2013 Nissan Altima Spied (Again), Nissan Designer Says New Sentra to Adopt Similar Styling Next Year

November 22, 2011 at 1:56pm by Justin Berkowitz

With the next generations of Nissan’s Altima and Sentra sedans due sometime in the next year, it’s no surprise to see the former on the road in what looks to be nearly production form. And although our spies haven’t caught the Sentra yet, Nissan’s head designer Shiro Nakamura tells us that finally the two will share a family style. Nakamura says that he’s liked the sheetmetal on many of Nissan’s recent offerings, but feels that the designs aren’t cohesive enough; they don’t speak a common “design language,” as stylists like to say. That will change, however, with the introduction of the 2013 model-year Altima and Sentra.

Nissan is making substantial changes to the current car for the next Altima, we’ve learned. In addition to a conventional inline-four and Nissan’s ubiquitous V-6, expect an all-new hybrid powertrain. Unlike the last-gen Altima hybrid—which used technology licensed from Toyota—this one has been developed entirely by Nissan.

The next Sentra remains shrouded in a bit more mystery. We expect that it’ll grow somewhat in size to set itself apart from the new Versa, which grew as much in size as it did in lousiness. Four-cylinder engines and CVT transmissions will no doubt make up the Sentra’s powertrain offerings, but beyond that, we’ll have to wait for more information from Nissan.

Just because the Sentra and Altima will share similar familial shapes, though, don’t expect every Nissan to suddenly become homogenized. “These are the core products, and they have to look like Nissans,” Nakamura says. There’s still plenty of room for the risky playfulness of models like the Cube and Juke.

Tags: hybrids, Nissan, Nissan Altima, Nissan Sentra, spy photos |

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Bee-Have! Dodge Brings Back Charger Super Bee (Again), Resurrects Challenger Yellow Jacket

American muscle cars appeal to a largely nostalgic bunch, and the companies that make them never hesitate to pillage their own past to please the customer. And so Dodge is announcing the second coming of the Challenger Yellow Jacket and the third coming of the Charger Super Bee, both of which are offered only in SRT8 guise for 2012.

As with the previous Charger Super Bee, which was offered from 2007 to 2009, the new one is basically a paint-and-stickers deal, with the now-traditional Super Bee graphics on each rear quarter panel, plus a matte-black rear spoiler and a gloss-black cross-hair grille. Two color schemes are available, the most extroverted being Stinger Yellow with a matte-black hood applique. It also comes in Pitch Black with charcoal-gray appliques for customers not so keen on so much chroma on such a big car. Production will be capped at 500 units for each color.

The Challenger Yellow Jacket borrows its name from a show car that toured the auto-show circuit beginning in 1969. It comes only in retina-searing yellow, and features a blackout grille, a body-color rear spoiler, and a spear-like black stripe running the length of the vehicle. A new Yellow Jacket logo and script are set within the stripe at the back. Production will be limited to 1000 for the year.

Both bees ride on new 20-inch five-spoke wheels with painted insets, and also receive unique interior treatments with yellow and silver accents. The Charger Super Bee seats are upholstered in cloth, while the Challenger Yellow Jacket indulges in cowhide. Both cars have their respective stinging-insect graphic embroidered on the seats.

As 2012 SRT8 models, the Yellow Jacket and Super Bee are powered by the wicked 6.4-liter V-8 with 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. As we’ve noted in previous tests, the numerous updates made to the SRT8 Challenger and Charger for 2012 greatly improved them. A two-mode adjustable suspension is included on the Yellow Jacket, as are steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters for automatic models.

Neither package will be offered on R/T or base models, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see more-affordable versions leave the Dodge hive in the coming years. Ordering begins in December at a price that is yet to be announced, and the first deliveries are expected in the first quarter of 2012.

