Nissan Dualis News

The bottom line on the baby all-wheel drive crossover is slashed by $6000 today but, more importantly, the starting sticker is down to $24,990 with the addition of a front-drive model to open the action.The result, Nissan says, will be a near tripling of sales in Australia, from 2500 in the car's first year to around 7000 with the 2010 model which is about to hit the road.Very few Dualis buyers will notice the loss of the all-wheel drive system. The front-drive model drives virtually the same, with solid city performance, a compliant ride and commendable quietness. Nissan also trumpets five-star ANCAP safety."We think this will be another home run for Nissan," says Dan Thompson, the managing director of Nissan Australia.The price-driven attack comes as Nissan continues a new-model onslaught which has worked incredibly with the Murano, Maxima, 370Z and GT-R supercar. And it will continue early next year with the local arrival of the Z roadster.The eventual aim is to overtake Nissan as Australia's favourite import- only brand ? Toyota is comfortably best of all, but is also a local manufacturer - by the end of 2012 with a 10 per cent of annual sales down under.The new Dualis arrives after intensive price negotiations with Nissan's head office in Japan, even though the Dualis is built in the UK."We get the car from the UK, and the Aussie dollar has strengthened quite a lot against the Euro and the Pound. We're quite positive about what we ended up with," Thompson says.There is no skimping in the specification or finish of the front-drive Dualis - which Nissan prefers to call the 'two-wheel drive' model - which still comes with a 2-litre petrol engine, six-speed manual or CVT automatic transmission, and standard equipment including six airbags and ESP stability control.It sits between the Tiida and Maxima in the Nissan family and, ranged against cars including the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Golf in the heart of $20,000-something small cars, has plenty of potential.Its strongest points are an elevated driving position and a rear end which is more like a small wagon than its hatchback rivals.And now there is the price."We have re-positioned the Dualis brand. We expect the two-wheel drive model to establish Dualis as a genuine alternative to a conventional five-door hatch," says Nissan's Dualis brand manager, Adrian Givoye. 

It intends to turn its Dualis SUV into a front-wheel drive to cut the price and boost potential sales.The car is coming in August, and based on the current $28,990 starting price for a two-litre all-wheel drive model the front-runner Dualis should be in the $25,000 range."Why are we doing a front-drive model? Because we think the Dualis has got potential to do better than it has, and to do that it needs to be pitched more at the small hatch market," says Nissan Australia spokesman, Jeff Fisher.“The positioning will be different. It makes sense. It's a small 2-litre hatch with an elevated driving position, a nice place to be."The price and specification is still being set and Fisher is not giving much away on the price. "It will be a little cheaper," he says.But Nissan believes it could be a good choice for a lot of 20-something Australians."Dualis is currently selling around 150 a month. We would like to double that number. There is potential to at least double that rate," Fisher says.

