Yea and I hope the Spurs win the next two games...!

 

If they bought the company they would have more than 50% of the stocks. They just merged.

 

They did buy their share so yes they did buy it. Didn't Renault front money for Nissan? They bought their share of Nissan in order to obviously direct it. Come on now.

 

I'm with you.

 

http://money.cnn.com/2002/02/28/international/renault/

LONDON (CNN) - France's Renault plans to spend 215.9 billion yen ($1.6 billion) on increasing its stake in Nissan Motors of Japan.

Renault, France's second-largest car maker, said it will pay 400 yen per Nissan share and increase its stake to 44.4 percent on March 1, as the two car makers strengthen their alliance.

Nissan, Japan's third biggest car maker, and Renault are leading a push to curb manufacturing costs by sharing technology and simplifying production. The two car makers announced last October that Renault would raise its current 36.8 percent stake and Nissan would buy a 15 percent share in Renault.

Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn, a former Renault executive, is trying to return the once troubled Japanese car maker to the No. 2 spot. Known as "Le Cost Cutter" he joined Nissan after Renault bought 37 percent of the company in March 1999.

Ghosn said on Tuesday that his company is focusing on boosting its profitability rather than claiming market share. He started a three-year overhaul of Nissan in October 1999, leading an impressive rebound to profitability.

He again said that the year through March would see Nissan post a record profit.

Nissan also unveiled it's first joint venture car with Renault, the remodeled March or Micra, as it is known in Europe. The compact car's curved lines resemble the remodeled Volkswagen Beetle. It is also the first product of a three-year partnership between the two companies.

Nissan's stock rose 3.8 percent to close at 873 yen in Tokyo. The stock has rallied for four sessions on bullish comments from its chief executive, the launch of a new vehicle, ratings upgrades and a weaker yen.

Renault's stock, which has declined more than 20 percent over the last 12 months, slipped 0.5 percent to graphic49.58 in midday Paris trading on Thursday. graphic

 

Exaggerate?

I look at, inspect, and test-drive a lot of new vehicles for a lot of people...including myself.
There are some interiors that I think overall are well-done and some that are not.....and that usually falls within a relative scale. But the moment I first saw and sat inside of the all-new Altima several years ago I was just stunned... and this from a person like me who is used to seeing not-so-well-done interiors. My first reaction before I could even close the door was " Holy sh - t.........these people have GOT to be kidding. " I had seen better interiors on kiddie cars. Even the Saturn S-series and Ion....notorious for cheap, ill-fitting, and poorly-finished plastics.....IMO had done a better job. I thought to myself........."so THIS is how Ghosn is going to save Nissan ? Good luck. "
The sales manager came up, saw the look on my face, and asked me if everything was OK. My answer was very simple......" Go right out that glass door, look inside that year-old Altima, then come back inside and look at THIS. Case closed."
He did so and remarked "You have a point, Mr. Marshall "......the rest is history.

I was as equally unimpressed with the Murano, 350Z, and Maxima interiors when I first saw them, too....except for the 350Z's three-gauge center pod that more or less matched the 1970's vintage ones....that looked nice.

So......Exaggerate?
No....not in this case. The shoe CLEARLY fit.


However, to be fair, Nissan has recognized the mistakes with their recent products and is clearly trying to do better interiors now. The Altima SE-R that I looked at recently was MUCH better inside than those pitiful Altima interiors of just a few years ago. The new Infiniti G35 has also shown noticible improvement inside this year.



There is only one other production vehicle I have seen in recent years with interior quality as bad as that Altima I looked at in the showroom that day...that was the base 2005 Mustang V6.
The Mustang GT had a lot of the same cheap flimsy materials, but at least they looked a lot better on the GT with the big brushed-chrome area on the dash. The base Mustangs' all-black (and I mean ALL-black) interior looked like something that came out of a coal mine.

 

Because the infiniti M45 is a larger car then the GS430 plain and simple.

And seeing how my own mother drives a 2003 altima SE, maybe she had a better sample of the car but there is no rattles, no cracks, noting broken on it 2+ years later after purchase. Something even members here with brand new lexus cant claim.

Ill admit its not as nice as a toyota interior but its certainly not the worst interior I been in. Especially when compared to the Dodge vehicles prior to the daimlerchrysler merger.

Same for the 350z interior I found it acceptable, people seriously tend to overeact. Valid complains about the altima would been the stupid low grip tires it comes with, tendecy to understeer, and stupid soft spring rates it comes equipped with that does not match the 245 hp v6 it sports.

