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Is the Chevy Camaro Z/28 a Godzilla Slayer at the track?

Godzilla. It's a name that strikes fear in the minds and hearts of giant monsters (Mothra!) worldwide, not to mention a number of automobile manufacturers that produce high-performance coupes... including Chevrolet. The Bowtie-cladded company has one rather obvious model that lines up squarely in the sights of the Nissan GT-R, that being the Corvette.
Interestingly, though, Chevy's halo coupe isn't the vehicle the boys from Motor Trend decided to match up at Barber Motorsports Park against the Japanese Godzilla, opting instead for the brand-new Camaro Z/28. A glance at the spec sheet of the Z/28 clears up any consternation regarding MT's choice - more horsepower for the Nissan, more torque for the Chevy and roughly the same weight means they are on pretty equal ground when it comes to what's under the hood.
The rest of the spec sheet looks to tilt the argument in the GT-R's favor (especially considering that MT's test car is a Track Edition model), as it boasts all-wheel-drive traction, a quick-shifting six-speed dual-clutch transmission and a price tag that's about $40,000 higher than that of the Z/28. Oh, and don't forget the GT-R's legendary computer-controlled reflexes. Does any of that matter with a professional race car driver like Randy Pobst behind the wheel? Scroll down and watch the video to find out.

Renault and Nissan forge deeper alliance

If the automotive industry's current era could be summarized by one trend - from a corporate aspect, anyway - surely it would be conglomeration. But of all the major auto groups that have emerged over the past several years, none have kept themselves at arm's length quite like the Renault-Nissan Alliance.
Much like Fiat and Chrysler, Renault and Nissan are presided over by a common chief executive. But whereas Sergio Marchionne's Italian-American alliance has moved swiftly from a transatlantic partnership to a merged company in the span of less than five years, Carlos Ghosn's Franco-Japanese alliance has stood oceans apart since 1999. But now the Renault-Nissan Alliance is following the lead set by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in bridging that distance through several key measures.
For one, Renault and Nissan will make increased use of common platforms, R&D, systems and testing. The two automakers will also cooperate more closely on manufacturing and supply chain management, purchasing and human resources. To manage the increased cooperation, the alliance has appointed several new executive vice presidents from within its ow ranks and a new management committee to be chaired by Ghosn, details about which you can read in the press release below.

Nissan Juke to get higher-performance Nismo RC model

It's hard to find more giggles for your crossover dollar than the Juke - regardless of how you feel about the way it looks, the singularly styled nichemobile from Nissan is very entertaining to drive. Yet we've always felt that the platform had more in it, and evidently its Japanese parent agrees, having recently bracketed the googly-eyed turbocharged CUV with a new Nismo model and the barking mad built-to-order Juke R. At present, neither the Juke Nismo or the GT-R-powered Juke R are sold in North America, but the former has already been confirmed for sale here.
Even when it does reach our shores, there will still be a heck of a lot of whitespace between the mild performance upgrades of the standard Nismo and the half-mill R model, and to hear the UK's Car tell it, Nissan has plans to plug that gap, too. According to its report, the automaker will shortly offer a Juke Nismo RC that will have roughly 20 horsepower more than the basic Nismo (which itself has 197 hp, nine more than the base Juke). The RC will apparently feature a lower, stiffer suspension, upgraded brakes and a unique exhaust and intake for a snarlier soundtrack. Both front-and all-wheel drive models are planned, as are manual and CVT transmission choices.
No word yet on the RC's pricing or even North American availability, but the regular-strength Juke Nismo is expected to arrive shortly, and Nissan is also said to have big plans for its performance nameplate, so we wouldn't rule it out.