When we were hanging out at the 2012 Nissan Micra’s GCC launch in the UAE, we heard that almost every British expat has had seat-time in its predecessors dating back to the 1980s, sort of like how everyone here has some experience with the Toyota Yaris. It is interesting then, that Nissan chose to finally launch the fourth generation in the Middle East to do battle with, what else, the Toyota Yaris.
The Nissan Altima is quite possibly second in midsize-sedan sales in the UAE, behind the Toyota Camry, and easily in the top three on the overall GCC market by our estimates. Apparently, it has toppled the Honda Accord for second-place behind the Camry even in the United States, where it is built. So the launch of the all-new 2013 Altima is, by all accounts, more important than any other car in its current line-up.
We stopped reporting on recalls last March because, firstly, it’s boring news, and secondly, there’s just too many of them. Most publicised recalls are issued according the U.S. NHTSA agency. But we’ve decided to list all the recalls since then, just to make sure we’ve covered them, and potential buyers of these cars can get the whole story, so here goes.
Nissan is pushing for bigger sales numbers for their electric car, the Leaf, by introducing a few changes to the car itself and increased distribution.
Nissan has officially announced the return of their long-dormant brand Datsun. The brand will now make a mainstream appearance after three decades of absence.
The fourth annual all-day off-road event, Nissan Xplore UAE, organised by Arabian Automobiles in association with ENOC Lubricants, was held on 9th March 2012. Participants of all sorts, including expert off-road enthusiasts, amateur learners, families, and some even with children queued up for the rough-ride adventure.
We thought it was impossible, but someone apparently managed to spin a Nissan GT-R, and that too on a drag strip. We have no idea how the grippiest car ever engineered can do that, unless severely messed with.
There are a lot of stereotypes floating around about “which is the best offroader” when it comes to dune-bashing. Many automatically say “Toyota Land Cruiser” or “Nissan Patrol”, with a few naive ones even adding in “Jeep Wrangler” and “Land Rover Defender”, generally by people who’ve never been off-road in anything more than a desert-safari ride. The truth is there is no such thing as the “best offroader”. But if we were to make a list, we’d put the Nissan Xterra Off Road edition above any of the aforementioned trucklets.
One of the biggest favourites of the region beyond doubt, the Nissan Patrol, is turning 60 years since its first foray into the harsh terrains of our planet. To commemorate the event, Nissan introduces the all-new 2012 Nissan Patrol 60th Diamond Edition, featuring unique specifications never seen before.
The Dubai dealer for Nissan has announced the introduction of the 2012 Nissan Patrol Pickup in the UAE at the 2012 Commercial Vehicles Middle East show. The company also displayed the Nissan Urvan panel van and the Nissan Navara pick-up.