micra. The Juke will be assembled in Japan for the U.S. market.
Latek said the Juke will be positioned below the Rogue crossover. Because of the vehicle’s size, subcompact, it will be targeted at buyers in their 20s and early 30s who live in urban areas.
The Juke’s exterior styling has a high waistline and what Nissan calls “complex curves.” The interior has a wide center console that draws inspiration from a motorcycle fuel tank.
What’s not to love about the new Nissan Juke?!
2010 Nissan Leaf is Finally Arriving in Maryland
February 4, 2010
If you thought fuel efficiency was just a trend, then you were sorely mistaken. Manufacturers are placing more and more eco friendly vehicle on the road every day. Nissan, who is already known for small fuel efficient cars like the versa and Sentra, has now entered the hybrid market with the long awaited Nissan Leaf.
The Nissan Leaf is set to come out this year, in 2010, but mass production of the vehicle will not begin until 2012. It is 100% electric, absolutely no gas and no emissions. However, it functions like a normal V6 vehicle. It speeds up to 90 mph, holds 5 passengers, and even comes with the bells and whistles – airbags, audio systems, navigation systems and more.
This all sounds great, but let’s be honest, the one question everyone is asking is about the battery. Put simply, the battery charges in 4-8 hours, but at quick-charge stations it can charge up to 80% in only 26 minutes. The battery life has a range of 100 miles per charge under everyday driving conditions.
Obviously there are many more concerns with a new battery powered vehicle. This is why Nissan has launched a site powered by twitter for consumers to easily post questions and receive answers. If you are undecided, ask. The site is filled with great discussions and questions you probably didn’t even think to ask about. Check it out here.
If you are truly interested sign up for updates here. Be the first to test drive this new car when they arrive at Herb Gordon Nissan later this year.
Nissan credits “strong initial demand” for the decision, saying that nearly 22,000 people in North America have contacted the company since the car’s unveiling in August. The five-passenger hatchback is expected to be priced between $28,000 and $35,000 before any government incentives.
The Leaf is due to hit showrooms in late 2010.Those who wish to place a reservation for the Leaf can visit a dedicated Web site here. Better yet, connect with Herb Gordon on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube to stay updated locally.
2009 Nissan Cube
May 13, 2009
The 2009 Nissan Cube makes its début.
The Nissan Cube is the best car for you if you like the idea of 33 mpg without the expense of a hybrid, enjoy the company of tall friends, and have a nose for four-wheel urban fashion.
Nissan calls ‘em like it sees ‘em, naming this tiny box of a car for what it is. Taller than it is wide, with slab sides and a snub nose, the Cube fits a new age of rational motoring and pinched budgets. It’s just an inch longer than a standard Mini Cooper (great for street parking), but a full nine inches taller than the Mini (grand for head room). It holds four adults comfortably, five in a pinch. Swing open the side-hinged tailgate, fold the rear seat, and you can load 70 cubic feet of whatever!
Styling: There’s only so much you can do with a cube, but this car’s got a twisted sense of style. Credit the Cube’s personality to button-cute proportions, a jowly face, “rounded-rectangle” windows (inspired, Nissan says, by personal photo frames), and, especially, the asymmetrical tailgate effect. That last cue makes it look as if there’s no right-rear roof pillar, but of course, there is. Imagination reigns inside, too, in what Nissan calls a “casual lounge” interior. Molded into various panels and controls are a series of “water drop” expanding concentric circles. The dashboard is tidy and functional, but its subtle wavy shaping, white-and-blue lighting, and rounded-rectangle vents complement the exterior styling themes. The Nissan Cube comes in four models: the 1.8, 1.8 S, 1.8 SL, and the Krom. This last, pronounced “chrome,” has a slightly different nose and tail look and some exclusive interior trim.
Mechanical: Under the skin, Cube is mostly conformist, even old fashioned, with its front-wheel-drive layout, beam rear axle, and rear drum brakes. Nothing left to chance in its use of a four-cylinder engine, either. This one’s a 1.8-liter borrowed from Nissan’s Versa subcompact car. It has a more-than-adequate 122 horsepower. The Cube 1.8 is available only with a six-speed manual transmission. The 1.8 S offers the manual or a continuously variable automatic (CVT). The Cube 1.8 SL and Krom come only with the CVT. Nissan generously equips the Cube with a nice selection of standard safety items, including antilock brakes with brake assist and traction-control and antiskid systems. (Standard seat mounted front side airbags and full-length head-protecting curtain side airbags contribute to passive safety.)
