Nissan

With the Nissan IDx not heading into production, the next-generation Z could possibly take up the mantle of being an affordable, rear-drive vehicle. Nissan Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura told Autoblog that one of ideas under consideration for the next Z is move the model downmarket in the spirit of the original 240Z. "We are studying a couple of different concepts. Because the sports car market is becoming smaller globally. We would like to do something, I personally think, is more [in the] original concept of Z, which is ... more practical and appealing to younger customers." The original 1969 240Z, sold under the Datsun nameplate, became an icon thanks to…

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com February 28, 2012 Every few months or so, an automaker inadvertently reveals their new vehicle before an auto show. Case in point is Nissan which showed their new 2013 Altima in a new video. The video, celebrating 30 years of production at Nissan Technical Center, shows for a brief moment a very pre-production 2013 Altima undergoing some tests. We can see the new headlights, swoopy bodywork and a new, sharper grille. Nissan has since then pulled down the video and replaced it with another, but thanks to Inside Line, they grabed a couple of screen shots. Source: Inside Line View full article

Nearly a decade ago, Nissan launched an ambitious assault on the U.S. commercial van market with the launch of their NV vans. It started with the Titan-dervived, body-on-frame NV1500/2500/3500 vans. This was followed by the unibody NV200 van, which was for a time the "Taxi of Tommorow" in New York City. But Nissan is reportedly throwing in the towel. Automotive News has learned from a source that it will end production of their commercial vans. No time frame was given. "We don't want to go more in the business of vans in the U.S. We will exit," said the source. Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman declined to comment about the future of the commercial vans, only…

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Business Week Story Nissan's Stock Gets Blindsided Negative earnings news has slammed Nissan's stock, wiping out $4.7 billion in market value by Ian Rowley Carlos Ghosn's ability to meet—and regularly beat—tough targets at Nissan (NSANY) has been a cornerstone of the Japanese automaker's success under the Brazilian native's leadership. It has also helped Nissan deliver the kind of margins and shareholder returns Detroit can only dream about. Yet, following worse-than-expected results for the quarter ending Dec. 31 and a just-released, full-year profit revision, global investors dumped Nissan shares with a vengeance in trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Feb. 5. …

Nothing like a good old street race, especially when a super car is involved. There are a few videos floating around YouTube and elsewhere showing the (unsurprising) results of a race between a Bugatti Veyron and the Nissan GT-Rbut most of them are lacking in that “wow” factor. See more here...

Yutaka Katayama, a former executive for Nissan and "father of the Z,"passed away this week at the age 105 due to heart failure. His son Mitsuo confirmed the news to The Associated Press. Katayama has a long history with Nissan as he joined the company back in 1935. He held many roles at the company dealing with marketing and publicity. Many consider his greatest achievement to be the person who gave life to the original Datsun Z sports car. "A car is a horse. I want to drive a thoroughbred that's in tune with my heartbeat, but not something that's too dressed up for someone like me," said Katayama to The Associated Press in a 2002 interview. His other achievement was …

Link TOKYO (AP) - Nissan Motor Co. has begun recalling more than 130,000 vehicles globally -- including 80,000 in North America -- because of an ignition key defect, a company official said Thursday. There have been no reports of injuries related to the defect, the Transport Ministry said. Nissan is recalling in Japan of 50,962 X-Trail and Murano sport utility vehicles produced from August 2004 to July 2006, Nissan spokeswoman Madoka Soma said. Overseas, the Tokyo-based manufacturer is recalling about 70,000 Muranos in North America, 300 in Taiwan and 800 in Singapore, she said. No X-Trails have been sold overseas. Also being recalled for the same defect are 10,000 M…

Nissan’s Smyrna Plant Marks Silver Anniversary [Feb. 3, 06] 25 years since groundbreaking for Nissan’s first U.S. manufacturing facility SMYRNA, Tenn. (Feb. 3, 2006) – Twenty five years ago today, Nissan executives, state and local officials and area residents gathered for a ceremonial groundbreaking in Smyrna, Tenn., for Nissan’s first U.S. manufacturing facility. In the years since then, the Smyrna plant has played an important role in the automotive industry, in the South’s development as an automotive center and in Middle Tennessee’s economic landscape. With the Smyrna Plant, Nissan brought production of a compact pickup truck to the U.S. In 1981, project plans ca…

