Nissan 370Z Hydro by Marangoni

This is the 2010 show car of the Italian tire manufacturer Marangoni, which is styled by TRC Italia. Called the 370 Z-Hydro, the car features a body kit inspired by Nissan GT-R consisting of a revised bumper with large air intakes at front, side skirts and a carbon rear wing and diffuser as well as carbon mirrors.

The Hydro in the car’s name refers to the new Hydro-drive-system installed on its engine, which they say reduces the emissions and fuel consumption. The concept is that by injecting a kind of catalytic gas into the intake manifolds, unburned hydrocarbons will be cut to almost zero!

But the main feature of the this 370 is the reason it’s made in the first place! To show off Marangoni’s new “M-Power Blue” 20-inch high performance tires wrapped around 10 double-spoke Oxrock Black rims. The Z-Hydro also has a KW coil-over suspension system which drops it by 4 inches, and KW HLS hydraulic lift system which can raise the front axle by 5 inches. It is fitted with 400mm brake discs and 12-piston calipers as well.

For the interior, you get sport seats and instrument panels with leather and alcantara upholstery and blue trimming for the dashboard.

Nissan releases new minicar Roox (UK)

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd announces the release of the Roox minicar, which goes on sale today at Nissan dealers nationwide.

The most distinctive features of the new Nissan Roox are its spacious interior, elegant design and convenient features, such as the double sliding rear doors that provide for convenient entry and exit and a large, low-floor height luggage space. The name Roox was coined from “room” and “max” to convey its exceptionally roomy interior.

While Roox’s comfortable family car cabin is designed to change people’s impression of minicar interiors in Japan, its exterior design also brings an eye-catching new face to the segment. Roox incorporates the design characteristics of Nissan’s Highway Star Minivan series, including Serena and Elgrand, providing a striking and elegant appearance.

The new Roox is also designed to offer efficient operation and performance. The K6A engine-equipped models (except for turbo models) deliver both excellent environmental and driving performance, achieving top-in-class1 fuel efficiency of 21.5km/l2. With a 15% or 20% improvement in fuel economy over the 2010 standards, these models are certified SU-LEV3 (vehicles which emit 75% fewer emissions than the levels mandated by Japan's 2005 exhaust emission regulations). Roox non-turbo models qualify for Japan's preferential tax scheme for environment-friendly vehicles, with automobile acquisition tax and automobile weight tax reduced by 50%.

Nissan collectively refers to models that qualify for these preferential tax breaks as the Nissan ECO Series (NECO Series). Including Roox, 18 models4 have already qualified. Nissan hopes to stimulate consumer demand for eco-friendly vehicles by offering customers a broad selection of products to choose from.

Production Nissan Qazana will bring new era of design, love it or hate it reaction

By this point in the year it's not as easy to find worthy entries for Understatement of the Year – there is just so much competition – but a comment made about the Nissan Qazana certainly qualifies: a Nissan insider told UK-based Autocar that the gelatinous crossover "will split opinion."

And not only will you get your chance to buy one in 2012, statements by Nissan indicate that you'll have your chance to buy other cars that also look like it. Nissan's customer research appears to have also given the company every reason for believing "it will be a success," and that this will give the brand "a more attractive and emotional appeal in the future."

Nissan hasn't said what Qazana design features might be seen on other cars, and we don't know if we're ready to even think about that possibility. Europeans have three years to get ready for it, and we in the States have that time to prepare for an Altima that looks like Admiral Ackb