 

Man, I have to take a look at some of these cars again. Granted, I haven't paid much attention to the Nissan line cars and more so the Infiniti line, but I didn't think they were that bad. I know I didn't like the 350Z interior mostly the center console area and that odd sliding center console lid that keept gettting stuck because it would slide up and down crooked and jam, but I thought the G35 interior this year was pretty good. The M also looked to have pretty good fit and finish and feel, but I still haven't gotten used to the piano like dash layout. The Murano I've been in once while my wife and I were shopping for SUVs. I didn't like the interior layout especially the dash so I didn't spend much time in it. Nissan definately has some funck interior designs. I know today mostly eveyone is going a little nuts with interiors, but the dash layout in the Nissan Quest van is not even a love it or hate design. It is a hate it or get used to it design

 

Don't even get me started on the Quest.

I guess any interior, though, is a matter of taste. I just thought that recent Nissan interiors were poorly done compared to most other vehicles. I could see clear evidence of excessive cost-cutting. But....YOU may not find that to be the case......you may like them. I cannot judge a Nissan interior for YOU. That's why we have these forums....to discuss automotive subjects and get everyone's input and opinions.

 

Let's compare size:

2006 Infiniti M45 Sport & 2006 Lexus GS430.

Exterior Dimensions (inches)
Wheelbase: 114.2 > 112.2
Overall length 192.6 > 190.0
Overall width 70.8 < 71.7
Overall height 59.5 > 56.1
Track front/rear 60.2/ 60.8 > 60.4/ 60.6
Coefficient of drag 0.28 Cd < 0.27 Cd
Curb Weight 4000 lbs > 3880 lbs

So we're looking at an overall give and take 1-2" difference in length/width and etc. They're literally in the same size range and 0-60 tested magazine times only put the GS430 w/only a 4.3L V8 and 300hp behind the 4.5L V8 and 335hp M45 by a whopping 0.2 seconds? Is that all you can come up with other than because it's bigger? You obviously don't know.

Ask the same people to the other Nissan and Infiniti owners out there, your mom's car doesn't represent the general public's experience. How about you ask the same questions who bought the first batch of Infiniti QX56 or the Nissan Armada or dare I say new Nissan Quest? They topped the list of most problems per vehicle when they first came out. You will see people have problems and minor issues with any car. No manufacturer is perfect. I have a 2004 IS300 I bought brand new w/5 miles on the odometer in Sept 2003. I'm currently doing my 55k service as we speak here at Longo Lexus after 20 months of ownership, no squeaks or rattles or problems period. Is the Altima your car? Nope. Do you drive it everyday? Probably not enough to live with it and give a real asessment. Again your point?

We're not comparing Dodge or Daimler Chrysler here. We're comparing Toyota/Lexus to Nissan/Infiniti. Again, your point?

Overreact? Don't forget about torque steer and the overall dynamic of a fast FWD. It's not fun to drive compared to RWD...and you should be able to attest to that considering you have an SC and a 240sx correct? Not everyone likes the 350z, interior or exterior. I actually prefer the interior of the G35 over the 350z. Everyone will have different opinions of ANY vehicle. That's a given fact.

 

you saying ford didnt buy mazda? but they merged?

no, ford bought 35% of mazda

renault bought 40 some % of nissan

for a merger to happen, the two companies have to own equal shares of each other, and nissan doesnt own anywhere near as much of renault as renault does of nissan

 

Again, w/o Renault's or Ghosn's help, Nissan wouldn't be around as we see it today. Once again...Renault is going to "PAY" 400 yes per Nissan share. Doesn't paying someone entails buying a good from someone? I sure do hope so.

 

I'm not even going to touch this one. (too much hehe)
I think you need to get your head checked on many of the things you said. Opinionated looks mean nothing about 'better cars'

I dunno where you get the quality idea ROFL..... Nissan vs Toyota in reliability... its not even a fair comparison and makes me want to laugh at you

 

I still put my foot down on this and refute this BS...
the M45 isnt selling at all; I've never even seen one; just a M35...
I've seen ONE FX45 and that was at a dealership, only a few FX35s now and then; NOTHING compared to the RX330s that I see EVERYWHERE

the GT-R wont sell well; its a target-audience car, its not made to sell well; its a flagship...

 

different markets sell different cars