World Car Fans: First Pictures of All New Nissan SUV

More bad news has hit Nissan. The automaker is planning to cut as many as many as 700 workers from their Canton, Mississippi plant - home to the Frontier, Titan, NV Van, Altima, and Murano. Lloryn Love-Carter, a Nissan spokeswoman told Bloomberg that Nissan will be eliminating one shift of Titan and Frontier, along with cutting a shift of the NV Van line. "All direct employees will retain their jobs and only contract workers will be dismissed, she said by phone." "When you look at where the market demand is and where we are seeing sales for the next year, particularly on NV and on Titan, we are just trying to make sure our production is aligned. We feel with the sing…

While the likes of Tesla and the Chevrolet Bolt have been fighting over the spotlight, the Nissan Leaf has been quietly going about its business. Since its launch, Nissan has moved over 283,000 Leafs, making it the best selling EV in the world. But Nissan is hoping to take some of that spotlight back with the introduction of the 2018 Leaf. The second-generation Leaf looks like it will fit in with other Nissan models. The front end is similar to what you'll find on the Sentra and Altima with the V-Motion grille and boomerang-shaped lights. The rest of the shape is mostly unchanged as the hard points from the first-generation model carry over. Dimension-wise, the 2018 L…

2010 Altima loses its manual transmission options according the article i just read on C/D. For the 4 and the 6. So, let's inventory this. which of the midsizers offer MT? start out with the 6 cylinders. anyone? Are there any 6 cyl. MT cars left in this class? Fusion, Camry, Accord, M6, Subie still offer it on the 4 cyl. Subaru 2.5GT is the only 'performance' manual now I think. Subie 2.5GT wins by default? VW Passat and CC offer manuals but they are only 207hp. Ford Ecoboost if it offers MT will slot in under the subie but above the others. Buick v6 Regal with manual may have that niche to themselves! SHOCKING!

Nissan cuts SUV, truck production Japanese automaker's U.S. plants slash output of Titan, other big vehicles after rise in gas prices. Christine Tierney / The Detroit News Saddled with large inventories of light trucks, Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. has cut back production of the large Titan pickup and big sport utility vehicles built at its U.S. plants. Last month, Nissan slashed output of the Titan at its Canton, Miss., plant by 29 percent, to 5,680 vehicles. Three years ago, Nissan anticipated that it would be producing more than 8,000 Titans a month on average at the plant to sell more than 100,000 a year. But the Japanese automaker has been hurt, much lik…

A few pictures from the Barrie autoshow in Ontario. Taken by polish_kris. The new Sentra reminds me of a sort of Asian Cobalt/ION.

Autoblog article

Creating the all-new third generation Nissan LEAF EV has grown from the funky car it used to be to a real-world family SUV. The exterior design of the all-new LEAF is anchored around aerodynamics while delivering a strong, bold presence to create a family-friendly EV with an impressive coefficient of drag measuring just 0.26 (Cd) for the U.S. market. The low Cd value is aided by the adoption of flush door handles, an active grille shutter, optimized wheel design, flat underfloor and fastback silhouette with the rear liftback supporting an airfoil effect. Per Nissan, the available dimming panoramic roof with heat shielding eliminates the need for physical blinds or su…

Reviews: 2007 Nissan Sentra SE-R With decent performance numbers, real-world usability and competitive pricing, the Spec V comes closer to the magic SE-R formula than we anticipated, given its size. The only real obstacle facing the Spec V is the fact that its arched roof line and tall profile scream "frumpy commuter car" much louder than its low-profile tires and semi-sporty exhaust note declare it an official sport compact. Nissan tells us that about 10 percent of Sentra sales have traditionally been SE-R models, and the high-intensity Spec V has comprised the majority of that number. SE-R enthusiasts are clearly a dedicated crowd, and we'll see if they start hangin…

