Soarer Source - The Home of the Toyota Soarer and Lexus SC300, SC400

The market for aftermarket parts from Japan has been declining for well over five years, due in part to decreased demand both at home and abroad and the rising rates of Chinese knock-offs and other inexpensive (and dubiously built) components.

Today, one of the world’s largest performance parts companies, known as Trust in Japan and Greddy here in the States, declared bankruptcy. According to various reports, Trust is approximately $60 million in debt and, after reporting a serious decline in sales since February 2008 and amassing $43 million in loan payments, filed for bankruptcy in Tokyo District Court.

Trust has been around since 1976, employs almost 200 workers and had been dealing in everything from CARB-legal exhausts to turbo systems when Greddy Performance Products was founded in the U.S. in 1994. There are several firms that will step up to fill the need of enthusiasts, assuming that Trust doesn’t try to reorganize, but with the aftermarket industry down overall, we suspect this won’t be the last time we’ll hear about a large tuner going under.
source

Awful news. This will occur soon with other well known high quality companies as well sadly. Support the good jap brands by only buying them! Don’t support the cheap China made crap.

Let’s all hope they don’t rice it up!

It didn’t take long for more images of the 2008 Nissan GT-R to surface and this time ‘round they’re official and come attached with some of the car’s final specs courtesy of Edmunds. According to the source the new GT-R will feature a twin-turbo V6 engine with 473hp (353kW) and 588Nm (434lb-ft) of torque. Drive will be sent to all four wheels via an all new six-speed dual-clutch gearbox dubbed the GR6. Gears can either be changed using the centrally mounted shifter or the same leather and aluminum paddle shifters as seen in the G35.

Will be interesting to see how the manual lovers react.

Hey guys. they new nissan skyline article has been very popular so I have decided to give you more of what you’re after.

The Nissan Motor Company is recalling 140,582 of its 2007 Nissan Altima cars which is the automaker’s best-selling U.S. vehicle. The defect is the air filter can catch fire if a hot object is drawn into it.

This recall affects Altima cars with a 2.5-liter, four- cylinder engine, the Tokyo-based automaker told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nissan told the Washington-based agency it began notifying owners on July 3. Four fires were reported in February and March, Nissan Motor co. said. The recall affects Nissan Altimas built from Sept. 25 to May 11 at its plant in Smyrna, Tenn., and from Oct. 30 to May 11 at its Canton, Miss., factory, Nissan told the agency. The vehicles are under warranty so it wont cause much dramas with owners.

For it to be fixed, the air filter will be replaced because it can ignite if something hot such as cigarette ash enters through the vehicle’s fresh-air intake valve, Nissan said. An air deflector will also be installed to prevent a buildup of debris at the air filter.

The Altima accounted for 140,253 (26% of Nissan’s U.S. sales) this year through June. The model was ninth in sales among all cars and light trucks in the U.S. during the period.

Cars.com, in conjunction with DriversEd.com, America’s leading drivers education resource and solution, have identified the 10 most common mistakes teen drivers make, and identified their choices for the best new cars for teenage drivers.

“There are a number of factors that lead to an increase in accidents for teen drivers, including inexperience, dealing with emergency situations, distracted driving and the inclination to show off for friends,” said DriversEd.com founder Gary Tsifrin. “By recognizing these common mistakes, we hope that teenagers will be able to avoid the risks associated with being a teenager behind the wheel.”

The most common mistakes are:
Being distracted behind the wheel: Cell phones, CDs, food and even text messages can pose serious distractions to drivers. In some cases, drivers will even text message their backseat passengers. Distracted driving contributes to 80 percent of collisions.

Taking too many risks: Actions like ignoring traffic signals or school zone signs and changing lanes without checking blind spots are all considered “risky behavior.” The difference between risky behavior and distracted driving is that risky behavior is deliberate, while distracted driving is often the result of ignorance.

Speeding: Most drivers occasionally speed, but teens do so because they don’t have a good sense of how a car’s speed can affect their response time. On average, teens drive faster than all other drivers as a whole. They will exceed speeds on residential roads that they interpret as empty because they haven’t had any close calls there. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that speeding factored into roughly one-third of all fatal crashes in 2005 when teenagers were behind the wheel — some 50 percent more than it did in fatal crashes for 20- to 49-year-olds.

Overcrowding the car: Teens frequently overcrowd their cars, cramming five or six into a cabin meant to seat four or five. Worse yet, the extra passengers often result in teens driving more aggressively. The distractions of carrying too many passengers can have serious consequences as well.

Driving under the influence: When teens drink and drive, they’re even less likely to practice safe habits like seat belt usage: Of the 15- to 20-year- olds killed after drinking and driving in 2003, 74 percent were unrestrained, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Because teenagers are too young to drink legally, they’re also less likely to call their parents to come get them when they shouldn’t drive.

