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2014 Nissan X-Trail is the Rogue's identical twin [w/video]

Up until now, the Rogue and X-Trail were two different compact crossovers that competed in the same segment for Nissan, except one was sold only in the US and the other Europe. So why, Nissan asked, aren't they exactly the same? Thus, with today's reveal of the redesigned 2014 Nissan Rogue, our team on the ground at the Frankfurt Motor Show also met its new identical twin, the 2014 Nissan X-Trail.
Unlike the Rogue, the former X-Trail was a boxy thing that put on the airs of an SUV, so this new look is likely a larger departure for Europeans than it is for us 'Yanks. From what we can tell comparing their press releases, these two crossovers are practically identical save for the badge on their rear liftgates, both now offering an optional third row of seating and a slew of infotainment and active and passive safety features.
The one thing that may differ between the two are the engines on offer. While we know the Rogue has a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder engine producing 170 horsepower and 175 pound-feet of torque, Nissan's remaining mum on what will motivate the X-Trail. The prior model offered both gas- and diesel-powered models, which we feel safe in assuming will continue (perhaps opening the door for a diesel-powered Rogue in the US some day). Nissan says we'll know more closer to the X-Trail's on-sale date, which is stated simply as being "next year," whereas the Tennessee-built Rogue will be going on sale in the US this fall.

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.

Renault planning a Tata Nano rival. Again.

Four years ago, Renault confirmed that it would partner with India's Bajaj Auto to develop a rival to the Tata Nano. At the time, as everyone waited for the Tata Nano to arrive, you could have used a Richter scale to measure the tremors the executive suites of any automaker with an interest in the low end of emerging markets. Then the Nano, still the cheapest car in the world, didn't sell so well - at the end of last year its sales were just six percent of its most conservative projections - and everyone seemed content to let Tata spend the money to figure out if there really was a market for the cheapest car in the world.
Renault believes there is, kind of. Automotive News Europe reports that it will partner with Nissan to build two low-priced cars for emerging markets, one for €3,000 ($3,888 U.S.) and another for €5,000 ($6,400 U.S.). The price of the least expensive offering is nearly $1,400 more than a Nano, which costs $2,500, and that can't be considered a small sum in comparison. But one of the hindsight knocks on the Nano has been that even in emerging markets buyers don't want a car whose biggest lure is that it is cheap; they'd rather give their aspirations a bit more of a workout.
Renault's offerings are scheduled to hit the non-Western market in late 2014, which is coincidentally the same year that will see the return of the budget-minded and emerging-market-specific Datsun nameplate. They'll be built in Renault facilities in Chennai, India, with no mention made of Bajaj this time around.