Even though Carlos Ghosn is in jail in Japan and no longer in charge of Nissan and Mitsubishi, he still holds the chairman position at Renault. But new reports reveal that he'll be stepping down later this week. Reuters has learned from three sources that Ghosn has agreed to resign from Renault. This stems from Renault's largest stockholder, the French government calling for a leadership change. Also, Ghosn's latest request for bail was rejected by a Tokyo court. This comes a couple days before an emergency board meeting at Renault where they will consider appointing outgoing Michelin CEO Jean-Dominique Senard as chairman, and promoting Thierry Bollore as CEO. R…

World Car Fans

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/...cuts/index.html

In November 2021, Nissan Ambition 2030 was unveiled with a focus on their long-term vision for empowering mobility and beyond for a cleaner, safer and more inclusive world. Nissan Ambition 2030 laid out the plan to deliver superior value by empowering journeys and society through exciting, electrified vehicles and technological innovations. The video below is for your viewing if you want to hear this plan. There are additional videos and info at the link below on the plan. At the time of this Ambition 2030 announcement, Nissan showed off their Chill Out EV Concept. Today in February 2022 Nissan Motor Corporation had the followin…

me...warming to it.... 0-60 in 7.3? that's like over 2 seconds quicker than a CRUZE i bet....for the same money.... Nissan's Mini killer? http://www.insideline.com/nissan/juke/2011/2011-nissan-juke-full-test-and-video.html

Now it is official. Carlos Ghosn has stepped down as chairman and CEO of Renault late on Wednesday. The announcement was made this morning by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire in an interview with Bloomberg television. "Carlos Ghosn just resigned last night. Now it's time to define and put a new governance in place," said Le Maire. Renault's board of directors have decided on making outgoing Michelin CEO Jean-Dominique Senard as chairman, and promoting Thierry Bollore as CEO during an emergency meeting today. Renault is the last automaker in the alliance to deal with Ghosn. Since he was arrested back in November, both Nissan and Mitsubishi have kicked …

Nissan Chief: Hybrid Cars a "Terrible" Business Prospect Date Posted 09-23-2005 PARIS, France — Not all automakers are rushing headlong to embrace hybrids as a solution to fuel economy woes. Carlos Ghosn, joint CEO of Nissan and Renault, described gasoline-electric hybrid cars as a "terrible business proposition," despite moves by many rivals to expand production of the vehicles. "Hybrid sales account for less than 1 percent of global sales," Ghosn said. "It is a niche technology. The question is how much the consumer is willing to pay for them, and if they are unsure at $70 a barrel [for oil] then I would be very worried. For no…

http://yahoo.reuters.com/news/articlehybri...omktNews&rpc=44

Nissan reported a decline in profit for the July-September quarter on one-time expenses and higher taxes that eroded overall sales growth and improved earnings in core auto operations.Profit at Nissan Motor Company for the fiscal second quarter totaled 120.1 billion yen($1.05 billion),down from 164 billion yen in the previous year. Sales at Japan's Number 3 automaker surged 13 percent on year to 2.618 trillion yen($22.9 billion),as sales grew in the U.S,Europe,Russia and China.Nissan sold 941,000 vehicles worldwide,up 6.6 percent compared with a year ago.Nissan maintained its forecast for the full fiscal year ending March 2008 at 480 billion yen($4.20 billion) profit. A…

2007 Nissan 350Z GT-S Concept A small team of Nissan development engineers working in their spare time have transformed a 350Z into a highly tuned 'Saturday Special.' Called the GT-S, the supercharged super coupé is a performance-focused version of Nissan's acclaimed 'Z-'car' and is designed to appeal to enthusiastic 350Z owners who simply want more. Editor's note: Read "2007 Nissan 350Z GT-S Concept revealed: production possible" @ Leftlane News

Spied: 2008 Nissan GTR Oh dear God, yes. Read "Caught - 2008 Nissan Skyline!!" @ Winding Road *Update at post #12.

Saying he wants to give a fresh start for the Nissan-Renault alliance, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa has announced that he'll be stepping down as CEO in the coming months. In the meantime, Saikawa will be focusing on "reforming the poor governance" that weakened the Japanese automaker before leaving. Saikawa has been leading the charge of ousting former Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn, a bit surprising since Saikawa was a protege of Ghosn. As we reported a month ago in the rumorpile , the relationship between Saikawa and Ghosn has been strained due to the two clashing on various issues. There was talk about Ghosn ousting Saikawa during a board meeting in November, b…

Now thats how you advertise. Field test click Looks pretty solid to me.