The onslaught has already begun with the compact Dualis family wagon but will pick up pace with everything from a tougher Navara to the prestige Maxima, sporty Z and diesel-powered X-Trail.Godzilla, the Nissan GT-R supercar, will cap the action early in 2009.“This is the biggest product push we've seen from Nissan since the alliance with Renault in 1999,” says the general manager of marketing at Nissan Australia, Ross Booth.“We are now investing much more in future technology and innovation. That has resulted in a serious global product push. In a year we will have a major onslaught. That gives us a huge opportunity to lift sales, because our range has been ageing.”Booth says the diesel X-Trail will be up first, with a 127kW turbodiesel engine with a manual gearbox and 110kW as a six-speed auto, followed by the King Cab version of the Navara. He hopes to get the same diesel engine into the Dualis.“X-Trail diesel is on sale in July. The Dualis is down to global supply.In Europe the wait in some countries is out to nine months,” Booth says.“This engine gives us class leading power and torque in the manual and a very competitive automatic. There is no other major player in Australia and that's interesting, because diesel has been available with most big players for several years in Europe.“We didn't perceive a demand for diesel in compact SUVs, but the tide has shifted. It became very clear to us, to deliver what customers want. And that's a powerful diesel engine.“Suzuki have a diesel in the Grand Vitara, but that's only 98kW, and the Land Rover Freelander is technically not a rival for X-Trail.”Booth says the updated Navara is the first Nissan with clamshell doors, freeing extra space for a pair of small back seats.“The King Cab is definitely a growing segment, up by 40 per cent in the past three years,” he says.“It's still definitely a vehicle for the tradesman, but the younger guy who can throw cricket gear in the back and take kids to school. It's the only major player with automatic, with RX the workhorse and the ST-X the work-and-play model.”Further into the future, Nissan Australia is expecting the new Murano, Maxima, 370Z and GT-R before the halfway mark of 2009.“Murano is early in 2009. That's new and based on the D-Platform from Nissan, which is also used for the Altima in the USA,” Booth says.He will not be drawn on the other newcomers, even though the new Maxima has already broken cover and the GT-R is on sale in many countries, but believes the expanded and refreshed range will give Nissan Australia the chance to challenge Honda for fifth place in the sales race.“Our target this year is 70,000 sales,” he says. “It's our best result, in volume and market share, since 1991, from the time we came out of local manufacturing.“We haven't officially set targets for 2009, but we need to consolidate before we can expand our range — particularly in passenger vehicles.“The next-generation Micra is also coming up, later in 2009. Our Micra range is quite efficient with one model line-up, but it would be good to have a manual option and potentially a three-door as well.” 

Nissan’s Micra is back. After a few years away, Nissan has reintroduced its entry level hatch with a distinctive look and a starting price of $14,990.A standard 72kW 1.4-litre engine matched with a four-speed automatic, other features include air-con, keyless entry, power windows and mirrors, MP3 compatible CD, and the safety double of dual airbags and ABS.A $1700 option pack adds dual side and curtain airbags, six-CD stacker and 15-inch alloys. The dramatic styling and bold colours; pink is on the Sydney Motor Show stand, which marks the Micra as a stand-out in both spec and price.A little larger is Nissan’s Dualis, a compact five-door crossover that’s smaller than X-Trail, Murano and Patrol.Dimensionally, DUALIS sits between small car hatchbacks and SUVs, it runs a 2.0-litre four-cylinder with 102kW with a six-speed manual or CVT with six-speed manual mode. Its all-wheel drive system has three modes selected via a switch, from two-wheel drive to 50:50 4WD. Prices start from $28,990 for ST up to $35,990 for the Ti with CVT.Finally, Nissan’s new, larger X-Trail made its debut and the base ST model’s price remains at $31,990. Standard spec includes ESP, side airbags, air-con, 16-inFch wheels and Nissan’s intelligent 4x4-i system.The ST-L and Ti models get 17-inch alloys, climate control, six-CD stacker with MP3 compatibility, while a sunroof, heated seats and rear parking sensors are reserved for Ti. The ST-L is $35,990 while the Ti starts at $38,990. CVT is available on both models for an extra $2000. See these cars at the Australian International Motor Show  

But it will be officially launched at the Tokyo Motor Show, which starts on October 26.