Following too closely: Maintaining a proper following distance is a critical step in preventing accidents. At 60 mph, a typical car needs between 120 and 140 feet to reach a full stop. Most SUVs require an extra 5 to 10 feet on top of that. Consider that 60 mph translates to 88 feet per second and it’s easy to see why maintaining a proper following distance is a critical step in preventing accidents.

Driving unbuckled: A 2003 survey by NHTSA reported that 79 percent of drivers ages 16 to 24 said they wore their seat belts regularly, while 84 percent of the overall population did so. Approximately 21 percent of young drivers do not wear their seat belts regularly. Many young drivers have a sense of invincibility that also factors into teen speeding. Fortunately, many cars today have seat belt reminders that flash warning lights or chime until belts are secured. Call them annoying, but they help keep occupants buckled.

Not being able to handle emergencies: Knowing how to avoid an accident comes with driving experience. Young drivers can only learn so much in the classroom, which leaves learning maneuvers like straightening out a skid or how to apply the brakes correctly to real-world experience. Speeding and distracted driving only make things worse, as they compound the lack of experience by putting drivers at higher risk of encountering an emergency situation in the first place.

Driving drowsy: Drowsy driving affects an unlikely group: the so-called “good kids.” That means straight-A students or those with a full plate of extracurricular activities. Overachievers have a lot of pressure. If they’re playing varsity sports and are also preparing for an AP English exam, and if they’ve been going since 7 a.m. and now it’s midnight and they have to get home, they don’t think, “I’m too tired to drive.”

Choosing the wrong car and not maintaining it: Too often, a combination of tight budgets and high style leads teens to pass up important safety features for larger engines and flashy accessories. A teen or novice driver will opt for a cool-looking sports car rather than a car that’s really a safer choice. Then, if they sink all their money into it, they might be remiss in maintaining it.

Cars.com has several new-car recommendations for teen drivers based on a variety of criteria, including safety, price and size. “We kept in mind that many parents are more concerned about safety, while their child is looking for style,” said Cars.com managing editor Patrick Olsen. “This list offers new-car choices in various body styles and a wide range of prices likely to meet the needs of parents and teens.”

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/06/18/052314.html

IRVINE, Calif., June 21 — Kelley Blue Book (http://www.kbb.com/) and Kelley Blue Book Marketing Research today announce the results of the ‘Driving Performance’ portion of its consumer automotive perceptions research study, Brand Watch. According to the latest results, Toyota and BMW each claimed two number-one spots for best driving performance: Toyota takes the top spot in both the Minivan and Non-Luxury SUV segments, while BMW was singled out for top honors among Luxury SUVs and Luxury Sedans.

Domestic brands sweep the Truck segment when it comes to driving performance in Brand Watch, with Chevrolet, GMC and Dodge placing first, second and third, respectively. Domestic brands previously had been singled out as consumers’ top picks for Interior and Exterior Styling in the Truck segment. Import brands dominate across most segments when it comes to driving performance, claiming the top three spots in every vehicle segment except trucks and also with the exception of Ford placing third among Non-Luxury SUVs. Porsche claimed the top spot in the Convertible/Sports Car segment, a category in which performance is the most desired characteristic.

Toyota, Honda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz each garnered three top-three finishes in various categories, displaying consumers’ overall perception of those brands having the best driving performance. Nissan and Lexus garnered two top-three finishes each.

“BMW’s top rankings in the Luxury Sedan and Luxury SUV segments demonstrate that it has a lock on performance characteristics in the luxury category according to new-car buyers, an instance where brand image and the consumer brand perception are in perfect alignment,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst of Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. “Meanwhile, pickups are the last bastion of domestic dominance and that dominance is strong with Chevrolet, GMC and Dodge sweeping the top three spots for performance with not an import in sight.”

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/06/21/052629.html

Nissan Motor Co.’s popular new QASHQAI model has been awarded the maximum five-star rating for adult occupant protection from the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), with the highest ever recorded score for any vehicle.

QASHQAI was awarded 36.83 points out of a maximum 37 points by the independent crash test organisation, receiving almost full scores in Euro NCAP’s strict front and side impact tests, as well as a full score for seatbelt reminders.

http://www.carpages.co.uk/nissan/nissan-qashqai-24-05-07.asp

Here is the prototype of the next generation Nissan Skyline GT-R (2007 or 2008, Nissan or Infiniti, R35 or R36 generation, GT-R) which was unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. This new Godzilla will consist of Twin-Turbo VQ 6 cylinder engine paired with the state-of-the-art all wheel drive system. The car will be sold globally either in 2007 or 2008.