2007 Nissan 350Z Images I came across these pics courtesy of My350Z.com of the 2007 350Z. The only noticable exterior change from the 2006 model is the (focused on) new hood. It has been redesigned with a power bulge to accomodate the new VQ35HR engine, the same engine in the new G35. Cell phone images from another member: Nissan's blurb on the 2007 Z: 350Z Coupe and 350Z Roadster The 2007 Nissan 350Z is scheduled to go on sale in January 2007. The changes for the new model year will include new exterior colors, a new gray colored convertible top (Roadster models), Active Head Restraints and performance enhancements including a new VQ35HR engine. The 2007 …

The Nissan Titan will soon be available for sale in China. According to Automotive News, Nissan is planning to export Titans from their Canton, Mississippi plant to China to hopefully take a slice of the country's commercial and construction segments. But Nissan North America's Chairman Jose Munoz admits there's another reason for the Titan in China. "The Chinese look very much to the United States and they see pickups driving families here. They asked, Why don't we have those pickups here?" said Munoz. Nissan is saying how many Titans it will be sending to China, but Munoz said there isn't a lot of factory capacity to build out more Titans at the moment. T…

Not Happy Loss of GT-R sports car to Nissan angers Infiniti dealers By KATHY JACKSON | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS AutoWeek | Published 04/17/06, 10:36 am et NEW YORK -- Infiniti dealers were incensed last week by Nissan Motor Co.'s decision to sell the high-performance GT-R sports car under the Nissan brand. Infiniti lacks a sports car, and dealers desperately wanted the GT-R as a halo for the brand. It goes on sale in the United States in spring 2008. Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor, said this week at the New York auto show that every country except the United States wanted the redesigned model to be a Nissan. The U.S. unit could not prove that branding the car an In…

Nissan pushes fuel-cell limits X-Trail benefits from decade-long research effort By DINO DALLE CARBONARE AutoWeek | Published 04/18/06, 11:09 am et Nissan has devoted 10 years to fuel-cell research and that decade of development is packed into its latest FCV X-Trail sport/utility vehicle. Nissan developed and built a fuel stack in-house and its latest unit manages to squeeze the stack’s advanced technology in a smaller and lighter package. The new stack develops 120 hp—35 hp more than the one fitted to the previous 2003 FCV X-Trail. As a result the new model offers better acceleration and response, not to mention higher top speed. The benefits of the fuel-cel…

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com September 16, 2013 Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer let loose some information concerning the next-generation Z. Speaking with Auto Express at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, Palmer revealed that the company will reveal a concept at the Toyko Motor Show in November that gives some hints of what to expect with the next Z. “Do I know what it looks like? Yes I do. Have I driven it? Yes I have. When will you see it? Come to Tokyo,” said Palmer. Palmer says the next Z will be lighter and smaller than the 370Z. Also, the next Z will feature a smaller powerplant and possibly be turbocharged. Palmer also stressed…

If you thought the Nissan Juke-R NISMO was mad with 545 horsepower via the twin-turbo V6 from GT-R, then you ain't seen nothing yet. Today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K., Nissan has introduced a more powerful Juke-R. Called Juke-R 2.0, the vehicle boasts a more powerful twin-turbo V6 with 600 horsepower from the Nissan GT-R NISMO. There are other changes such as revised bodywork from the current Juke, larger air intakes, and bumpers made out of carbon fiber. Nissan is keeping quiet on performance specs for the Juke-R 2.0, but we wouldn't be surprised if the new version is slightly faster than the first Juke-R. We'll find out how fast 2.0 is when it …

There's a video I just found and posted here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_f5JhCYq9w&feature=youtu.be As you can see, it shows a GTR smoking a Cummins diesel. Can anyone think of why this is even video worthy? I mean, isn't this what is supposed to happen?