Features: In addition to the safety equipment mentioned above, every Cube comes with air conditioning, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, and intermittent rear wiper. The rear bench seat splits, folds, and slides to prioritize cargo or people space, and it’s elevated slightly to provide a theater-seating effect in relation to the front seats. There are six cupholders in this five-passenger car. Clever touches include detachable hooks for bags and the like; they can be moved around from the dashboard to the passenger doors, for example. Brightly colored elastic straps on the door armrests secure items such as maps or cellphones; Nissan calls them “magic rubber bands.” Depending on model, available features include push button ignition, Bluetooth phone and USB iPod connectivity, a Rockford Fosgate subwoofer with six speakers, XM satellite radio, and rear parking assist. Dealer-installed accessories include “shag” carpeting for some interior shelf surfaces, alloy wheels, aero body panels, and a 20-color interior lighting kit. The Cube 1.8 and 1.8 S models have 15-inch tires with wheel covers; 1.8 SL and Krom versions come with 16-inch alloys.
Maryland Nissan Dealership Wins Excellence Award
April 24, 2009
Herb Gordon Nissan Wins Excellence Award
Congratulations to Herb Gordon Nissan, the only Maryland Nissan Dealer to win the prestigious Nissan Owners First Award of Excellence in 2008.
The Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence is the highest award presented by Nissan North America to Nissan dealerships. This award recognized Nissan’s top Dealers from across the nation who were able to meet the high standards of achievement for the Owner First Award of Excellence. It recognizes those Dealerships that embody the philosophy and vision for Nissan-that is, to endeavor to provide our customers with an outstanding ownership experience, from the showroom through every aspect of the dealership. Basically, putting owners first.
Scores for Dealerships were measured on a multitude of criteria including Nissan’s Owner First survey, which is sent to each of our customers following the purchase of a new Nissan vehicle or service on their current Nissan.
The Nissan Owner First Award of Excellence dealers are recognized for consistently living up to high standards of excellence!
Herb Gordon Nissan
3131 Automobile Blvd., Silver Spring, Maryland 20904
1.866.399.7502
Herb Gordon Nissan Grand Re-Opening Event
October 20, 2008
Silver Spring, MD (PRWEB) October 16, 2008 — Today, Herb Gordon Nissan of Silver Spring, a MileOne dealership, announced the final schedule for their Grand Re-Opening event which will be held Friday, October 24th through Sunday, October 26th. In early October, the dealership completed their seven month renovation and opened their doors to a brand new five car showroom and 19-bay service center including two express bays for quick oil changes and minor services. The Grand Re-Opening Event will start at 9am on Friday the 24th and will include food, games, demonstrations from the Fire Department, contests to win an XM Satellite radio, free blood pressure monitoring and al of the re-designed Nissan vehicles like the Maxima, Murano and Altima to match the newly redesigned showroom.
“While we wanted to follow Nissan’s ‘re-imaging’ plan, we really spared no expense in this renovation because our customers deserve the best in automotive shopping and servicing. The entire renovation was done with our customers in mind.” said General Manager for Herb Gordon Nissan, Van Westerlund. “From conveniences like wi-fi throughout the dealership to an internet style cafe and enclosed children’s play area both with plasma TVs, to real time savers like the new front-end alignment machine which shortens a 45 minute service down to 15 minutes and to comforts like climate-controlled service lanes and brand new furniture throughout the showroom, we tried to meet and exceed the needs and wants of our loyal Nissan owners. With the new Nissan showroom and service center completed, we are now eager to get the used car facility finished! There is never a moments rest when it comes to serving our customers.”
MileOne invested over two million dollars in the 37,000 square foot state-of-the-art renovation project and plans to continue investing in similar projects for a majority of their 65 dealerships located in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Silver Spring dealerships which include Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Volvo and Subaru in addition to Nissan and the Used Car center have an estimated completion date of late 2011. All of the new facilities will follow the same objective Nissan had, which was to redesign with the customers convenience and comfort in mind.
