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Nissan recalling GT-R, Infiniti crossovers over steering column issue

Nissan has discovered a problem with the steering column on some of its higher-end all-wheel-drive vehicles from a few years back, and has issued a recall in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to address the issue. The issue revolves around the outer tube on the steering column, which may not be perfectly round. That would put extra stress on the upper steering bearing, which could cause it to fracture, disabling the car's steering ability and potentially leading to a crash. The problem affects Nissan's flagship GT-R supercar – specifically 2009 models manufactured between March 14, 2007, and April 25, 2008) as well as an array of Infiniti crossovers: namely the 2008 EX35 and the 2008-09 FX35 and FX45. In the case of the luxury crossovers, Infiniti dealers are being instructed to replace just the steering shaft, but Nissan dealers will have to replace the entire steering column assembly on the GT-R. All told, the recall is estimated to encompass 16,973 vehicles across the United States. RECALL Subject : Steering Column Tube may be Out of Round Report Receipt Date: FEB 02, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V054000 Component(s): STEERING Potential Number of Units Affected: 16,973 Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc. SUMMARY: Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain model year 2008 Infiniti EX35 vehicles manufactured June 29, 2007, to April 25, 2008, 2009 Infiniti FX35 and FX45 vehicles manufactured October 31, 2007, to April 16, 2008, and 2009 Nissan GT-R vehicles manufactured March 14, 2007, to April 25, 2008. The steering column outer tube may not be round, resulting in extra stress being applied to the upper steering bearing. This stress may cause the bearing retainer to fracture, creating extra play in the steering wheel or a possible loss of steering. CONSEQUENCE: Extra play in the steering wheel or a loss of steering may increase the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering shaft on the Infiniti EX35, FX35, and FX45 vehicles, and will replace the steering column assembly on the Nissan GT-R vehicles, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Infiniti owners may contact customer service at 1-800-662-6200. Nissan owners may contact the GT-R hotline at 1-866-668-1487.

Datsun expands low-cost revival with new Mi-Do in Moscow [w/video]

Those who were disappointed when Datsun changed its name to Nissan over three decades ago may have been pleased to see the marque revived last year, even as a budget brand. Nissan's counterpart to its ally Renault's Dacia budget brand, Datsun has been steadily expanding its lineup of low-cost transportation for developing markets with the debut of the Go hatchback in India, the Go+ minivan in Indonesia and the On-Do sedan in Russia. And now it has returned to Moscow to reveal its fourth model, the Mi-Do.
Based closely on the On-Do sedan (which itself is based on the Lada Granta) the Mi-Do takes on a five-door hatchback bodystyle but with no more frills. It uses the same front-drive chassis with the same wheelbase as the sedan, but its chopped tail makes it a good foot and a half shorter overall. Into that compact shape, Datsun has fitted dual airbags, ABS and... well, that's about it. It's got a 1.6-liter, eight-valve inline-four kicking out a grand total of 87 horsepower to either a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Bare bones, this is.
While delivery of the first On-Do sedans commences next month (with the first example going to an IT specialist in Omsk), the Mi-Do is set to begin delivery early next year. Scope out the video and press release below from the Mi-Do's reveal at the Moscow Motor Show.

Mercedes was set to sell version of Nissan Titan, now Infiniti might instead

Mercedes-Benz Titan. Mercedes-Benz Frontier. Mercedes-Benz pickup truck. None of these things roll off the tongue particularly well. We'd like to think that's the reason Daimler opted to kill the idea of rebadged Titan and Frontier pickups from corporate ally Nissan. In reality, the execution before the Frankfurt Motor Show was due to more complicated issues.
Yes, Mercedes, byword for German luxury, style and quality, would have slapped a three-pointed star on a pair of Japanese pickup trucks that have failed to resonate with consumers in the world's largest truck market. That slapping of badges isn't much of an exaggeration, at least on the outside. According to the report from Road & Track, the truck's front clip would have been tweaked, but beyond that, the sheetmetal would have been unchanged. The interior would have received a more thorough going-over by the team at Mercedes, while the suspension and noise, vibration and harshness tuning would have also received significant attention.
The trucks would have ended up being sold through the light-commercial branch of Mercedes-Benz - the same folks that will happily sell you a Sprinter van - had the deal gone through. Issues arose, though, first with the engines. Mercedes wanted a wider range of powertrains to allow it to tune models for specific markets, while Nissan said it couldn't engineer the wide variety of engines that MB wanted to drop under the hood. For the smaller truck, meanwhile, MB was interested in a hybrid or plug-in variant, according to R&T, although this was also shot down by Nissan.