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainers/...20/pageNumber=1 glowing......and this car has a cvt

Nissan has released new images of its URGE design concept, set to debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The motorcycle-inspired car seats three and focuses on light weight and performance. It’s also the first car to offer a “fully integrated gaming system,” according to the automaker. It features a built-in Xbox 360 from Microsoft that enables drivers (while parked) to play “Project Gotham Racing 3″ using the car’s own steering wheel, gas pedal and brake pedal while viewing the game on a flip-down seven-inch LCD screen. LEAVE A COMMENT AND SEE THE REST OF THE PICS.

Nissan rolled out another Juke concept in time for the Tokyo Motor Show. Though not as crazy as the Juke GT-R, the Juke Nismo does come with some goodies. Nissan's performance division has added a stiffer suspension, new 19-inch alloy wheels, tuned the 1.6L DI turbocharged four-cylinder, new body parts, new seats, and a pearl white exterior paint job with red highlights. But the Juke Nismo concept also signals a change at Nismo. Nissan announced today that it will expand its lineup of Nismo models, parts and accessories and move to a new global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan in 2013. "We aim to bring Nismo's passion and focus on driving excitement to mainstream models …

Back in October, we reported that Nissan was working on a new hybrid system that would use a supercharged motor to be used in the next Altima. Today, Nissan is showed off their new supercharged hybrid powertrain. The system uses a 2.5L supercharged four-cylinder engine and a compact lithium-ion battery pack. Nissan engineers told Autoblog the hybrid powertrain can match the output of Nissan’s current 3.6L V6 (260 HP and 250 lb-ft of torque) while returning a 10% increase in fuel economy over the 2011 Altima Hybrid when equipped with the CVT. 2011 Nissan Altima Hybrid: 33 City/33 Highway MPG 2013 Nissan Altima Hybrid (Est): 36.3/City/36.3 Highway MPG Engineers a…

William Maley Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com January 17, 2012 Nissan showed off a concept version of the new Pathfinder at the 2012 North American International Auto Show last week, but didn't disclose many details. But, Motor Trend has found out some information about what will powering it. A source at Nissan tells Motor Trend that the production version of the new Pathfinder will use Nissan's 3.5L V6. This makes sense since the Pathfinder is Nissan’s version of the new Infiniti JX35, which uses the same powertrain. Horsepower and torque hasn't been revealed, but we're guessing 265 HP and 248 lb-ft of torque like in the JX. A CVT transmission will likely be the…

Pricing: 2007 Nissan Altima NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 30, 2006) – Nissan today announced pricing on the 2007 Nissan Altima, which goes on sale this week at Nissan retailers nationwide. Along with its distinctive styling, the new fourth generation Altima utilizes the all-new Nissan “D” platform with improved body rigidity and a redesigned suspension with the development objective of making Altima one of the best performing large front-wheel drive sedans available globally. The starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the 2007 Altima is $17,950 for Altima 2.5 with a refined 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and 6-speed manual transmission. The Altima is again …

Wandered around Pickering yesterday at lunch looking for a hybrid to drive. Stopped at an Acura dealer first, in case there was a hybrid CSX (I thought that made sense but apparently not). Then I stopped at Chevy, where the salesman told me they haven't ordered another Silverado hybrid since the first one took them many months to sell. Next door was Nissan, who had a Altima hybrid on display. Lettering on the windshield proclaimed a $3500 rebate from the Canadian government. Interestingly, the Nissan Canada website seems to claim only $1500. Not sure of the source of the discrepancy here. This is part of the same fuel-reducing incentive program that now slaps $1000 re…

Nissan has announced pricing for the 2017 Titan Crew Cab that will be arriving later this year. Prices will range from $35,975 for the base S two-wheel drive model to $56,595 for the top of the line Platinum Reserve. Here is a breakdown of all the trims and their prices. S 4x2 - $35,975 S 4x4 - $39,005 SV 4x2 - $38,885 SV 4x4 - $41,895 Pro-4X (only available as a 4x4) - $46,215 SL 4x2 - $47,575 SL 4x4 - $50,655 Platinum Reserve 4x2 – $53,505 Platinum Reserve 4x4 - $56,595 *All prices include $1,195 destination charge For the time being, all of the Titan Crew Cabs feature a 5.6L Endurance V8 producing 390 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque, and a sev…