Tags: American, Dodge, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Challenger SRT8 392, Dodge Charger, Dodge Charger SRT8, muscle cars, sports cars |

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Europeans Can Again Buy New Type 2 Volkswagen Microbuses, We’re Jealous

Like the Beetle, the Volkswagen Type 2—a.k.a. Kombi, Transporter, or Microbus, depending on where you’re from—is a classic. The Bus was created as a super-practical offspring of the Type 1 Beetle; it served countless people around the world as a commercial vehicle and family hauler. It also moved tents, guitar cases, surfboards, and bongs to rock concerts, political rallies, and beaches all over America, earning a special place in the hearts of those at the center of the Sixties counterculture movement. And it continues to serve as an inspiration to VW designers, as evidenced by the Microbus and Bulli concepts.

Volkswagen T2 interior

The T2 hasn’t been sold here—or in Continental Europe, for that matter—for many decades, but it has faithfully carried on in Brazil, where it is offered as an entry-level commercial vehicle wearing the Kombi name. Not surprisingly, it enjoys a fiercely loyal following. Just five years ago, Volkswagen of Brazil made a very significant update, replacing the air-cooled engine with a water-cooled 1.4-liter powerplant and therefore silencing the bus’s characteristic, puttering exhaust note. As part of the upgrade, the T2 lost its clean front end and now features a square black grille in the middle of its snout. Volkswagen of Brazil acknowledged the nostalgic appeal of the old look, and bid the air-cooled engine farewell with a special limited edition.

Now, believe it or not, the T2 is back in Europe. Dutch Volkswagen dealership Volkswagen Campercentrum in Amersfoort, Netherlands, is offering brand-new T2 models for a whopping €45,000 or so. How is it legal? The trick is to bring the T2 into Continental Europe through Danbury Vans in the U.K., which has imported the T2 for several years. “There is no other way to get these vehicles legal except through the U.K.,” admits Martijn Siegers of the Campercentrum. “Technically, we sell them as used cars, but they are just briefly registered in the U.K. and have zero kilometers.”

The Kombis—also available in a sort of panel-wagon style with metal where the vans shown here have windows—come to the U.K. in their basic trim and painted white. They are then resprayed—including, thankfully, the black grille—in classic VW colors and outfitted with lavish trim in preparation for being sold as Campers. If you insist, you can also get a plain T2 Kombi, sans options and camper upfittings for some €26,000—not exactly cheap, but surely worth it for buyers who wish to own a brand-new piece of history at a more-reasonable price. “We can sell them any way the customer wants,” Siegers promises.

The Campercentrum began importing the T2 just two weeks ago, and its sales targets are modest. Martijn Siegers says he hopes to sell 25 to 50 units next year. Some of his customers are rental-car companies that currently rent out 1960s and ’70s T2s and are upgrading their fleets with freshly imported vans.

As for our market, don’t hold your breath. For anything remotely similar, we’ll have to hope the production Bulli comes here. It’s based on the new modular-horizontal platform shared with the Golf and Audi A3, and VW designers promise it will adhere to the spirit of the original. Europeans who refuse to be convinced, however, need only to head to the Netherlands and pick up one of these babies.

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2013 Volkswagen Golf MkVII Rendered, Again: Styling Comes Into Focus

As the seventh-generation VW Golf nears production, we’re getting a better idea of what to expect. The new car will be lighter, more efficient, and more agile than the current, sixth-generation Golf thanks to an entirely new architecture called MQB. That’s German for “Modularer Querbaukasten,” or modular transverse platform. It will be used throughout the VW Group, and the vast economies of scale will allow VW to spend the money where it counts. Expect premium-class technologies, dual-clutch transmissions, engines with up to 300 hp (a figure reserved for the next R model), hybrid and electric versions, and a level of material quality unknown to this vehicle segment. Many—but not all—of these goodies will be offered in the U.S.

The styling gets more angular and aggressive, and our artist also predicts a few glitzy elements. The front bumper is graced, Passat-like, with cornering lamps and fog lights surrounded by chrome strips, and chrome also intersects the taillights, which resemble the units used on the current Golf cabriolet. LED daytime running lights, which will be part of a European-market xenon package, create a visual signature. A rising line that runs from the front to the rear wheel arches helps to mask the height of the Golf’s flanks.

We dig what we see—even if it is only a well-educated guess—and we’re eager to see if and by how much the MkVII Golf improves on the excellent MkVI.

Illustrations by Christian Schulte.

Tags: Volkswagen, Volkswagen Golf |

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