Nissan's eagerly-awaited GT-R sports car has come a long way since CEO Carlos Ghosn promised to put it back into production during the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show. Four years later, a new show car, dubbed the GT-R Proto is back on the Nissan stand, and according to chief designer Shiro Nakamura, it's "80 to 90 percent" of what the final production car will look like. The concept vehicle is clearly one of the hits of the 2005 Tokyo gathering, but Nissan officials are keeping observers guessing about specific details. For his part, Ghosn hinted the revived sports car will be loaded with a variety of high-tech features - think active suspension, computer-aided traction and steering systems and other goodies, sources suggest. A well-placed insider said the final production version, due to market in 2007, will boast a twin-turbo V-6 of somewhere between 3.5 and 3.8 liters, and making north of 450 horsepower. "The GT-R has an international cult following," said Ghosn, promising, "Those expectations will not be disappointed."
Nissan's AVM test vehicle sees everywhere at once. Well, almost. Short for Around View Monitor, the modified minivan features an experimental system that integrates images from four separate video cameras: one looking down from each side mirror, another mounted on the grill, and the last pointing rearward. On the built-in video monitor, it looks as if you're actually looking down on the van, and in routine use, the system can help a driver spot obstacles in every direction from the AVM, such as curbs or a kid on a tricycle. There's no timing set for introduction, Nissan officials cautioned, though they added that much of the hardware is already in use on some advanced products, such as the Infiniti M45 with Lane Departure Warning, with its two mirror-mounted cameras.
previous 
;)
;)
previous 