“As a group, we’re not immune to what is going on with the economy, but over the last 35 years of serving the automotive needs of our communities, we have learned that taking care of our customers and employees is step one in running a successful business. I think our customers have realized this and it’s why they continue to come to us for buying and servicing their automobiles.” said MileOne President and COO, Jerry Fader. “We repay our customers’ loyalty by continually reinvesting in our physical locations to make them more comfortable and efficient and also by investing in our online presence to allow or customers to choose the comfort of their own home through which to schedule service, buy parts and accessories and one day soon buy the car of their dreams.”
To attend the Grand Re-Opening festivities or to tour the new Nissan facility, stop by 3131 Automobile Blvd, Silver Spring, MD 20904. If you are interested in getting pre-approved, valuing your trade, or scheduling your service before you visit, check out their redesigned website, as well: www.herbgordonnissan.net. You can also read more about the Nissan redesign and other MileOne projects on MileOne’s MyMileOne blog.
About MileOne Automotive (www.mileone.com)
MileOne Automotive operates 65 retail automotive franchises representing 28 different brands and 9 collision centers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia with a focus on the Baltimore-Washington, Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach, Nags Head/Elizabeth City and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton major metro areas. MileOne.com allows customers to research new, used and fuel-efficient luxury, import and domestic cars and trucks, send information about vehicles to their mobile device, schedule service appointments, buy parts and accessories, play automotive games, and download automotive wallpaper and mobile ring tones. For more information or to find a quality MileOne dealership near you, please visit www.mileone.com.
2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
October 9, 2008
Overall, the Altima has a pleasant, real-car quality to it, whereas some hybrids can feel a bit like a science-fair project.
Nissan seems pretty tentative about the whole hybrid thing, with a lone hybrid model that is only sold in a handful of states (CA, CT, MA, ME, NJ, NY, OR, RI, and VT, to be exact). The Altima’s hybrid system is essentially the same as that in the Toyota Camry hybrid, although Nissan pairs it with its own 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. As in the Camry, a continuously variable automatic is the only transmission. The Altima hybrid would appear to be very much a me-too vehicle, but in many ways it’s actually more satisfying than the Camry hybrid.
Photo Gallery: 2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid – Fuel Efficient News, Car Features and Reviews – Automobile Magazine
Driving Nissan’s Electric Future
October 9, 2008
Nissan will launch an electric vehicle and a hybrid in 2010 – and we’ve already driven the prototypes.
Nissan formally announced on August 6, 2008, that it will begin selling two all-new alternative-fuel cars – a front-wheel-drive full-electric vehicle and a V-6-powered, rear-wheel-drive hybrid – sometime in the 2010 fiscal year.
Photo Gallery: Driving Nissan’s Electric Future – Nissan Electric Vehicles and Hybrid Electric Vehicles – Automobile Magazine
2009 Nissan Armada LE 4×4
October 9, 2008
If big SUVs are your thing, you’d be hard-pressed to find more features and luxury and flat-out hippie-stomping size for the price.
The Armada makes some sense if you need an SUV that can tow a large amount or go off-road, but for most buyers who are looking for extra space, a three-row crossover is a better option. Additionally, the similarly priced Ford Expedition and Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon both drive better than the Armada while serving the same basic needs.
Photo Gallery: 2009 Nissan Armada LE 4×4 – Nissan Full-Size SUV Review – Automobile Magazine
2009 Nissan Pixo
October 9, 2008
The micro Nissan Pixo will be shown in Paris this October.
The Pixo is a more conventional small car set to go on sale overseas next spring. It will be built in collaboration with Suzuki in New Delhi, India and make use of a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine.
Photo Gallery: 2009 Nissan Pixo – 2008 Paris Motor Show Coverage, New Car Reviews, Concept Cars – Automobile Magazine
2009 Nissan Maxima
October 9, 2008
Reilluminating a once-bright star.
One of the pioneers of the near-luxury segment (dating from before that segment was so identified), the Nissan Maxima was once a real standout in both looks and performance. For the legions of college students who drove rusty but trusty Datsun 210s and then, with the arrival of a first real job, graduated to the Sentra, the Maxima was something to aspire to. The Maxima juggernaut peaked in the first half of the 1990s, but with the past couple of redesigns, the Maxima’s star dimmed. Outside, it had become an overgrown and overwrought Altima; inside, the cabin was laden with features but light on quality; underhood, its V-6 sent the wide front tires far more power than they could handle. Even people within Nissan acknowledged that the car had lost its way.
Photo Gallery: 2009 Nissan Maxima – Review – Automobile Magazine
