Tag Archives: vehicles

News

Nissan Targets 10 Nismo Models Worldwide by 2028

Nissan is preparing a significant expansion of its high-performance Nismo sub-brand, confirming plans to double the global Nismo line-up to 10 models as part of a broader strategy to restore profitability and reinvigorate its brand image.

The move sits at the heart of Nissan’s newly announced recovery programme, Re:Power, led by CEO Ivan Espinosa. Alongside cost-cutting and a more regionalised product approach, the strategy leans heavily on halo models to rebuild emotional appeal — a role Nismo is now set to play more prominently than ever.

Beyond increasing the number of models, Nissan also wants Nismo variants to reach a wider audience. Global sales of Nismo cars are expected to rise from around 100,000 units today to 150,000 by 2028, with between 40 and 60 per cent of that growth coming from markets outside Japan. That marks a clear shift for a badge that has traditionally been strongest on home soil.

Exactly which models will receive the Nismo treatment remains unclear. Nissan has offered no guidance on whether future additions will be combustion-powered, fully electric or a mix of both, nor has it confirmed which regions will benefit from the expanded line-up. What it has made clear, however, is a willingness to look beyond its own engineering teams.

The company said it will “actively consider collaborations with external partners” for future Nismo projects, a statement that opens the door to some intriguing possibilities. One such prospect is a Micra Nismo, potentially based on the Alpine A290 — the performance derivative of the Renault 5 — mirroring the relationship between the standard Micra and its Renault sibling.

At present, Nismo’s presence varies widely by market. In the UK, the only Nismo-badged model on sale is the Ariya Nismo, a dual-motor electric SUV positioned as a performance flagship for Nissan’s EV range. Elsewhere, the badge is applied more liberally, appearing on models such as the Z sports car, Skyline saloon, X-Trail SUV and the Patrol off-roader.

The renewed emphasis on Nismo also ties into Nissan’s long-running desire to re-establish clear halo products. In 2023, the firm previewed a potential electric successor to the GT-R with the Hyper Force concept, signalling that outright performance and brand theatre still matter, even in an increasingly electrified future.

Motorsport will continue to underpin that philosophy. Nissan confirmed it will develop a number of prototype vehicles for “racing activities” over the coming year, aimed at accelerating both hardware and software development. These are expected to include experimental machines derived from its Formula E programme, which Autocar has previously reported will play a key role in future road-car technology transfer.

Already active in Formula E and Japan’s Super GT series, Nissan is also evaluating opportunities to expand into new forms of racing, reinforcing the idea that competition will remain central to the Nismo identity.

After several years of heavy losses, the stakes for Re:Power are high. For Espinosa, Nismo is more than just a performance badge — it is a strategic tool. By broadening its reach and sharpening its appeal, Nissan is betting that high-performance, emotionally driven models can once again help define the brand, and pull the wider range forward with them.

Source: Autocar; Photo: Nissan Australia

News

Why Volkswagen Is Closing Its Dresden Factory for the First Time in Its History

Volkswagen’s Glass Factory in Dresden has long stood as a symbol of the company’s ambition and confidence—a transparent showcase of German engineering in the heart of a historic city. On December 16, however, the production lines will fall silent, marking a moment without precedent in Volkswagen’s 88-year history: the closure of a factory on German soil.

Opened in 2002, the Dresden plant was never a conventional industrial site. It was conceived as a statement, assembling the Phaeton luxury sedan in an almost theatrical environment where visitors could watch craftsmen at work. Over its lifetime, the factory produced around 200,000 vehicles, a modest figure by Volkswagen standards but one rich in symbolic value. After the Phaeton’s quiet exit in 2016, the facility reinvented itself once more, becoming a small-scale production home for the ID.3 electric hatchback—an emblem of the brand’s electric future.

That future, however, is now being reshaped under economic pressure. The decision to close Dresden is part of a broader restructuring agreement reached last year between Volkswagen’s management and labor representatives. The plan includes the elimination of more than 35,000 jobs in Germany—nearly 30 percent of the company’s domestic workforce of 120,000—underscoring the scale of the challenges facing Europe’s largest automaker.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, has emphasized that the decision was not taken lightly. From an emotional and historical standpoint, Dresden is difficult to let go. From an economic one, Schäfer argues, it was unavoidable. The Volkswagen Group reported a net loss of €1.07 billion after tax in the third quarter alone, a stark reminder that even industrial giants are not immune to shifting global realities.

