The popular Acenta model has benefited from some changes to the exterior, customers will now get new ‘diamond cut’ two tone 16 inch alloy wheels instead of the previous 15 Inchers. They will also get body-colured door mirrors and front fog light surrounds which makes the exterior changes quite noticeable.

A new seat fabric with blue stitching, has also been added to the interior providing customers with a more premium feel, climate control, automatic headlights and rain-sensitive wipers are also included as a standard feature.

The next grade, the best selling N-TEC has also received some improvements, in addition to the updates to the Acenta specificatiion, the new N-TEC+ incorporates rear parking sensors, darkened rear privacy glass and the touch screen “Connect’ satellite navigation system. Nissan’s ‘Connect’ system provides a full digital music connectivity package with built in CD/radio, iPod gateway, Aux-in, USB connection and Bluetooth phone connection.

Even though all this equipment has been added buyers can own a Nissan Note for less than they would have thought. Prices start at £11,200 for a Visia model, the new Acenta model at £13,000 and the new N-TEC+ model for £13,500.

The first of the new notes should reach dealers in early February.

The grant now applies to vans which means 20% off to buyers, can give up to £8000 off the price of an electric van. At the moment Nissan are conducting real-world tests of a prototype zero-emission all-electric delivery vehicle in London. Nissan and FedEx Express are collaborating over a two month period to evaluate how the NV200 electric vehicle prototype copes with the rigours of daily duties in the nation’s capital.

The Nissan LEAF will start to be produced in Nissan’s Sunderland plant from 2013. Nissan recently announced, with an initial capacity of 50,000 vehicles, the plant will also start the production of batteries for the LEAF in early 2012. Nissan are investing a total of  £420 million into the LEAF project, this will help maintain the 2,250 jobs at Nissan and across the UK supply chain.

James Wright, Managing Director at Nissan Motor (GB) Limited said: “Today’s announcement reinforces the Government’s commitment to improving air quality in cities and reducing carbon emissions.

“This grant, coupled with lower running costs and tax benefits, will make switching to an electric van a very attractive option for businesses.”

The electric version of the NV200 van will go on sale in early 2013.

The paint was developed in 2005 and has already been used in a number of  Infiniti products and Nissan models. Now this technology has been applied to a product that’s prone to scratched through everyday use – the smartphone – with Nissan’s new Scratch Shield case iPhone owners everywhere can keep their phone looking its best for longer.

The paint was developed in collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc, this unique paint finish was designed for automotive use and is available on the Nissan 370Z, Murano, X-Trail and the Infiniti range of products. Now thanks to Nissan’s pioneering approach this technology has been used for the first time on a non-automotive product.

The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case was designed using several automotive engineering innovations to deliver a durable and long-lasting paint coat that fits tightly around the case. The case has three key benefits: its highly flexible, and allows fine scratches to quickly mend themselves, it has a tactile-gel like glossy surface which is more scratch-resistant than conventional paint and also provides a better grip. The case itself is made of ABS plastic which is a high grade substance that is used in the automotive industry regularly, its more rigid and robust than other plastics. The outer ‘paint’ is made from polyrotaxane, this means when damage does occur to the coating, in the form of a fine scratch, the chemical structure is able to react and change back to its original shape and fill the gap – “healing” the blemish.

“We like to think laterally by taking the great innovations we’ve got from an automotive point of view, and looking at how they could be applied to improve everyday issues. The Scratch Shield iPhone case is a great example of us taking a Nissan automotive technology that has had a huge impact for our customers, and then shifting the boundaries to apply it to another everyday product” commented Bob Laishley, Overseas Programme Director Business Development for Nissan in Europe.

“We’re really excited about the possibilities provided by this technology. In Japan, we’ve already linked up with world-leading mobile operator NTT DoCoMo to allow them to use the Scratch Shield technology on its Style Series N-03B mobile phones, and we think this technology has real scope beyond the automotive world. We’re passionate about innovations that get people excited, and that means not being restricted to one industry or genre.”

An initial batch of prototypes of the Scratch Shield iPhone cases have been produced by Nissan for BETA testing with selected journalists and customers, if the demand proves strong, the case should be on sale later this year.

The Nissan e-NV200 is based on the advanced electric vehicle design of the award-winning Nissan NV200, which is also making its debut at the Motor Show. The concept previews a near-future production version of a full electric vehicle designed to provide businesses or families with a roomy interior space, which is flexible to use and it also achieves a dramatic CO2 footprint reduction.

