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Japanese automakers welcome North American trade deal, fear what's next

TOKYO — Toyota, Nissan and Mazda welcomed on Tuesday the revised North America trade deal that left Japanese automakers unscathed, but they may face a bumpy ride when Washington and Tokyo hold new talks on over $40 billion of annual U.S. auto imports from Japan. The United States and Canada reached an agreement on Sunday to update the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement after Washington had forged a separate trade deal with Mexico in August. The updated deal effectively maintains the auto industry's current footprint in North America, and spares Canada and Mexico from the prospect of U.S. national security tariffs on their vehicles. Mazda, which ships cars to the United States from Mexico and Japan, called the deal a "big step forward". Nissan, which makes the cars it sells in the United States locally as well as in Mexico, Japan and other countries, said it was "encouraged" by the agreement. Toyota, Japan's biggest automaker, said it was "pleased" that a basic deal was reached. Other automakers were not immediately available for comment. While the deal has removed the risk that the disintegration of the pact would have posed to automakers, bigger risks loom large for Japanese firms as a chunk of the roughly 7 million cars they sold in the U.S. last year were shipped from Japan, and a trade deal between Washington and Tokyo has yet to be agreed. The United States and Japan last week agreed to begin fresh trade talks, with U.S. President Donald Trump seeking to address Japan's $69 billion trade surplus, of which nearly two-thirds comes from auto exports. Washington is also investigating the possibility of slapping 25 percent tariffs on auto imports on national security grounds, although it has agreed with Japan to put any new tariffs on hold during the talks. Analysts say the United States may take a tougher stance on auto imports from Japan than from its neighbors. "If Japan requests an exemption from the 25 percent tariffs under consideration, Washington could propose a more strict cap on imports than it agreed to with Mexico and Canada," said Koji Endo, senior analyst at SBI Securities. "That would be a risk." This could be a big blow to Japan, as the United States is a key source of revenue for Japanese automakers including Toyota, Nissan and Honda. The U.S. market accounts for a quarter or more of their annual global vehicle sales, and of their total U.S.

2014 Nissan Rogue earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ [w/videos]

The 2014 Nissan Rogue has scored a Top Safety Pick+ award following positive crash test results by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The new crossover scored good results (the highest rating) in the group's five crashworthiness checks and a basic rating for front crash prevention.
The IIHS found that the Rogue also performed well in its small overlap front test with a low risk of injuries, and the driver's space maintained its structure well. It was an improvement over the previous generation, which received a marginal rating in that evaluation. The Rogue's optional forward collision warning system was enough for a basic rating in avoiding accidents.
To qualify as a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations, plus a good or acceptable result in the small overlap front test. To receive the additional Plus rating in 2014, it must also have a basic, advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention. The IIHS scores vehicles as good, acceptable, marginal or poor, and avoidance systems are scored basic, advanced or superior, depending on the type of system and its performance. Scroll down to watch the videos of the small and moderate overlap crash tests and read the full IIHS statement.

Nissan backing off IDx, BladeGlider and Infiniti Eau Rouge amid focus shift

Nissan and Infiniti are officially under the microscope after their presentations at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show focused on the new Titan pickup and Q60 Concept, but lacked any and all mention of allegedly production-bound examples of the Q50 Eau Rouge, IDx and BladeGlider EV concepts. Automotive News reports that the lack of info on the three concept cars, which had previously heralded a more performance-minded Nissan/Infiniti, has signaled a shift in priorities at the Japanese company. Instead of driver-oriented models, emphasis is seemingly being focused more on volume offerings. Nissan was subject to a pair of high-level executive departures last year, with both Andy Palmer and Johan de Nysschen departing for Aston Martin and Cadillac, respectively. Both execs were strong proponents of more driver-oriented offerings, with Palmer championing the compact, rear-drive IDx coupe and de Nysschen backing the high-performance Q50 Eau Rouge. While Palmer has been mum on his former employer's alleged move away from performance, de Nysschen made headlines last month after calling out a Nissan vice president in a Facebook post saying he "heard a rumor that Noboru Tateishi is going to cop-out and shelve the Eau Rouge project now that I'm not there to pressure him," while adding that the VP has "more enthusiasm for 'driver's aid's,' apparently, than 'driver's cars.'" AN reached out to Infiniti, with North American VP Michael Bartsch telling the publication that no decision had been reached about the Eau Rouge and that the company was more focused on rebuilding its core portfolio. Featured Gallery Nissan IDx Nismo View 34 Photos Related Gallery Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept View 24 Photos Related Gallery Nissan BladeGlider Concept View 22 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Nissan, Infiniti Rumormill Infiniti Nissan Coupe Luxury Performance Sedan infiniti q50 infiniti q50 eau rouge nissan bladeglider concept