It looks like Nissan’s Xterra SUV is the next car to get axed from the Japanese auto maker’s line-up.

According to Ward’s & Auto Guide – internal data suggests “the mid-size SUV category in which the Xterra fits totaled just 211,042 vehicles last year, compared to an all-time high of 1.65 million in 2000.” Surprisingly, however, there seems to be a mini-boom in the SUV segment as of late with that number up 42% over a ear ago.

Nissan product boss Larry Dominique did comment that execs at Nissan “are big fans of the SUV and plan to keep it in the product lineup or as long as possible. But, Xterra’s going to be a tough vehicle to keep around.”

The plan is to exceed the upcoming 34.1 mpg fleet fuel economy standard for 2016, with high-volume Sentra and Altima models. However, Nissan already has to overachieve in those areas to make up for the Titan’s it sells.

Dominique did reassure ans of the Frontier and Pathfinder that those models are safe. Nissan currently sits at third in the compact pickup segment with the Frontier and with Ford preparing to axe the Ranger, Frontier sales are likely to spike. The truck has already seen a sales increase that’s up 48.5 percent so far this year. (The Toyota Tacoma currently leads that segment).

Citing sources from Auto Week – “The convertible version of the Nissan Murano will have only two doors, compared with the four-door hardtop version, shown. Dealers expect the convertible version to arrive next year. The crossover, which already has a polarizing bulky rear-end design, will be offered as a two-door with a droptop, company officials confirm. Nissan showed the convertible to dealers at a meeting in Las Vegas this month. It is not clear when retailers will receive it, but it is likely to arrive in 2011.”

Brian Carolin, Nissan North America Inc.’s senior vice president for sales and marketing, said the convertible is intended as an image vehicle for the Nissan brand. “It’s not going to be a volume car,” Carolin said. “But there’s a degree of bravery for us to bring out a car like that right now. It will surprise a lot of people.”

Nissan has sold 34,141 Muranos through July, up 2% from a year before. The vehicle is the largest of Nissan’s three crossovers.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf features an electric motor with 107 hp and 206 lb-ft of torque. Power is provided by laminated lithium-ion batteries, which allow the Leaf to travel approximately 99 miles on a single charge. Once depleted, the batteries can be fully recharged in eight hours, using a standard household outlet.

U.S. pricing starts at around $32,000 ($25,280 after a $7,500 federal tax credit) and that alone has brought customers into dealership lots for reservations. For now, Nissan has not announced any more Leaf production added on to this year, but that may change as demand grows.

Either that, or people will just have to go out and put down a $99 reservation of a 2012 model.

New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said an NYPD mounted policeman spotted a box smoking in the back of the Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle and that the popular tourist destination in the heart of Manhattan’s Midtown was evacuated shortly after that.

“This appears to be a car bomb that the bomb squad is in the process of dismantling,” New York Police Department spokesman Paul Browne said.

“We do not know the motive.”

A police source who asked not to be named said the device was a car bomb and it included three tanks of propane and two canisters of gasoline. He said police had not fully cleared the Pathfinder.

He would not say whether the incident was being treated as an act of terrorism.

New York authorities have remained on high alert for another attack since the September 11, 2001 attacks in which hijacked airliners toppled the World Trade Centre’s twin towers.

Last year police said they thwarted a plot to bomb the New York subway system and arrested a number of suspects in a case that has led to some guilty pleas.

A New York Fire Department officer said the vehicle was found to contain explosives, gasoline, propane and burned wires and was being treated as a “failed device”.

The officer, who did not give his name because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said a man was seen fleeing the car and that police had protectively evacuated several blocks in case there were other devices.

In Washington, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said the Joint Terrorism Task Force has responded to the incident along with the NYPD.

A US official, who asked not to be identified by name, said the US Department of Homeland Security was aware of the situation and was monitoring developments, but declined to comment further. The official said the New York Police Department was in charge of the investigation.