Hideto Murakami, corporate vice president of Nissan Motor Co, Ltd. commented “With its ‘no gas, no tailpipe, no emissions’ powertrain, the Nissan e-NV200 Concept combines a quiet, comfortable driving experience with a large, highly versatile, functional interior space within a compact overall body length. A potential game changing vehicle in its segment, the battery capacity will support a driving range similar to the Nissan LEAF, while payload and cargo space will offer the same level as the current NV200.  The production version would be targeted mainly at businesses, but also at private users or families in major regions.”

The Nissan e-NV200 Concept is a potential production vehicle which would also provide a reduction in operating costs compared to current internal combustion engine vehicle Murakami adds “A vehicle like the Nissan e-NV200 Concept would energise the current compact van market in more ways than one – helping improve the quality of urban life and providing a smart financial investment for large and small businesses alike”.

The Concept shares a major drivetrain component with the innovative Nissan LEAF, its silent zero emission power is supplied by a lithium-ion battery composed of 48 compact modules and a high-response 80kW AC synchronous motor that generates 280Nm of torque. Different to a conventional internal combustion engine, the motor delivers 100% of its torque from start with immediate response bringing excellent acceleration and smooth, comfortable driving feel.

Like the Nissan LEAF the e-NV200 Concept offers a responsive, easy-to-drive experience, which is in keeping with what customers have come to expect from everyday, gasoline powered vehicles. Also like the Nissan LEAF the Nissan e-NV200 concept offers brilliant projected fuel economy which is a crucial factor for a commercial vehicle operator.

The identity of the Nissan e-NV200 Concept starts with its front “face”. It has a wide hood that is accented by a large central charging port door, with a blue-accented Nissan badge, and sweeping headlights with LED illuminated accents. The exterior has strong main character lines and broad body surfaces. The large front windows and long rear  greenhouse combined with a pair of large glass roof panels which create an airy open interior environment. It is also painted in a customised colour which follows the concept of the Nissan LEAF’s Aqua Blue which expresses a sense of environmental friendliness.

The plant made a total of 480,485 vehicles in 2011, this dwarfed there 2010 record of 423,262 vehicles, this was the first time any UK car plant had ever made more than 400,000 cars in a year.

As the popularity of the Nissan Qashqai and Juke grew this meant the plant exceeded there previous record on November 16. November itself was a record month for the plant with 46,606 vehicles made- the highest monthly total in the plant’s history.

Nissan leadership in the Crossover market was demonstrated by the production totals of its top-selling models Qashqai (244,298), Qashqai+2 (56,979) and Juke (132,606). In addition the plant made 46,602 units of the award-winning Nissan Note.

This new record reflects the first full calendar year in which there has been 24-hour production of the Qashqai and Qashqai+2 and was also the first full year of Juke production, which included the addition of a 4X4 Juke and the limited edition Juke Kuro.

Additionally, extra staff were hired at the plant to help meet the customer demand which led to Nissan achieving an all-time record European market share of 4.2% in September.

The number of jobs at Nissan Sunderland Plant have also reached a high with 5,462 people directly employed on site. The future also looks promising with the Plant set to launch Nissan’s first lithium-ion battery production facility outside Japan, preparing for the start of Nissan LEAF production in 2013.

Nissan’s Vice President for Manufacturing in the UK, Kevin Fitzpatrick, said: “Our 25^th anniversary year will go down in UK car production history and all our staff can be proud of the many milestones we have passed.

“Our 26^th year promises to be equally exciting, as we launch the new Battery Plant at Sunderland and prepare the plant for production of the 100% Nissan LEAF alongside the Qashqai, Juke and Note.”

The panel of judges, which consists of used car market and vehicle valuation experts at CAP commented that the “Nissan Qashqai has created an entirely new ‘crossover’ sector and prompted other manufacturers to follow by marrying the practicality of a people carrier with the looks of a quality 4×4. By achieving this in a package that also offers economy, handling, strong build quality and reliability the Qashqai has become the perfect used car for our time”.

The award is more recognition of the design, engineering skills, and build skills of  British workers. The Qashqai’s stylists work in Paddington London and the engineers are in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, and built in Washington, Tyne and Wear. The Qashqai was launched in 2007 and broke the niche, it has become a top-selling mainstream model, which rivals conventional family hatchbacks. It has become a permanent feature in the UK top best sellers list.

