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Nissan Note getting a little louder with Nismo versions this fall

Nissan's Nismo performance division has been getting more chances to shine recently with tuned models like the Juke Nismo RS and GT-R Nismo. But its latest creation moves closer to the bottom of the Japanese brand's lineup to make a hot hatch out of the (Versa) Note. At least in Japan, the new model is due this fall, and Nismo is keeping a lot of the details about its latest creation a secret for now. What we do know is that it'll be available in two trims – the Note Nismo and the sportier Nismo S. "The development concept of this model was to build a car that makes you want to keep driving, no matter where your destination may be," said the division's chief product specialist, Hiroshi Tamura, in the company's announcement. Aesthetically, the Note Nismo looks the way a tuned Nissan should, with the division's signature red trim outlining the car. It also wears a new, mesh grille, lower air dam, red side sills and rear spoiler. Inside, the S gets standard sport seats with full Recaro buckets as an option. Nissan didn't release technical specs for either version, but it promises that the S also gets a tuned engine with a five-speed manual. But now, allow us to burst your bubble. Autoblog spoke to Nissan North America Product Communications Director Dan Bedore about the hot Note, and he told us, "There are no plans currently for a Nismo Versa Note in the US." That's too bad; if the specs turn out to be competitive, it could be an interesting rival for the Ford Fiesta ST. Scroll down to read the official announcement. NISSAN UNVEILS THE NOTE NISMO, SCHEDULED TO GO ON SALE IN FALL 2014 YOKOHAMA, Japan (July 23, 2014) – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has taken the veils off the latest and sportiest iteration of the popular Note, called Note Nismo, which will reach dealer showrooms in the fall of 2014. Nissan also announced that the Fairlady Nismo will receive a minor model change, while a new Nismo RS grade will be added to the Juke Nismo in the fall of 2014. Ever since the release of the Juke Nismo in February 2013, the lineup of Nissan's specialty division, Nismo, has steadily grown. Soon after the launch of the Juke Nismo, the March Nismo, Fairlady Nismo and Nissan GT-R Nismo were added to the stable; thus allowing Nismo to offer a broad range of road-going cars to the public-from compacts to SUVs to sports cars-all armed with the sporty DNA derived from Nismo's motorsports activities. And now you can add one more to the list, the Note Nismo.

Nissan's London Black Cab postponed because it can't meet emissions targets

Emissions concerns in London are causing headaches for Nissan, as the company continues its efforts to bring its Black Cab to the city's streets. A proposed ultra-low emissions zone could lead to standards in the city center that are so strict the gas-powered taxi can't meet them, AutoExpress reports. It's unclear just how low the new emissions standards may be, although AE references London's mayor, Boris Johnson, and his drive to make every London taxi emissions-free by 2018 as a particular thorn for the Japanese automaker. It's worth noting that the NV200 taxi is both cleaner and more fuel efficient than London's current fleet of iconic black cabs. That alone makes it seem like reason enough to get the new cabs on the streets. But it's the strictness of the proposed standards and the apparently set-in-stone nature of the NV200's current engineering that is holding up the cab's future. While Nissan offers an emissions-free e-NV200, it would reportedly need to completely reengineer the NV200-based cab to meet the future standards if they're approved. Whether that will happen, though, remains an open question.

Nissan presents NV200 is the brave new face of London taxis [w/video]

In most cities, just about any vehicle can serve as a taxi - so long as it meets the owner/operator's requirements for reliability, comfort and utility. But certain cities have their own unique taxis, and Nissan has been working hard to corner those markets. It has already designed specific taxis for such locations as New York, Barcelona and Tokyo, but its latest effort will bring a new Hackney Carriage to the streets of London.
A year and a half ago, Nissan displayed its NV200 on the streets of London in traditional black livery. But this new design takes the customization for the British capital one step further. Working closely with the mayor's office and with cab drivers across the city, Nissan's European design center in the Paddington district has reskinned the NV200 specifically to serve as the new black cab in London. The new face features round headlights, a new grille, LED lighting and a restyled front bumper. The steering has also been reconfigured to meet the 25-foot turning circle requirements for Hackney Carriages, as the black cabs are known on the streets of London.
The result is a distinctly British take on the NV200 taxi - one that we're guessing won't go without its fair share of controversy. Nissan will begin offering the black cab at the end of the year with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine mated to an automatic transmission, a powertrain said to be cleaner than the diesels used in existing taxis. And Nissan should know, having supplied many of those 2.7-liter turbodiesels in the '80s and '90s. But if that's not clean enough, the Japanese automaker will also begin selling an electric version, the e-NV200, starting next year. Watch the video clip and read the full details in the press release below.