1999 Nissan Frontier Owners Manual on 2040-parts.com

Ford's NA Design Director aims to shorten product lifecycles

Peter Horbury, Ford Motor Company North America Design Director, has told Automotive News he intends to shorten product lifecycles at the ailing company from an average five years to three years starting this decade. "We feel there is no value in minor changes but a huge value in major changes," Horbury told the industry weekly. Ford needs to ensure that buyers continue visiting showrooms as the giant automaker struggles to retain market share.

Nissan cuts the price of the Micra to £7,995

The Nissan Micra is getting a price cut in the UK, with the entry-level Micra dropping to just £7,995 and price cuts across the Micra range. That means the entry-level Micra 1.2 12v Visia comes down form a not exactly bargain basement £9,750 to a much more appealing £7,995. And Nissan hasn’t done it by cutting equipment levels, as they say every model still gets the same level of equipment, including Bluetooth.

Fisker Automotive begins hiring blitz

Fisker Automotive will hire 120 workers in the coming months to staff the former General Motors factory in Wilmington, Del., that will build Fisker's next plug-in hybrid sedan, due in 2013. Code-named Project Nina, the future car will join the plug-in Karma sedan in Fisker's lineup as the company expands its portfolio of premium hybrid cars. The Karma is launching this year, and production of the future sedan--expected to be priced at about $39,000 after government incentives--would begin late next year.