DETROIT - Okay, here’s what happened. Nissan North USA announced last November that it would not come to the North American International Auto Show next week in Detroit, and that it had canceled out of the Chicago International Auto Show in February, as well. Just before Thanksgiving, Nissan changed its mind, and announced that Chicago-area dealers would run Nissan/Infiniti stands at the show.

In December, Metro Detroit Nissan/Infiniti dealers offered to do the same. Nissan North USA declined, asking Michigan dealers to respect the decision. “We’re Nissan’s dealer-partners,” Ann Arbor Nissan dealer Doug Fox told me. They gave no argument.

The story popped up after the holidays when someone noticed that Nissan and Infiniti were left off the NAIAS floor plan.

So, why Chicago and not Detroit?  “Chicago is evenhandedly unique,” a Nissan spokesman says. He declined to give any specific reasons, but there will be some cost involved. Nissan will supply the Chicago show with a new Cube. It won’t be on-sale yet, so area dealers can’t take one from inventory. Same with the Nissan GT-R. While it is on sale, the car typically is pre-sold. Dealers don’t keep them in stock (and you wouldn’t want to take delivery of one after it’s been fingered by journalists and local consumers).

It all seems to come down to cost. Chicago is a much bigger market, especially for Nissan, than Detroit. While turntables and signage and shipping pre-production models cost next to nothing by 2008 auto show standards, in 2009, every dollar counts.

The show will go on. NAIAS has filled Nissan’s space by moving Kia into the better spot, and by adding exhibits from Bertone and the Center for Creative Studies, one of the nation’s premier design schools. In these few days before the press preview begins, however, it’s clear that this year’s Detroit show will be much more sober, in every sense of the word, than any of the previous 13 shows I’ve covered.

Yep, the parties and presentations are down, drastically. You’ll see nothing like the rodeo staged on the street in front of Cobo Hall last year to introduce the 2009 Dodge Ram. Production and concept cars and trucks will be introduced, but they’ll emphasize fuel economy, clean emissions and value more than sex appeal and performance. It is, sigh, too much a business story, this year, but we’ll be there, reporting on the cars and trucks.

You've probably seen it a hundred times in the last year. Some talking head on TV saying that if automakers only prefabricated more fuel efficient cars, the public would buy them. Really? The 2008 income numbers are in, and the draw of fuel efficiency doesn't seem to be holding up in the grappling of lower gas prices.

Our own Green Car Advisor, John O'Dell, looked through the final income numbers for hybrids in 2008 and it was clear that their green sheen had definitely worn thin.

DETROIT - Here’s what you need to know about car/truck income in the U.S.: All the majors were down 30 percent or more in December. All of them. General Motors? Down 31 percent. Toyota? Down 36.7 percent. Ford Motor Company (excluding Volvo)? Off 32 percent. American Honda? Off 34.7 percent. Nissan? Off 30 percent.

Then there’s Chrysler, which recorded income of 85,260 units, down 53 percent for December 2008, versus December 2007. (Most, including Chrysler, posted an increase when comparing December ‘08 with November ‘08, but year-end incentives and inventory clearance income make December a stronger month, historically, versus November. I won’t waste any more of your time comparing those two months.)

U.S. income for all automakers looks to be about 13.2 million in ‘08, off 18.5 percent from ’07’s 16.2 million sold, resulting in the lowest annual volume since 1992. Ford chief analyst George Pipas notes that volume for the fourth quarter of last year was lowest since 1981, when there were 70-million fewer drivers on American roads.

One maker actually posted an increase, Monday. Subaru’s total annual income of 187,699 was 0.3-percent higher than 2007. For December, it was off just 7.7 percent.

Hyundai income fell 14 percent for the year, to 401,742. Kia fell 10.5 percent, to 273,397.

Now consider income figures for all of 2008. Chrysler’s drop for the year was as great as GM, Toyota, Ford, et. al’s drop for December: 30 percent. While Chrysler doesn’t like to talk market share, co-president Jim Press says such numbers are sustainable for a leaner company that doesn’t necessarily compete in every segment, so long as the individual models are profitable. If you’re a Chrysler’s glass is half-full kind of enthusiast, you figure that its volume is settling to a level appropriate for a kind of niche automaker. If your glass of Mopar is half-empty, you wonder how much longer it can sustain such volume until it finds a new owner.