Times Square was eerily empty for several blocks on Saturday night, the busiest night of the week on the Great White Way as tourists and theatre-goers watched from behind barricades as anti-terrorism units swarmed the scene.

From Free Press: More than 6,600 people had reserved a Nissan Leaf by Friday morning, just a few days after the automaker started taking reservations for the all-electric vehicle. 

The reservations come from potential buyers in the U.S. who paid a $99 refundable deposit to reserve their Leaf. The hatchback Leaf, slated to drive about 100 miles per charge, is to be priced at $32,780, before a $7,500 tax credit.

The company’s goal is to have 20,000 reservations by the time the vehicle goes on sale in select markets, including Washington, Oregon and California, in December.

Nissan has dropped a sticker of “$32,780—or less” for their Leaf EV. How can it be “less” – that all depends on your tax breaks state-to-state. See, anyone who buys a hybrid or electric vehicle is eligible for thousands of dollars in tax rebates from the government. Amounts tend to vary by state or the type of vehicle purchased. For example: California has a $5000 rebate, Georgia offers a $5000 tax credit, and Oregon will offer a $1500 tax credit.

If your state offers decent incentives, you could be looking at an all new 2011 Leaf for only $27,000.

Nissan begins taking reservations for Leaf April 20. Buyers interested must also pay a refundable $99 reservation fee starting that day. Leaf will be available in certain markets this December, with a national roll-out by 2011.

Source: Car and Driver

Apparently, he purchased a Nissan GT-R to celebrate. In honor of this joyous event (which we REALLY hope turns out to be fact) we go to Auto Fiends and some of the best Chuck Norris/GT-R jokes ever:

Newton’s Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal to a GT-R.

In Jurassic Park, the Tyrannosaurus Rex wasn’t chasing the jeep. A GT-R was chasing the Tyrannosaurus AND the jeep.

Pic: Jalopnik | Jokes: Auto Fiends

Via Jalopnik: This is the Nissan NV, a trio of Titan-based vans available with a 4.0-liter V6 or 5.6-liter V8 and a freaky “High Roof” option. It comes in half-ton, 3/4-ton and full-ton flavors and will make the perfect taco truck.

Nissan’s building it in a range of sizes starting with the half-ton NV1500 which only comes with a normal height roof, then you can move up to the 3/4 ton NV2500 HD and full-ton NV3500 HD, each of which can be had with a freakishly tall roof high enough to stand upright in. Interior measurements are a 120.7 inches in the cargo floor, 70.3-inch floor width and up to 76.5 inches tall inside. The small-time mobile taqueria can be fitted with either a cheap 4.0-liter V6 or the more powerful 5.6-liter V8, both with a 5-speed automatics transmission, GPS and interior cladding to protect the walls from getting bashed up from stuff inside.

It’s hard to ignore who Nissan seems to be targeting with this move as the company initially had an agreement with Dodge to build Ram-based Titans but the deal was killed. Rather than focus on the small commercial vehicle space occupied by the Ford Transit Connect, Nissan is going after the HD commercial truck space occupied by Dodge. Before the NV vans, the only vehicles like this were the Dodge Sprinter, which is crazy expensive, and regular vans with custom fitted roofs. Now Mercedes has reclaimed the Sprinter and Dodge is trying to keep commercial buyers interested in their HD commercial trucks.

Sources: Jalopnik | Nissan USA

Nissan states Micra will offer larger interior space and a comfort level not seen in other economy class vehicles. European-market models will have two engines to chose from: a “naturally-aspirated” 1.2 liter three-cylinder petrol engine developing 60kW and 108Nm of torque, and a turbo-charged version of the same engine, producing 75kW and 142Nm of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, but expect other European and possible American models to have a small automatic transmission. Nissan will also include their new Continuously Variable Transmission with the Micra.

Other 2011 Nissan Micra features will include a multi-function touch-screen with navigation, and a glass roof. Safety features will include ABS, dual front airbags, curtain and side airbags.

via The Motor Report