Those realities are complex and unforgiving. Weak sales in China, slowing demand across Europe, and mounting customs burdens on vehicles sold in the United States have tightened cash flow. At the same time, Volkswagen is wrestling with how best to allocate its massive five-year investment budget, set to total €160 billion, at a moment when every euro must be justified.

The Dresden site will not disappear entirely. Instead, it will be leased to the Dresden University of Technology and repurposed as a research campus, focusing on robotics and related fields. In a sense, the building’s original spirit—innovation on display—will live on, albeit outside the automotive production line.

Still, the closure carries heavy symbolism. Dresden was never about volume; it was about identity. Its shutdown signals a more austere, pragmatic phase for Volkswagen, one in which heritage and spectacle must yield to balance sheets and hard choices. For an industry in the midst of electrification, digitalization, and geopolitical uncertainty, the end of production in Dresden is less an isolated event than a sign of the times.

Source: Reuters

News

New Dacia Sandero Opens UK Order Books, Hybrid Stepway Confirmed

Order books have opened in the UK for the latest Dacia Sandero, reaffirming the Romanian brand’s iron grip on the budget end of the market. Prices start at just £14,765 for the standard supermini, while the tougher-looking Sandero Stepway commands a modest premium, kicking off at £16,065.

Those figures ensure the Sandero remains one of the cheapest new cars on sale in Britain, even if it has recently been undercut by Dacia’s own all-electric Spring following the introduction of new discounts. Still, for buyers seeking a conventional petrol-powered hatchback, the Sandero continues to represent remarkable value.

At launch, the updated Sandero range will be offered exclusively with a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, available in two states of tune producing either 99bhp or 108bhp. However, electrification is firmly on the roadmap. As part of a mid-life update expected in around a year’s time, Dacia will introduce a hybrid option – though only for the range-topping Sandero Stepway.

The Stepway will gain Dacia’s new Hybrid 155 powertrain, already seen in the larger Bigster SUV. It pairs a 108bhp four-cylinder petrol engine with a 49bhp electric motor and a starter-generator, delivering a combined output of 154bhp and 125lb ft of torque. That represents a substantial uplift over the current 108bhp petrol-only model.

The hybrid system uses a compact 1.4kWh battery to enable short bursts of electric-only driving and is paired with a clutchless automatic gearbox featuring four ratios for the combustion engine and two for the electric motor. While Dacia has yet to publish official performance or efficiency figures for the Sandero Stepway Hybrid 155, the same setup returned an impressive 72.4mpg in urban driving and around 55mpg at higher speeds in Autocar testing of the much larger Bigster. Given the Sandero’s lighter weight and smaller footprint, even better results are expected.

The hybrid Stepway is likely to carry a price premium of around £3000 over the equivalent petrol model, based on the difference between hybrid and non-hybrid versions of the related Jogger estate. Notably, there are currently no plans to offer the Hybrid 155 powertrain in the standard Sandero.

According to Dacia’s product performance boss, Patrice Lévy-Bencheton, affordability remains central to the Sandero’s appeal. Speaking to Autocar, he explained that Sandero and Stepway buyers have distinctly different priorities.

“What is very interesting is that customers for the Sandero and Sandero Stepway are quite different,” he said. “A Stepway customer will hesitate more with B-SUV offers on the market, so there is a bit more purchasing power. A Sandero customer is really hesitating with a simple B-hatch and is going for the best possible price on the market.”

While Lévy-Bencheton confirmed that adding the hybrid to the standard Sandero would be technically straightforward, he stressed that Dacia will wait to see whether the demand exists before taking that step.

The mechanical updates arrive alongside a series of styling and interior revisions across the Sandero, Sandero Stepway and Jogger ranges. On sale from November, all three models adopt a new LED lighting signature featuring an ‘inverted T’ design, paired with a revised grille and updated pixel-style rear lights. On the Jogger, the new rear light motif is designed to visually extend from the rear window.

The Jogger and Sandero Stepway also gain new exterior cladding made from Dacia’s ‘Starkle’ plastic, which incorporates 20% recycled material. New paint colours and alloy wheel designs further freshen up the range.

Inside, changes are subtle but meaningful. Buyers will find redesigned air vents, tougher fabric upholstery, a reshaped steering wheel aimed at improving ergonomics, and a revamped infotainment system built around a larger 10.0-inch central touchscreen, replacing the previous 8.0-inch display.

With sharp pricing, restrained but useful updates and the promise of an efficient hybrid in the Stepway, the latest Sandero looks well placed to maintain its position as one of Europe’s most popular and affordable cars.

Source: Autocar