BAD NEWS for the Diesel Maxima
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From: Hfx, N.S.
BAD NEWS for the Diesel Maxima
U.S. diesel fortunes dim as word comes that Nissan may scrap Maxima oil burner
If you were to query Autoblog staffers and many savvy enthusiasts for what they wanted in a car, you'd swear that perhaps 70% of America's auto market would shortly be composed of rear-drive turbodiesel station wagons and hatchbacks. Sadly, the theoretical popularity of such vehicles rarely translates to sales out in the buying public, so such offerings are few and far between. Diesel fuel, in particular, has enjoyed a wave of positive U.S. enthusiast publicity, what with its torquetastic nature and noise, vibration, and harshness improvements.
Yet not only are there precious few diesel cars and trucks available, in these lean times, automakers are threatening to pull back from already announced future product commitments. Acura is widely believed to be delaying and/or killing d plans for a derv TSX, and earlier this month General Motors put its promising 4.5-liter V8 on ice. Now, Edmunds AutoObserver is reporting that Nissan my delay or scrap its previously announced Maxima diesel model. Thankfully, at least the Europeans seem to be moving forward with their diesel initiatives, with the Volkswagen Jetta TDI selling well, the thoroughly wonderful BMW 335d coming on stream, and future offerings like an Audi A3 TDI not too far away.
Still, we can't help but wonder if the combination of fallen gas prices and general economic malaise will scupper diesel's viability in the U.S. just as fuel prices finally move toward cost-per-gallon parity with gasoline. Oh, the humanity.
Yet not only are there precious few diesel cars and trucks available, in these lean times, automakers are threatening to pull back from already announced future product commitments. Acura is widely believed to be delaying and/or killing d plans for a derv TSX, and earlier this month General Motors put its promising 4.5-liter V8 on ice. Now, Edmunds AutoObserver is reporting that Nissan my delay or scrap its previously announced Maxima diesel model. Thankfully, at least the Europeans seem to be moving forward with their diesel initiatives, with the Volkswagen Jetta TDI selling well, the thoroughly wonderful BMW 335d coming on stream, and future offerings like an Audi A3 TDI not too far away.
Still, we can't help but wonder if the combination of fallen gas prices and general economic malaise will scupper diesel's viability in the U.S. just as fuel prices finally move toward cost-per-gallon parity with gasoline. Oh, the humanity.
Not Suprised. I wish therewas a sr version in the works but I am not holding my breath.
Last edited by maxger; Mar 18, 2009 at 04:49 AM.
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From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Nissan told us last fall that the diesel announced a year ago for the 2010 Maxima had been put on hold due to the auto industry recession. They have not said we wouldn't be getting a diesel maxima ever. The 2011 half-gen would be the earliest logical intro, but it could be that we wouldn't see the diesel Maxima before the 2014 8th gen.
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From: Houston, TX
Nissan told us last fall that the diesel announced a year ago for the 2010 Maxima had been put on hold due to the auto industry recession. They have not said we wouldn't be getting a diesel maxima ever. The 2011 half-gen would be the earliest logical intro, but it could be that we wouldn't see the diesel Maxima before the 2014 8th gen.
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From: a meadow south of Atlanta
I held off getting 09 b/c I wanted to get the 2010... Now I"m really skeptical that there's ever going to be one with this economy. I think Nissan should start thinking in terms of the hybrid... Yeah the Cube is supposedly coming out but I'm talking about for hybrid vehicles based on pre-existing models like the Max, QX, Altima, and such....
Like you, I considered waiting for the diesel Maxima. When Nissan said it was being delayed due to the economy, I knew the economy was not going to turn around in the near future, so I proceeded to buy the gasoline version.
You mentioned that 'Nissan should start thinking in terms of the hybrid . . . on existing vehicles like the . . Altima.' Actually, you can buy a hybrid Altima at your local Nissan dealer. Consmer Reports got 32 MPG in all-around driving when testing this Altima hybrid last year.
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I held off getting 09 b/c I wanted to get the 2010... Now I"m really skeptical that there's ever going to be one with this economy. I think Nissan should start thinking in terms of the hybrid... Yeah the Cube is supposedly coming out but I'm talking about for hybrid vehicles based on pre-existing models like the Max, QX, Altima, and such....
Seems like only Europe gets the Diesel versions of everything. I would never expect Nissan to change that. IMO there should be a Titan diesel version before any other.
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That would be a catastrophic disaster if they started making QX or Max or G hybrids. They already have the Altima Hybrid and nobody buys it. The price of the nicer hybrids is so much higher only rich people can offord them. Look at the GM or Lexus V8 hybrids...nobody buys them...nobody cares.
Seems like only Europe gets the Diesel versions of everything. I would never expect Nissan to change that. IMO there should be a Titan diesel version before any other.
Seems like only Europe gets the Diesel versions of everything. I would never expect Nissan to change that. IMO there should be a Titan diesel version before any other.
In the coming decade, there will be progress towards lighter batteries that can be recharged quicker. The way hybrids work with the gas/electric powerplants is bound to move ahead with second and third-generation
cars. And while Europe is currently in love with diesel vehicles, that may be limited. With upcoming EU regs around Co2 emissions, even clean diesels may have difficulty in meeting them.
While I'd love to see a diesel Titan, that dream may have ended when the production agreement with Chrysler was put on hold.
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From: a meadow south of Atlanta
That agrees with the history of the Maxima, where little if anything is normally changed the second year of a new generation. In this time of very depressed auto sales, I would have been very surprised had Nissan made any real change to this completely redesigned Maxima that has been out less than a year.
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From: a meadow south of Atlanta
Definitely out the window until this recession has eased considerably. Wall Street may think they are past the bottom, but I am quite sure this 3500 point runup on the DOW since March is nothing more than 'irrational exhubernace', as Alan Greenspan used to say.
Unemployment is at 10.6 in the north Georgia area. Until unemployment drops to around 7% nationwide, this recession is not over. It may be a few years before we reach that point.
There is a chance Nissan could release a diesel Maxima with the 2011 'half generation', but the 2011 arrives in nine months, so anything for release with the 2011 would have to already be well underway. So that won't happen
I would feel there is still a chance for the diesel Maxima, but probably not before the 8th gen, which may not be out until spring of 2013. A tiny thing to be addressed is the 400+ foot pounds of torque produced by many diesels; Should Nissan bring us a diesel Maxima, I would suspect it will have a 6 or 7 speed automatic tranny, with no other tranny option.
Sorry.
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