Edmund’s Inside Line just broke the news about the new Nismo version of the new Nissan 370z. With power bumped up to 350hp using a new intake, exhaust and ECU reprogramming, this version of the Z should be one of the fastest to hit our shores. Pics are below.

CanadianDriver just posted an interview of Randy Rodriguez, the designer of the new Nissan 370z. Born in Surrey, BC, he now resides in California and works for Nissan Design America. He currently owns an original 1971 Datsun Z and based a few of the design elements on that car, and a shark. See the full interview for the details.

I’m not sure how it happened, but collectively the auto industry has started offering the same type of car all at once: the cube. It started with the Scion Xb in the USA and the Honda Element here, now Kia and Nissan have jumped into the mix offering a tiny cube-like car to the market. I can’t imagine there is enough demand for all this supply, but we’ll see. the Kia and Nissan are being offered for sale here this year.

Kia Soul

Nissan Cube

Honda Element

Scion XB

A collection of affordable sports cars vs. the new 911 (non-S) has been brought together in Japan for Best Motoring. Watch the video below to see how closely some of these cars are matched on the track.

The video is at Racing Films. I’m not embedding it since it keeps ignoring my attempts to prevent it from autoplaying.

Tags: 911, BMW, Carrera, cayman, Honda, i35i, lap, Nissan, Porsche, race, s2000, track, Video

I’m pretty surprised by the way that Nissan has chosen to price the new Nissan 370z. Starting at only $39,998, it represents a much cheaper entry point than the previous 350z did when it debuted in it’s last model year.

The 2008 350z had the Grand Touring model as it’s lowest price point at $49,948. The 2009 370z Touring comes in at $39,948. Equipping the 370z with the Sport Pack includes better brakes, spoilers front and rear, and 19″ forged rims, bringing the final price to $43,948 before taxes – still $6,000 cheaper than the outgoing car!

The 370z car configurator is available on their website.

The new 370z, the replacement for the 350z, is coming to North America. Already on sale in Japan, here are a series of commerials from there:

At the LA Auto Show, the 370z debuted with it’s official specs. Here is their clip:

The all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z, the first full redesign of the iconic Nissan Z since its reintroduction as a 2003 model, solidifies the strengths of its predecessor with an unmatched balance of performance, style and value. Nearly every piece and component of the 370Z has been rethought or redesigned, including a shorter wheelbase, greater use of lightweight body materials, larger engine with 26 more horsepower, a new 7-speed automatic transmission and the world’s first synchronized downshift rev matching system for the 6-speed manual transmission. Performance has been enhanced with a more rigid body structure, better power-to-weight ratio and a new 332 horsepower 3.7-liter DOHC V6 engine with Variable Valve Event and Lift Control.

Hidden inside this paragraph is the “downshift rev matching system”. I’m not sure what this means, but I think that when you begin letting out the clutch when downshifting, the car will automatically adjust the engine speed making shifts smoother and more seamless.

The LA Auto Show is where the new 370z will debut. However, ahead of the launch, Nissan has released full pictures of the new car. While the only thing that can be confirmed is a displacement of 3.7 L, other technical details that are rumored are a new 7-speed automatic transmission, overall shorter length and lighter weight.

Dual clutch transmissions are one of the more exciting car technologies that have come in the past few years. Audi/VW was one of the first manufacturers to make this available on production cars available to normal consumers – the first car was actually the Bugatti Veyron. It’s been made on the VW Golf/Audi TT since their last generation – the cars share a similar platform.

Dual clutch transmissions offer all the fuel economy benefits of a manual tranmission while also allowing manual shifting via paddles or gearshift. Manual shifting does not use a clutch pedal. Moreover, these transmissions can be computer controlled for an “automatic” mode for customers that are used to automatic transmissions.

With automakers racing to reduce fleet-wide fuel economy numbers, all major automakers are rushing to put out these transmissions into their cars. Here’s a list of cars that are available right now with these gearboxes. Each company uses a different name for the gearbox.

BMW M-DCT (available in the M3) – Getrag 7DCI600
Bugatti Veyron – Made by BorgWarner
VW/Audi DSG (Jetta, Rabbit, TT) – BorgWarner
Audi DSG (S5) – BorgWarner
Mitsubishi SS-T (Evo X) – Getrag 6DCT470
Nissan (GTR) – BorgWarner
Porsche PDK (911) – ZF

Furthermore, the following car companies have announced efforts to put out dual clutch transmissions in the near future:
Chrysler – Getrag
Ford – Getrag (DirectShift)