Nissan's VQ Engine Continues String on Ward's 'Best Engines' List

GARDENA, Calif., Dec. 11 -- Nissan's VQ engine has been named for the eighth-straight year by the editors of Ward's Communications Inc. as one of the ``10 Best Engines'' available in the U.S. automotive market.

No other engine has received the honor every year that the list has been compiled by the editors of Ward's Auto World and Ward's Engine and Vehicle Technology Update.

For the 2002 model year, Nissan uses 3.5-liter VQ engines in a variety of Nissan and Infiniti cars and sport-utility vehicles, including the all-new Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima and Infiniti I35 sedans and the Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4 SUVs. The 3.5-liter VQ engines are specially tuned for use in each of the vehicles.

Ward's praised the VQ engine for its design, power and refinement.

``After driving the all-new Altima with the 3.5-liter VQ engine,'' said Bill Visnic, senior technical editor of Ward's Auto World, ``we confidently say that the 3.5-liter VQ V6 improves on the attributes that made the 3-liter VQ one of the best V6 engine designs of all time.

``Nissan's 3.5-liter VQ V6 makes a power argument for naming Nissan's VQ engine family one of the best V6 designs of all time,'' Visnic added.

In 2002, Nissan and Infiniti will introduce two more all-new cars equipped with the 3.5-liter VQ engine -- the 2003 Infiniti G35 sedan, which debuts Jan. 7, 2002, at the North American International Auto Show, and the much- anticipated 2003 Nissan 350Z sports car, which goes on sale in the summer of 2002.

Since its U.S. introduction in 1995 in the Nissan Maxima, the VQ engine has undergone two evolutions that have increased horsepower and reduced tailpipe emissions while maintaining a high level of fuel efficiency.

``Receiving this award eight straight times is a testament to the superb engineering capabilities at Nissan, and the dedication to make the best engine in the world even better through the years,'' said Shigeo Ishida, president of Nissan Technical Center North America in Farmington Hills, Mich. ``This engine family is a benchmark that doesn't stay put -- it keeps evolving into something better than before.''

The VQ engine family, which consists of powerplants displacing 2.0, 2.5 3.0, and 3.5 liters, is produced at a state-of-the-art plant in Iwaki, Japan.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.nissandriven.com and www.infiniti.com .