AutoWeek

Friday, May 16, 2008

Nissan product chief Larry Dominique wanted the redesigned Maxima to be more aggressive and sportier. (GREG MIGLIORE)

Maxima looks to reconnect with its sports car roots
Nissan knows this generation of the Maxima has an identity crisis. Is it a luxury car? Not exactly. A sports sedan? Not compared with earlier Maximas or some of its competitors. As Nissan's product guru Larry Dominique put it: "The current generation Maxima just didn't resonate with me like the previous generations." With this in mind, Nissan set to remake the Maxima with a number of...

Demand for GT-R could drive prices north of $90,000
Expect to pay--a lot--for the new Nissan GT-R. Pricing starts at $69,850 for the base car and reaches $71,900 for the premium model. But a top Nissan product executive is predicting a 10- to 30-percent markup by dealers when the car arrives in the United States in June--which appears to be a...

SHORT STINT: 2008 BMW M3 Sedan
OUR TAKE: It was a wise decision by BMW to bring back the M3 sedan because there certainly is a market for potent sedans. Sticking with just a coupe and convertible lineup, as with the last-generation M3, shuts out a lot of prospective buyers. Not surprisingly, the sedan performs...

FIA officials criticize 'scruffy' WRC champ Loeb
Two FIA officials called reigning World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb "scruffy" and "arrogant" in an astonishing series of e-mails. The exchange came after Surinder Thatti, chairman of the Confederation of African Countries in Motorsport, watched highlights of Rally Mexico, including close-up TV ...

ESCAPE ROADS: 1927 Sandford S Grand Sport: Three-wheeling the French way
When Dave Rex began thinking about racing something a bit slower than Corvettes, he knew where to begin his search: the Antique Automobile Club of America's Eastern Division National Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He mounted a sign on a wagon he was pulling. It said, simply: "Wanted. Old...

MARKET: 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe
Barrett-Jackson, Palm Beach, Fla. March 27-30 327 cid, 300 hp, with four-speed manual. Saddle tan with saddle leather. Power windows, brakes, steering; factory air conditioning (one of only 1988 of the 22,229 Corvettes built in 1964 with that option). Excellent paint and brightwork....

U.S. convertible registrations drop for first time since ’03
It seems there’s no ceiling to auto industry struggles. Even convertible registrations, which grew steadily the past several years in the United States, slumped in 2007, dropping 8.6 percent. The segment fell below 300,000 new registrations last year for the first time since 2003, according...

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AT THE BRICKYARD: Drivers get some track time
News of the day Thursday: Finally, a day without rain at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, although it was dark and ugly all day with threatening skies. Thirty-five drivers completed 2628 laps, which equated to about 40 percent of the total posted so far this month. Team Penske drivers Ryan...

Franchitti to miss NASCAR All-Star Challenge
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Dario Franchitti will not participate in this weekend's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The 2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series title winner continues to recover from a broken ankle sustained on April 26 at Talladega Superspeedway. The team ...

Tata is first automaker to try for $10 million X Prize
India's Tata Motors has become the first major automaker to enter the $10 million Automotive X Prize competition. The company plans to enter an electric-hybrid car in the mainstream category and a microcar in the alternative segment, X Prize organizers said on Thursday. Tata's cars will be...

AUDIO: Generation Why with Jake & Mike
In this podcast, Jake and Mike rag on rapper DMX, create their own hand-picked car teams by conducting a three-round car draft, and end up going off about their driving pet peeves....

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AutoWeek Daily Drive — Friday, May 16, 2008