Nassau Motor Company - 2nd Gen 900 Revealed!

[MAG]

January 4, 2002 - Another year in the books for the Nassau Motor Company. 2001 saw us complete our most recent cycle of new product launches as the new Nevada pickup, Nevada Sport pickup/SUV, and Provo XL officially went on sale. Let’s take a look back at 2001.

Our reputation took a big hit this year and we’re still trying to determine why. We’ve got the engine issues suffered by the early Accolade models under control now, so we’re examining the rest of our lineup for reliability issues. Prestige rose slightly and we brought in $1.9 billion in profit this year.

Numbers were down again this year as we saw sales steadily fall each month of 2001.

The economy is partly to blame. Just as we have a portfolio of all new products, the economy has begun to collapse. We’re hoping things turn around. If not, we may have to make adjustments to our future product plans.

During 2001, Nassau sold 927,777 vehicles, down 23k from the previous year. In fact, other than an uptick in 1998, we’ve seen sales fall each year since our best year in 1996.

611,216 - Gasmea (+1%) - Top Seller: Overland S
240,083 - Fruinia (-6%) - Top Seller: Tango R
76,478 - Archana (-15%) - Top Seller: Tango S

Seeing sales actually rise in Gasmea is encouraging. Since the mid 1970s, we’ve specifically targeted our product for the Gasmean market. During the 1990s we found a good balance, but we may have gone too far now, as sales in Fruinia were down again and our Archanan sales have collapsed.

Sales of the Nifty S subcompact fell this year, down to 103,403 units. Our smallest car hasn’t been as successful in Archana as we expected.

Our compact Tango lineup actually saw sales growth this year. Overall, we sold 300,417 units.

The Tango S sedan saw sales rise to 95,909 vehicles.

The Tango R wagon continues to be the volume leader of the group. This year, sales rose to 177,701 units.

Even the Tango XF coupe got in on the action. The coupe, somewhat maligned for not being as good as its predecessor sold 26,807 units this year.

After a less than stellar debut, the 2nd generation Hornet sport compacts saw sales rise this year. They’re not quite to the level of the 1st generation, but we did see a significant increase. We sold a total of 62,177.

The Hornet S sold 22,045 units.

The Hornet XF saw sales rise to 40,132.

Our new Accolade continues to struggle a bit in the marketplace. Perhaps dropping the base sedan was not the correct move. Sales did improve, as we moved 93,052 units.

The Accolade Estate saw sales rise to 26,945, still well below the previous generation.

Sales of the Accolade Sport which is the model we’re focusing on right now fell slightly to 46,124 units.

The new Accolade Elite is struggling to gain a foothold with the economy the way it is. Sales increased over last year, but are still far below expectations. We sold 19,983.

Our sports car offering, the Stria, is in a free fall. This year, sales were nearly halved as we sold just 3,193.

The Stria S coupe sold just 582 units. We have decided that 2001 will be the final year for the car and will only be producing the convertible moving forward.

The Stria C convertible sold 2,611 units. Now outclassed by the competition, our sports car may not be long for this world.

We did have great success this year with our new NT150 trucks. Across the 3 model lines, we sold 109,446 units. This is up from last year and nearly on par with the best years of the first generation from 1997-1999.

The new Nevada pickup sold 37,033 units. This was the best year ever for a Nassau pickup.

Our new Nevada Sport pickup/SUV hybrid had a very good first year, selling 38,776 units.

The newly redesigned Provo XL had a significant sales drop from the first generation. With a higher price tag and a lower end option for SUVs now in our portfolio, this was expected. A faltering economy didn’t help either. We sold 33,637.

We did see a significant drop in sales of our Overland minivans. Perhaps customers are beginning to move to SUVs as their family vehicles. This year we sold 256,089 units.

The Overland S saw an increase in sales, up to 135,239.

Our higher trimmed models did not fare as well. The larger Overland XL sold just 75,055 units.