Chrysler sold just 71,663 Sebrings in 2008, off 23 percent, but edging out the aging 300 (62,352 units, off 48 percent). Town & Country was off 14 percent, to 118,563. Dodge Caravan was off 30 percent, to 123,749. Perhaps the minivan market is drying up.

Dodge sold 97,367 Chargers (-18 percent) and 61,963 Avengers (-26 percent). Jeep’s Patriot was a rare bright spot, up 38 percent for the year, to 55,654. Commander income fell 56 percent, to 27,694, still a couple of hundred units more than all of GM’s Hummer line.

Chrysler remained the nation’s fourth-largest automaker, outselling Honda/Acura by 24,357 units. And Ford’s 2008 volume was lower than Chrysler’s 2007 volume. The nation’s top six automakers, by annual volume are:

1. GM:        2,980,688    off 23 percent
2. Toyota:    2,217,662    off 15.7 percent
3. Ford:    1,988,376    off 20.7 percent
4. Chrysler    1,453,122    off 30 percent
5. Honda    1,428,756    off  8.2 percent
6. Nissan      951,350    off 10.9 percent

These are corporations, not brands, so Toyota numbers include Scion and Lexus. Honda includes Acura, and Nissan includes Infiniti.

With gasoline once again cheaper than bottled water and dealers giving away ‘08 models in two-for-one deals, pickup trucks lead income numbers. Read this and weep, Thomas Friedman: Ford sold 515,513 F-Series, still well off its records in the 800-900k level a few years ago. Chevrolet sold 500,068 pickups (GMC moved another 168,544 Sierras). Toyota sold 436,617 Camrys. Honda sold 372,987 Accords and 370,586 Civics.

Ford Focus income totaled 195,823, up 13.1 percent.

Chevy sold 188,045 Cobalts, while Toyota sold 137,249 Tundras. On the other hand, Toyota sold 158,884 Priuses while Hummer sold 27,485 H1s, H2s, H3s and H3Ts.

Prius income fell by 22,337 units in the U.S. compared with ‘07 sales, by the way, a 12.6-percent drop.

Honda sold — er, leased — five FCX Claritys and Nissan sold 1,730 GT-Rs. And Chevy sold 13 SSRs found under dust on dealer lots somewhere.

Ford Mustang income fell by 32.2 percent, to 91,251 units. That edged out the Nissan Versa with 85,182 units, up 7.2 percent. So income for the Versa, which now starts at $9,990, were up while Prius income fell. In the New Economy, affordability beats fuel economy.

Chevy sold 42.6-percent more Malibus, and income veep Mark LaNeve says the number is more like 98 percent, when you count retail only. Still, at 178,253 units, Malibu trails the aforementioned Cobalt and the Impala (265,840, down 14.6 percent) to place third among Chevy car sales, which means you’ll find more Impalas and Cobalts on your local Hertz lot.

GM’s two other success stories were the Cadillac CTS, up 3.1-percent to 58,774 units, and the Buick Enclave, up 52.7-percent to 44,706. GMC Acadia (66,440, off 8.7 percent) remained GM’s best-selling Lambda CUV. Forget the Outlook - Saturn division income barely edged Cadillac, 188,004 to 161,159. No wonder GM is looking to redefine Saturn.

Chevy sold 9,456 Traverses since its start release, while Ford moved 14,457 Flexes. The Chevy beats the Ford in monthly volume though, 4,935 to 2,685 for December.

The Caddy CTS beat out its rivals, by size category, the BMW 5 Series (45,915, off 15.2 percent) and Mercedes-Benz E-Class (38,576, off 21.2 percent). It lost out to the Mercedes and BMW more matched in price; C-Class sold 63,701, up 13.8 percent and the 3 Series remains the envy of all premium automakers, at 112,464 units, off 21.1 percent. Lexus moved 49,432 ISes, off 10.3 percent, and Infiniti moved 44,969 G sedans (-16.7 percent). Add 19,212 G coupes (+8.0 percent), and the entry Infiniti outsells the Cadillac.