HOLDENThe focus at the GM-owned stand willbe the concept of the next generation of America's iconic muscle car, the Chevrolet Camaro. The partly Australian-designed sports coupe concept will make its debut here.Holden will be evaluating public response to determine if the Camaro will be a viable option for the local market.The new model has been confirmed for production in North America at the beginning of 2009. It is expected to be identical to the concept model, a modern interpretation of its original 1969 form.Part of the Camaro's engineering and design work is done in Melbourne.Holden is also unveiling a diesel version of its Captiva family all-wheel-drive plus the new Epica mid-size sedan. FORDThe hottest new baby car for Australia is the Fiesta XR4 (pictured on today's cover) which Ford will start selling here mid-year.The European-built car will complement its big brother the Focus XR5 Turbo.The XR4 will be powered by a 2.0-litre Duratec 16 valve engine. Falcon Cobra-style stripes will enhance its racy looks.Also following the Cobra style is a limited-edition run of 200 FPV GTs to commemorate 40 years since the first Falcon V8, the XR GT, was built in 1967.The distinctive black with gold stripes machine will sell for $65,110 from next month. TOYOTAThe company will reveal its latest prestige performance vehicles. The locally designed Toyotas make their world debut in Melbourne.The TRD range features a supercharged 3.5-litre, V6 Aurion sports sedan and the supercharged 4.0-litre, V6 HiLux sports utility.The Aurion will go on sale in the middle of the year and the Hilux will be launched towards the end of the year. AUDI The surprise of the show could be Audi's new S5 and A5 models, which make their world debut at the Geneva show next week.The A5 will be available in both four-cylinder and six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, with the 3.2-litre, 195kW V6 petrol topping the range.The S5 has an eight-cylinder 260kW engine, producing 440Nm of torque. It sprints from nought to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.The coupes will be available to order from March, with deliveries starting in June. JEEPThe Chrysler brand will preview three of its new production models in Melbourne.The all-new Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited will be the main attraction to the stand, along with the first compact SUV for Jeep, the Compass.The Wrangler has been redesigned, and has a new diesel engine added to the range.The Unlimited is a four-door model, with five seats and extended wheelbase.The new Compass will be available in both petrol and diesel engines when it goes on sale this month and the company believes it will appeal to a younger audience. NISSANNissan will unveil three new models, including the much-talked-about Qashqai, which has been renamed Dualis for the Australian market. The Dualis will be launched in Australia towards the end of this year and will slot into the small segment.Nissan will also display the new Micra, a 1.4-litre small car which will also go on sale towards the end of the year and the revised 350Z. With a new 3.5-litre, V6 engine, the 350Z will go on sale in April. It also features changed interior and exterior designs. HONDAHonda's latest offering in fuel-cell technology, the new FCX concept, is making its Australian debut in Melbourne.The low-riding, sporty sedan runs on hydrogen and has more power, while still offeringa a full-sized cabin. Honda is currently working on a retail version of the prototype for the US and Japan. EDAGThe engineering and design company will exhibit its EDAG SUV, a one-of-kind model based on the Porsche Cayenne. The modified SUV has been lowered and reshaped and the roofline dropped by 70mm.It has a 447kW turbo engine, with large air inlets on the front bumper for the intercoolers. Wedge-shaped side skirts and muscular fenderflares give the EDAG SUV even more character. It sits on 23-inch wheels with ultra-low profile tyres.Inside, four sports seats are separated by a full-length centre console, which features a DVD player and Sony PS2 game console. BMWWe'll see the debut of the new X5 in Australia at the motor show.The revised SUV will go on sale in April with a 3.0-litre diesel and a 4.8-litre, V8 petrol engine. A 3.0-litre petrol will be available from June. Prices will start at $80,000.BMW will also show the 3 Series convertible as well as the the updated 5 Series and 1 Series. MAZDAMazda will feature the Australian preview of its new large SUV, the CX-9. The seven-seater will be the third SUV for Mazda when it goes on sale in Australia in January.It is expected to cost $55,000-$60,000.Mazda will have both a cut model with the roof taken off, as well as a left-hand drive, North American production model on display.

Based on the X-Trail four-wheel-drive package, the Qashqai, (pronounced "cash-kai") is another compact crossover.Nissan Motor Company Australia spokesman Karl Gehling said they were still evaluating the vehicle."Obviously we would like to bring it in," he said."If it's a success, it will arrive about 12 months after its launch in February in the UK."As for the name, they were "looking at the options".The British-built vehicle will be called Qashqai in Europe, but Dualis in Japan. It also will be sold in the Middle East and South Africa.