The story was the same for our all wheel drive Overland XL AWD. Sales fell to 45,795 units for 2001.

Sales Breakdown
177,701 - Tango R (+9%)
135,239 - Overland S (+10%)
103,403 - Nifty S (-4%)
95,909 - Tango S (+1%)
75,055 - Overland XL (-36%)
46,124 - Accolade Sport (-6%)
45,795 - Overland XL AWD (-51%)
40,132 - Hornet XF (+19%)
38,776 - Nevada Sport (NEW)
37,033 - Nevada (+37%)
33,637 - Provo XL (-37%)
26,945 - Accolade Estate (+25%)
26,807 - Tango XF (+4%)
22,045 - Hornet S (+12%)
19,983 - Accolade Elite (+20%)
2,611 - Stria C (-52%)
582 - Stria S (-4%)

[abg7]

Judging by the Stria’s age, axing it would make perfect economic sense, but this would leave the brand without any RWD models or platforms for the first time in several years. Despite this, Nassau should easily weather the storm in the early Aughts - the Nevada and Provo are expected to be strong sellers, even more so than their predecessors.

[MAG]

January 10, 2002 – After returning from a day on the links in Miami, Charles Gaul was greeted by the newest issue of EngineFad magazine. Briefly he looked at the cover, which featured Blake’s new small car, the B1050. Not giving it a second thought, he went about the rest of his afternoon activities.

It was not until later in the evening when he sat down to read the articles that he saw it.

Charles read the article again and again, etching it into his memory. It kept him up that night and through his flight the next day. After landing at the city of Nassau’s international airport, a driver picked him up and took him to the company’s headquarters. He had called a meeting.

The article itself was a pretty thorough thrashing of Nassau. Utilizing interviews with former and current employees and executives, as well as thoughtful and detailed research, the article broke down exactly how and why Nassau is floundering in the marketplace.

The boardroom contained a number of faceless executives and high ranking team members, as well as the head of product planning, Dean Betts. Dean and Charles had known each other since childhood, sharing the same passion for cars. When Charles succeeded his father to become head of the company in 1995, he promoted Dean to his former position.

Charles walked into the room and paused at the head of the boardroom table. He slammed down his copy of EngineFad, opened to the beginning of the Nassau article.

“Please explain this.”

The next hour or so was spent going back and forth around the room, as the executives discussed market trends, economic factors, material quality, advertising, and factory outputs; among other things. The two men at the opposite ends of the table, Charles and Dean, stayed silent as the discussion continued. After a while, the discussion wound down and the room was once again silent.

Charles repeated with a little more agitation, “Someone please explain to me how this happened!”

“You,” a voice from the other end of the table piped up. “You are why this happened,” Dean said as he stood up, staring directly at Charles.

“Everyone out,” Charles said, staring back at Dean. Quickly the room cleared, leaving just Charles and Dean. The two sat down.

“Your grandfather started this company from nothing. He created a cheap, small car that was reliable. It wasn’t innovative, but it was exactly what Fruinia needed following the war. Nassau built that car from 1949 – 1963 and sold over a million of them. At first, your grandfather was heavily involved. But as time went on he drifted away from the business. He built his sports car and left for Gasmea. Rather than spend the money to update or innovate, Don thought that his product was what it should be; with no need for updates or changes. Your father could see what was happening and tried to show your grandfather, but he couldn’t see it. Your father eventually took over and a few years later, Nassau became an innovative company. We re-invented the cheap, small car. We build a Fruinian muscle car. We introduced our cars to Gasmea. We introduced front wheel drive to the world. We built minivans, sports sedans, and pickups. But there was a point in time where the writing was again on the wall; a head of the company who had lost touch. His up and coming son, who had created products that brought in a million sales in a single year. You. Just like your father before you. You could see it. He couldn’t. You made it to the top…

…and then you just left. You put people in charge of things and left. Unfortunately, these people were against innovating and pretty tight with company funds. Rather than re-inventing the small car like Blake has, we warmed over our third gen Tango and gave it some slightly newer motors. We build the cheapest of cheap cars and an expensive, all aluminum engined sports sedan. This company has lost its direction, lost its identity, and now it’s losing sales. And it’s because of you. As soon as you got to the top, you said “job done” and left. And now this is where we are.”

