Remember last April, when Nissan told us it would be launching five new models over the course of 15 months? Well, we've seen the Altima, Pathfinder, Sentra and Versa Note, so that magical fifth model has to be the new Rogue, which our spy photographers recently caught testing. Despite looking like a hodge-podge of black duct tape and garbage bags, we can clearly see that the new Rogue takes a lot of its styling cues from the Hi-Cross concept that Nissan showed at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. And that's fine - we found that CUV concept to be a decidedly handsome thing, and certainly more attractive than the weird little Rogue that currently roams the streets.
Details surrounding the next Rogue are still very unclear, though our spies suggest that it could be powered by a new 1.2-liter supercharged four-cylinder engine, good for something like 113 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque. We'll see about that, since those numbers represent a drastic drop in power versus the current Rogue - to the tune of 57 hp and 35 lb-ft. A diesel engine for other markets is expected to be on offer, and a plug-in hybrid version is also rumored to be in the works, though that won't show up at the vehicle's initial launch.
If Nissan sticks to its plan of showing these five new models in the course of 15 months, that means we should see the Rogue in July. Of course, since things don't always go as planned, it could be many more months before all that camouflage is taken away.
Intent on not eliminating itself from consideration, and adapting to the way consumers research new car purchases, Nissan has announced price discounts now in effect, indefinitely, on seven models: the Altima, Armada, Juke, Maxima, Murano, Rogue and Sentra. It was found that Nissan's price points fell outside the competitive pool when prospective buyers searched for cars based on maximum price.
The price cuts vary and depend on the equipment spec, but they range from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars; the MSRP of the Altima drops by $580, the Sentra by $730, the Armada by $4,400. Discounts on the Murano alone range from $1,460 to $2,410. Under orders from CEO Carlos Ghosn the brand is working to raise its US market share to ten percent by 2016, from 7.9 percent currently - which includes Infiniti - and appears to be optimizing its placement every step of the way to do so.
If you hear the pejorative "chick car," what comes to mind? Mazda MX-5 Miata? Volvo C70? Would you believe neither made Inside Line's list of 2011 models with the highest percentage of female ownership? No. 1, with 57.9-percent female ownership was the Volvo S40. Considering the female dollar is sought-after, it's probably too bad that Volvo decided to axe the model for 2012.
That means No. 2, the Nissan Rogue with 56.9 percent, could take the top spot for 2012. Or maybe the VW Eos at No. 3 with 56.4 percent. We're also kind of wondering how the new Fiat 500 will fare this year.
No. 4 is another VW that shouldn't surprise. The cute New Beetle has been a perennial favorite among the ladies. It was No. 1 a year ago, but as we know, the newer, more aggressively styled Beetle is enjoying increased interest among the guys. No. 5? The Toyota Matrix, of all things.
Here's how the rest shake out according to Inside Line:
Top ten 2011 models with the highest proportion of female buyers
Barrett-Jackson 2012, Camaro ZL1 vs Shelby GT500, Volkswagen says it's really #1, C7 Chevrolet Corvette
Episode #266 of the Autoblog Podcast is here with Chris, Dan, Zach and Drew Phillips this week. Topics include the Barrett-Jackson auction, smack talk from the Camaro ZL1 chief, Volkswagen disputing GM's claim of #1 in the world, and a C7 Corvette sighting. Your questions and comments power the end of the 'cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We've embedded our Q&A module after the jumpfor you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
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Nissan and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced a recall for certain 2011 Rogue models. Some vehicles may have been manufactured with an incorrectly installed circuit board within the vehicle's electronic power steering assist control unit. Nissan says that, as a result, the terminal may experience additional stress on the circuit board's solder, which could eventually result in a failure. Such a failure could cause the power steering assist to stop working altogether, which may increase the amount of effort it takes to steer the vehicle and result in a crash.
A total of 7,365 2011 Nissan Rogue models are covered in the recall, and owners can expect to be notified by Nissan soon. The automaker will replace the electronic power steering module free of charge if necessary once the recall begins this month.
Those of us bumping around on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder may still be waiting for wealth to trickle down from the Reagan years, but at least technology is becoming more accessible. Nissan has just announced that the lowly Rogue will be the first vehicle in its humble class to be available with the company's Around View monitor - a system that is typically found on high-end metal like the Infiniti QX56 and the BMW 7 Series. Using an array of small cameras positioned around the exterior of the vehicle, Around View provides the driver with composite video of the the vehicle's surroundings.
In our experience, the system is a huge help in tight parking areas as well as towing situations. Around View will be available on the 2012 Nissan Rogue SL, and the company is pitching the camera array as an alternative to self-park mechanisms on more expensive crossovers. We're not sure we'd go that far, but we are impressed that the tech has arrived on a more accessible model. Hit the jump for the full press release as well as a video demonstration of the system in action.
