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2015 Nissan Murano to hit the stage in NY

When the Nissan Murano launched in the early-2000s it was one of the first crossovers to eschew truck-like looks in favor of more sporty styling. For the third generation, Nissan is rumored to be taking the CUV's design even farther with inspiration from the wild Resonance concept that debuted at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. According to Edmunds, Nissan will unveil the next-generation, 2015 Murano and an unnamed concept at the New York Auto Show in April.
The new Murano will go on sale this fall on the same front-wheel drive platform as the Altima, Pathfinder and next-gen Maxima. Its size will be roughly unchanged compared to the current model, and there won't be a seven-seater option. Nissan spokesman Dan Bedore told Edmunds that it already offers "three rows in the Rogue as an option and three rows in the Pathfinder for everything. We don't need another three-row crossover." There will also be a rumored hybrid version using the Pathfinder's supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a 22-horsepower electric motor and lithium-ion battery. To disappoint the dozen people who will miss it, the much-maligned Murano CrossCabriolet will not make it to the third generation. Let's all shed a tear.

Meet Sparky, Nissan's Leaf-based, Frontier-bedded EV parts hauler [w/video]

For many enthusiasts, the concept of the ute - a car with a pickup bed - is somehow irresistibly appealing. On paper, it promises the marriage of a truck's utility and a car's superior driving dynamics, and for that reason alone, we'd love to see more of them. Yet while other parts of the world get them in good numbers, North America doesn't ever see them - at least not for long. Based on what we've seen of late, though, that's not due to a lack of motivation on the part of engineers.
BMW wowed us several years ago with an M3 ute, and earlier this year, some interns converted a Mini Paceman into the pickup-bodied Paceman Adventure. Loathe to let their rivals in Munich and Oxford have all the fun, Nissan has built its very own car-based pickup. Meet Sparky, the world's first Leaf Frontier.
Like the M3, this all-electric ute is used as a parts hauler for Nissan's engineering teams at its sprawling Stanfield, AZ tech center and proving grounds.

Renault appoints Dacia Logan creator to head its Nano-rival program in India

After watching the Tata Nano post sales numbers smaller than its engine displacement, Renault gave up on its much publicized intention to build a truly inexpensive car to rival it. Then, a month ago, reports emerged that Renault was resuming work on a couple of low-priced cars for emerging markets, but this time it would work with its in-house partner, Nissan. That plan envisions an offering for €3,000 ($3,888 US) and another for €5,000 ($6,400 US), both of which would be more spendy than the Nano but might avoid the charge of being cheap - and nasty - and instead be considered affordable.
A report in Reuters talks to the man in charge, Gerard Detourbet, who has been in Chennai, India since at least August working on the program. Detourbet led the Dacia Logan project and is considered "Renault's low-cost car specialist" and "the father of entry-car programs." This one is reportedly codenamed A-Entry and will create a "'sub-entry' architecture" that will provide roominess beyond the vehicle's price and class, and use an engine with a displacement of 800 cubic centimeters.
It isn't aimed at the Nano, though - it means to take on the products that make up 45-50 percent of India's car market, like the Maruti Suzuki Alto and Hyundai Eon. According to Reuters, out of the 2.6-million-strong Indian car market the Maruti Suzuki line-up alone nabs one million registrations annually. The Alto 800 begins at 244,000 rupees ($4,440 US), the Eon at 300,000 rupees ($5,559 US), the Chevrolet Spark at about 316,000 ($5,750 US); if Renault can nail its price targets it will just about bracket those three and be right in the game.