“Wow,” said Charles. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

[abg7]

So how is Nassau going to survive the Aughts? I reckon a total rethink of the company will be necessary.

Here’s one suggestion: The slowest sellers, such as the Stria, should be axed. Meanwhile, other Nassau models would receive a full redesign. Finally, make technical innovation one of the brand’s core tenets for the first time in decades.

On a side note, the latest issue of Enginefad shows an article reading “Whitaker announces the end of the Panther”. It references the end of Camaro production in 2002 - the real-life model would not return for another seven years after that.

[MAG]

January 11, 2002 - As of December, we’ve sold the final 2001 Nassau Stria S sport coupe. Let’s take a look back at one of the most radical cars to ever come out of Nassau.

Conceived in the early 1990s, debuting in 1994, and going on sale in 1995, the Stria S was Nassau’s first attempt at a “super car”. Though technical and financial limitations of the company at the time caused the car to fall short of its lofty expectations, the Stria S was still a very advanced car for the time period.

Riding on a steel frame and utilizing aluminum body panels to reduce weight, Nassau’s first, and to this point only, mid engined car featured fully independent suspension front and rear. The premium 2 seater came in at just over 2600 lbs and remains the fastest car Nassau has ever produced. 0-60 flies by in 3.9 seconds and the quarter mile is accomplished in just 12.3.

This was accomplished by the use of a 3.8L twin-turbo V6. The all aluminum E38-6T featured dual overhead cams and produced 332hp.

Unfortunately, Nassau only had one transmission that could handle the engine. It was a 5 speed manual. While the gearing of the transmission allowed the rear wheel drive Stria to accelerate instantaneously, it also limited the car to a top speed of just over 160mph. This was much lower than anticipated and ended up being the car’s achilles heel.

The Stria S never reached its lofty sales targets, topping out with 3,666 sold in 1998. Starting in 1999, increased competition further hurt sales. While the coupe exits production, the Stria C convertible will continue for the 2002 model year.

Stria S Sales
1995: 1,921
1996: 2,774
1997: 3,207
1998: 3,666
1999: 1,090
2000: 606
2001: 582
Total: 13,846

[MAG]

January 5, 2003 - 2002 turns into 2003 as another year goes by for Nassau. Unfortunately, 2002 wasn’t our best year as our new products aren’t connecting with consumers the same way our mid - late 90s models did. Let’s take a look back at 2002.

Profits dipped slightly this year as we sold fewer cars. Our reputation stabilized this year after a 4 point fall in 2001, but we did see a drop in prestige.

Historically, December’s been a pretty rough month for Nassau and this year was no different. Aside from the final month of the year, our sales were pretty stable, hovering at the 75k per month mark. That’s down nearly 20k cars from our high just 7 years ago. We’ve got our engineering department working on solutions, but we won’t see the fruits of that for a few more years.

Luckily, we can blame a slowing economy for some of our issues. This has really hurt us in the mid-size sedan market. When we replaced the already premium Accolade with the current, even more upscale model we weren’t anticipating a recession. Our other models are a bit more recession proof, but poor and lazy product planning and engineering are causing buyers to stay away.

2002 saw total vehicle sales fall below the 900k mark for the first time since 1993. Selling 890,881 cars, we were down about 37k from last year.

599,048 - Gasmea (-2%) - Top Seller: Overland S
229,038 - Fruinia (-5%) - Top Seller: Tango R
62,795 - Archana (-20%) - Top Seller: Tango S

We posted small losses in Gasmea and Fruina this year. Going upscale with the Accolade has really hurt, especially in Archana were we used to sell more than just the wagon model.