The past year is one that Nissan would like to forget. Their former CEO is arrested and then escapes to Lebanon. Shareholders are angry at the new leadership. Sales have been cratering and other issues. But the automaker is trying to get itself out of the hole by launching 10 new models in the next 20 months. The next model has been revealed this week - the 2022 Ariya EV. A compact SUV, the Ariya certainly looks futuristic with distinctive sculpting along the side, new "shield"-style front insert, and flowing roofline. Inside, Nissan goes for a minimalist approach with little brightwork and a row of touch-capacitive controls for the climate system that disappear when …

Pricing: 2007 Nissan Sentra NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 10, 2006) – Nissan today announced pricing on the all-new 2007 Sentra, which is on sale now at Nissan retailers nationwide. The starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the all-new Sentra, which receives a significant boost in interior space and an all-new 140-horsepower 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, is $14,750 for the Sentra 2.0 with 6-speed manual transmission. The new Sentra is available in four other models: Sentra 2.0 with CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) at $15,550; Sentra 2.0 S with 6-speed manual, priced at $15,650; Sentra 2.0 S with CVT, $16,450; and Sentra 2.0 SL with CVT, $18,400…

Nissan says hybrid will lose money Japanese automaker will produce 'unprofitable' gas-electric Altima for 8 states with strict emissions rules. David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau Link to Original Article @ DetNews WASHINGTON -- Nissan Motor Co.'s first gasoline-electric hybrid model goes into production next week, but the vehicle will not be profitable and the automaker is only bringing it to market to comply with California's strict emissions regulations, a top Nissan official said Thursday. "Hybrids today are not a very viable economic proposition," said Dominique Thormann, Nissan North America's senior vice president for administration and finance…

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/30/porsche...ating-the-ring/ CZ28.com has a pretty good thread on this: http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/showthread.php?t=638792

By AUTOMOTIVE NEWS AutoWeek | Published 04/17/06, 1:26 pm et CANTON, Miss. -- Nissan North America has begun curtailing production of its slow-selling Titan pickup at its plant here. Sales this year of the full-sized pickup were down 1.7 percent to 21,277 units through March, and the company has more than a 100-day supply. Jed Connelly, sales chief at Nissan North America, says he wants to reduce supply to under 75 days.

TCC Test: 2007 Nissan Altima 3.5SE On the whole, we have to rate the 2007 Altima 3.5 SE as one of the better entries in the crowded mid-size segment. It likely doesn't quite have the broader, plainer appeal of the Camry, or even the Honda Accord, for that matter. But that's not a complaint. The last-generation Altima was the number four on the U.S. passenger-car sales charts. With its healthy dose of attitude, the new sedan could do even better. When you add in the new Sentra, we think Nissan is likely to regain a fair share of momentum in 2007. The Car Connection

Nissan Full-Sized Vans Coming to America? Washington DC March 6, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that Nissan is looking into the possibility of manufacturing a full-sized van in North America, reported Automotive News. The Japanese automaker would build the van based on its full sized truck platform, shared by the Titan pickup and two SUVs. "We have not made a decision to produce the van, but I think it could be a possibility," said Francois Bancon, Nissan's head of product planning and development. "We will have (opportunities with) the next-generation Titan platform." If produced, the van would debut sometime after 2008. Link: http://www.theautochannel.com/new…

I swear to god, when I saw this picture in the new issue of AutoWeek, I said "What is an ION doing at the Toyko Auto Salon, but then I realized that this is the Asian Civic. I'm still convinced it's an ION Red Line...

Nissan revamps its Quest minivan's now-plush interior By Anita Lienert ANN ARBOR -- In its zeal to win over women who hate minivans, Nissan went overboard with its 2004 Quest, turning off empty-nesters and hardcore minivan users with a poorly designed cabin. The most off-putting Quest feature was a mammoth center pillar -- sometimes irreverently described as the "telephone pole" -- in place of a more traditional instrument panel. The pillar held the gauges and controls, forcing the driver to constantly glance to her right to check things like speed. It was distracting, ugly and polarizing. The Quest, which was launched in mid-2003, was a painful exercise in hipness, …