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Nissan 'Ride of Your Life' campaign turns an Altima into a race car [w/video]

Nissan definitely makes some exciting vehicles. The GT-R has received continuous improvements to keep it at the head of the pack in the performance car world. And the Leaf might not bring driving intensity, but its technology is quite impressive. However, there is nothing especially thrilling about the Altima. Granted, it races in the Australian V8 Supercars series, but that car really only shares its basic shape with the production version. So it may see surprising that the Japanese automaker is hoping to inject some drama into its midsize sedan with its new Ride of Your Life ad campaign.
The project is pretty clever. Nissan invited several people to the Horse Thief Mile circuit at Willow Springs Raceway for a ride in an Altima racecar. After a few laps with a professional driver around the course, they pulled into the pits, and the passengers got a big surprise. We won't spoil what happens for you. You can check it out in the video below.
The concept is somewhat similar to Toyota's thrill ride ads for the Camry last year. Both promotions try to show that that these four-door, family sedans can be more than just boring transportation. Nissan's commercials will begin airing on TV soon. The automaker hopes to excite potential Altima buyers ahead of its upcoming national sales event. Scroll down to watch the video to find out the big secret and read the full release about the campaign.

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.

Ten of the greatest Super Bowl car commercials of all time

With an average of over 100 million viewers each year, the Super Bowl always has advertisers bringing out the big guns. And for those among us who don't know the difference between a safety and a touchback, those commercials can be one of the most compelling aspects of the annual ritual. Car companies, in particular, have a long history of making the most of the huge Super Bowl audience by debuting some of the most memorable advertisements that have ever aired on television. So, in preparation for the new batch we'll be seeing this coming Sunday, here's a collection of our favorites from the past. 10. Audi – The Godfather When Audi created this homage to the quintessential gangster movie to promote its newest sports car, the company managed to make a commercial that was simultaneously funny, a little bit disturbing, and most importantly memorable. 9. Maserati – Strike This one might start out slow, but it delivers not only with the wicked sound of the third-generation Ghibli's engine, but with an interesting message about hubris in the auto industry as well. 8. Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbo – Dream Directed by none other than Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien), this dystopian spot has centers around a narrator who explains that in his dream the bad guys are unable to catch him despite their best efforts by way of street bikes, race cars, and supersonic jets. While the twin-turbocharged 300ZX car was certainly a performance powerhouse to be reckoned with in its day, the concept and execution of this one does come off a little bit campy now – but in a good way. Then again, it is a dream, after all. 7. General Motors – Robot This one is unique in that it's genuinely depressing on a profound level. Who would've thought that the simulated suicide of a lovable, anthropomorphic car-building robot who has fallen on hard times could be such a downer? 6. Nissan – With Dad Although the debut season of its new LMP1 racer didn't exactly turn out how the team hoped it would, there's no denying that Nissan's depiction of a strained father-and-son relationship that eventually leads to redemption (and the introduction of the 2016 Maxima) tugs at the heartstrings. 5. Volkswagen – Big Day A surprisingly poignant advert, this one might be low on dialogue but it certainly gets its message across. And just as the dramatic soundtrack begins to lull the viewer into a sense of security, our expectations are upended. 4.