Total Mini income were 54,077, up 28.6 percent.

New models include the Dodge Challenger, 17,423 units, Pontiac G8, 15,002 units and BMW 1 Series, 12,018 units.

And what about 2009? The Detroit Three are sticking with dismal volume expectations of 10.5- to 12-million units. They are, to use a favored Capitol Hill cliche, cautiously optimistic that the second half of ‘09 will see an upturn, fueled in part by the two-year, $775-billion economic stimulus package — including $300 billion in business and individualized tax cuts — expected from the new president, Barack Obama.

It's no secret that we have a thing for the Nissan GT-R. We flew to Nihon to conduct the world's first test, shelled out our own money to buy one for our long-term fleet, and have stood by patiently when it was in the shop.

Needless to say, we've had our good days and bad days, but one of them have been quite as extreme as these two examples of GT-R yin and yang.

Armada out, Patrol in?

Could happen. The body-on-frame Nissan Patrol has always been Nissan's answer to the Toyota Land Cruiser; and with this latest revamp–and a HUGE one at that–there is some speculation that this vehicle could replace the soon-to-be-departed Armada and/or Infiniti QX56.

The new Patrol is expected to be powered, at least overseas, by a 4.8L V8, 4.0L V6 and a 3.0L V6 diesel. Gotta wonder if it shares some underpinnings with the upcoming Nissan NV2500 commercial trucks?

Full story here.

When is a Suzuki not a Suzuki? When it’s a Nissan, of course. Say hello to the 2009 Suzuki Equator, Suzuki’s new compact truck, which is essentially a rebadged Nissan Frontier, a pickup that bowed in the 2005 model year.

In an effort to lure motorcycle and all terrain- vehicle owners into automotive showrooms, Suzuki deemed it a bright intent to add a truck to its lineup — not a bad thought, really, considering Suzuki’s cycle and ATV customers need to haul their toys to the asphalt and dirt playgrounds. And seeing that truck income aren’t exactly hot these days, Nissan had the capacity and means to supply Suzuki with plenty of Frontiers, er, Equators.

To a man, our judges appreciated the Equator’s towing prowess (up to 6300 pounds with the V-6), off-road abilities (”The RMZ is second in fun on the off-road, after the H3T.”

“On the dirt-loop run in the two-wheeler, this truck struck me as a better performer than I had expected.”), nicely trimmed, functional interiors (”Clean, simple interior features ‘tech’ textures like appliances use. Still, they were not fond of the four-cylinder’s demand of guts (”Had my foot on the floor for several miles just trying to catch the convoy against a headwind in the 2.5-liter.”), and demand of manual mode with the automatic (”I wish the five-speed auto had a manual mode, especially for off-road excursions.”).

This is not to say the Equator is not a capable and competent small truck. It is. With a range that includes extended- and crew-cab versions, short and long beds, four and six-cylinder engines, five-speed manual and automatic trannnies, and noteworthy abilities both on- and off-road, the Equator is a solid option for compact-truck buyers.

Case in point: the Crew Cab RMZ-4. With an electric rear locking differential, rugged Dana 44 axles, Bilstein high-performance dampers, skidplates, and BFGoodrich tires, this off-road-bent Equator is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream rig. On pavement? Not too shabby, either. The RMZ-4 romps from 0 to 60 in 7.8 seconds and through the quarter mile in 16.0 at 85.3 mph. Only V-8 versions of the Ram and F-150 were quicker. And if you can’t fit the recreational toys in the bed, throw them on a trailer; the RMZ-4 tows up to 6100 pounds.

The Equator will start at $17,995 for a 2WD, four-cylinder, two-door Extended Cab model with a manual transmission and a six-foot bed. For 4WD, you’ll also have to pick up the Sport trim level and place down $26,270. Crew Cab models start at $23,985 for a five-foot bed, 2WD, a V-6 and an automatic transmission. Four-door trucks only come with six-cylinder engine and automatic transmission combo. To get 4WD, you’ll have to step up to the Sport model with a six-foot bed and hand over $28,095. The RMZ-4 starts at $29,325 and tops out at $31,375.