The panel of judges noted strong demand which means the Qashqai was always highly sought after by trade buyers and customers alike meaning it depreciated slowly and outperformed the general market.

The judges said “In late 2010 a serious challenger to the Qashqai entered the market. But this serious rival was simply the updated Qashqai and this is now becoming the dominant player”.

The double win from CAP comes on top of a similar award from leading consumer magazine What Car?, which named the Qashqai as its ‘Best Used Car 2011′ last month.

Jim Wright, managing director of Nissan GB said: “Cars that are desirable when new are still desirable when the owner comes to sell them on, especially if they have proven to be reliable. The continuing success of the Qashqai in the new and used car markets proves that the British motor industry can produce a winner, even in the toughest market conditions.”

The following vehicles are now available from SG Petch Durham for extended demonstration. Ideal if you need more time or have several staff members to try them.

• Hyundai iX35
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Hyundai i40
• Mazda 6
• Nissan Juke
• Nissan Qashqai

Chris Lawson, Corporate Sales Manager, who has over 24 years in the industry dealing with large and small fleets said: “Usually smaller fleets are overlooked in favour of large operators, but SG Petch have addressed this with emphasis on the small to medium sized business”.

“We provide all aspects of vehicle funding for the business sector from fixed term finance with eventual ownership to contract hire with no depreciation or disposal risk”.

To discuss your business requirements or to arrange a test drive, call Chris Lawson on 07817 213512 or email him at chrislawson@sgpetch.com.

This Platinum version features leather upholstery and electrically-adjustable, heated front seats. A new touch screen communication unit which features satellite navigation, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity. It also includes a reversing camera with the image transmitted onto a small screen incorporated into the rear view mirror.

The exterior also includes front and rear extra protection, and style with the fitment of additional protection plates located below the bumpers. The sides has also been treated to chrome side steps and chrome door protection mouldings.

The X-Trail Platinum is powered by its advanced 2.0 dCi engine with a choice of either manual or automatic transmissions. The manual produces a healthy 173 PS and can return an average of 44.1 mpg.

But unlike its precious inspiration, the X-TRAIL Platinum is not expensive. In fact it costs less than the Tekna version on which it’s based, starting at £29,180 for the manual and £30,560 for the automatic.

Orders are now being taken now, but Platinum is a real rarity, with just 200 being produced.

The new Kuro and Shiro mean black and white respectively in Japanese, these two new models are based on the mid Acenta grade specification but feature a number of charms which are usually found on the top-of-the-range models.

The Shiro is available in a choice of two white shades Pearl or Alabaster and the Kuro is painted in Sapphire Black a brand new metallic colour.

Both special editions feature an ivory-effect dashboard and a lighter seat trim to add a touch of glamor.

The Kuro and Shiro will both come with a special badge placed on the tailgate and extra equipment includes parking sensors, parking space measurement, heated front seats and climate control.  Nissan Connect, an integrated satellite navigation system is also available as an option for £400.

Both Micra engines and transmissions are available in the new models, the 1.2-litre normally-aspirated and new super-charges DIG-S powerplants with manual or CVT automatic transmissions.

Prices start at £11,550 for a 1.2 manual. You can now order for both new Micra grades.

Last month in Europe Nissan achieved 59,681 unit sales. This was up more than 8,000 units from November 2010 and takes the calender end of year-to-date sales above 637,500 units (+26% year-on-year).

Nissan’s supermini, Micra has made an important contribution to the numbers, with nearly 5,500 monthly sales. The Micra became more appealing in September with the addition to its range, with the  3-cyclinder, supercharged 1.2 petrol engine. The Micra DIG-S delivers just 95g CO2/km which makes it one of the most economical and cleanest petrol engines in the world.

Strong sales were also made with the Qashqai and Juke crossover models, together with lively sales of the X-TRAIL SUV which contributed to an overall monthly European market share of 4%, which is 0.5% up on November 2010.

Top performances in the market for November, included Russia achieving a 60% upswing in sales, the UK was up 18% and France 11%. The Nordic region, including the Baltics was also up by 20%.

“Throughout the year we have seen our monthly sales trending significantly above 2010, and this has continued into November, Although we recognize a great deal of additional effort will be needed to firmly establish Nissan as the leading Asian brand in Europe, 2011 has witnessed a step change in our performance and presence within the region as we push towards that goal.” commented Guillaume Cartier, Vice President Sales Operations Europe.