Can the 2009 Suzuki Equator pull off the upset and score the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year honors? Find out Tues., Dec. 16. at midnight EST.

Photography by Brian Vance, Julia LaPalme, and William Walker

WorldCarFans.com is reporting that Fiat & PSA/Peugeot-Citroen are about to merge. The story is coming out of Italy, and the reason for the doable merger is to try and survive the global financial crisis.

So here we have one more example of just how far-reaching this economic debacle is. If this merger does come about, it would create the fourth largest maker in the world, rivaling VW and Renault-Nissan in scale.

Full story here.

Um… could it be due to the auto industry being in the tank?

Whatever the reason, NBC appears to be punting the U.S. version of Top Gear out of the stadium. So far no official word has come from the Land of the Peacock. Word has that the TV show producers are hoping some telegram station will pick it up.

NBC Won't Broadcast U.S. Version of British Favorite Top Gear

A report surfaced over at Motor Authority.com that Nissan's Mississippi plant will be converted over to building their upcoming light-commercial truck line. Currently vehicles being built there are the Nissan Armada, Infiniti QX56 and the Nissan Quest minivan. Sales of these vehicles have been way down this year. Those in the know believe Nissan will just get out of this market altogether. So far Nissan has not offered any comment.

Full story here.

There was a lot to like about the 350Z, and it was a huge success for Nissan when the brand and the company really needed one.  I liked that it was a real two-seater, rear drive, and packed a lion-hearted motor.  At the same time, to me, it was never fully baked.  The styling was clunky, the interior was cheap, and the car had a heavy “muscle/sports car” kind feel that was contrary to its mission as a road missle.

Nissan has place its sports car back in the oven, and the result is the new 370Z.  By now, you know the basics, and you’ve probably read Ron Kiino’s first test story as well as Arthur St. Antoine’s blog entry, here on MTOL.  So here’s my nickel’s worth.

Overall, the new car is an improvement over the model it replaces.  It’s faster, better looking, structurally stiffer, has a much improved cabin, higher limits, and some trick new technology.  The 370Z is a squeege shorter and wider than the old one, and really looks the business. 

The 370’s face, with its overstyled headlights and “fangs” in the grille, resembles a catfish, but otherwise, the Z offers an arresting shape, especially in this brilliant yellow paint color.  It’s too bad the front end is so low, as the lower front fascia scrapes on everything, even moderate speed bumps. 

The 350’s door handles were strange-looking and felt unnatural to use.  The new ones are still an obvious styling statement, but look better to my eye and feel better to the fingers.

Things inside move well upscale, yet is still businesslike and focused on driving.  One touch that St. Antoine griped about is the “glowing dots” readout in the left IP pod for the temp and fuel levels.  I agree.  Besides looking contrived and asymmetrical, these gauges are hard to read.  It’s like the whole thing was done for styling sake, with no real benefit.  Function shouldn’t follow form. 

My old friend, Nissan’s VQ family V-6, is more powerful than ever, but it’s also gotten noisy and harsh in its old age.  Rev it to 5000 rpm and hold it there, and it’ll vibrate your fillings.  And it’s not a pretty noise — its just noise, like an industrial blender with bad bearings.  This engine was creamy smooth at 3.0-liters, still nice from an NVH standpoint at 3.5, but objectionable in this configuration, at least in this car.  Nissan can and should do better.

Our tester had the optional 19-inch rolling stock.  These forged alloys are light and beautiful.  The low profile rolling stock adds an element of road rumble to the mix, but its the same in other cars, and it’s likely that the mortal who wants max performance and orders this package knows what they’re in for.  But it works well in the grip, response, and braking standpoint.  The Z is a performer, no doubt.

I’m not yet ready to order a Z for me.  I (selfishly) hope that Nissan will address these issues with the 370’s mid-life update a few years down the road.  Then it will be the Z I know it can be, and will once again have this portion of the marketplace largely to itself.  The ’09 model represents an improvement after after the Z’s time in the fire, but in my view, detailed recipe adjustments, and yet more bake time, are required.

Photography by the author