Nifty subcompact sales were flat with last year, as we sold 103,414 units. This is up 11 from the previous year. Having the Nifty and the Tango so close in the market has turned out to be a mistake as we seem to be competing pretty heavily with ourselves.

The Gen IV Tango continues to struggle in the market. Perhaps this model was not a big enough improvement over the Gen III. Sales were down across all model lines.

The Tango S sedan sold 90,262, down 5k from last year.

The volume Tango R wagon saw sales fall to 169,842 units.

Sales of the Tango XF coupe have been relatively stable. It’s still selling in the same numbers as the first three years as the 3rd gen model and is up considerably over the final 3 years of gen III. We sold 24,277.

Sales of our Hornet lineup were down slightly from last year. This is one of the models that’s failing to find a market. Statistically, it is better in every way compared to the 1st generation model (95-99), but people just aren’t buying.

The base Hornet S sold 21,961 units.

The sporty Hornet XF sold 38,809.

The Accolade line is struggling. Though sales aren’t down too far from last year, the car is selling a fraction of what it used to. Dropping the base sedan was a mistake. Perhaps much of the damage was done to the Accolade “brand” in the late 90s, as the 2nd generation of the car was kept around for 10 model years as the 3rd generation was delayed.

The Accolade Estate sold just 26,960 units. This is actually up 15 cars from last year.

The Accolade Sport has been the success story of this generation. In each of the current model’s first 3 years, it has outsold the final 3 years combined of the gen II model. This year we sold 44,361.

The economy has really hurt our Accolade Elite model. This year we moved 18,793 vehicles.

We now move to our Stria C sports car. 2001 was the final year of the Stria S coupe, so the convertible was the only model on the market for 2002. We sold 2,276 units and have decided that 2003 will be the final model year for our sports car.

We are seeing success with our new NT150 chassis.

The Nevada pickup sold fewer units than last year, but sales are still up considerably over the NT100 Redwood. We sold 34,745 pickups.

The Nevada Sport has been the surprising success of the group. We underestimated the demand for a standard SUV with pickup capabilities. This year sales rose to 43,570 units.

Sales of the new Provo XL are around half of the NT100 model. We figure that the Nevada Sport is eating some of this market, but we are also having production capacity issues as well. We sold 36,209, up from last year.

Sales of our Overland minivans are in a bit of a free fall. This is mostly seen in the upper trim levels and can be attributed to the recession. Also, our competitors’ minivans are getting bigger, while ours remained the same size as the 1st generation model. Across the three model lines, we sold 235,402 vans.

Sales of the base Overland S fell slightly, to 130,722 units.

The Overland XL has seen its numbers fall back to earth after an impressive 1st year. We sold 65,559 this year.

Finally, sales of the Overland XL AWD fell also, to 39,121.

Sales Breakdown
169,842 - Tango R (-4%)
130,722 - Overland S (-3%)
103,414 - Nifty S (-%)
90,262 - Tango S (-6%)
65,559 - Overland XL (-13%)
44,361 - Accolade Sport (-4%)
43,570 - Nevada Sport (+12%)
39,121 - Overland XL AWD (-15%)
38,809 - Hornet XF (-3%)
36,209 - Provo XL (+8%)
34,745 - Nevada (-6%)
26,960 - Accolade Estate (-%)
24,277 - Tango XF (-9%)
21,961 - Hornet S (-%)
18,793 - Accolade Elite (-6%)
2,276 - Stria C (-13%)

[MAG]

February 17, 2003 - Welcome to the 2003 Fruinian Motor Show! Nassau is here showcasing all of our current models. As previously announced, the Stria will be discontinued following 2003 and we’re showing off the final model, which has some slight interior and styling changes.

However, that’s not the only reason we’re here. With the Stria bowing out after 2003, a hole is left in the Nassau lineup. We’re here to debut a new sports car!

Presenting the 2004 Nassau Niko XR!

When we began designing what would become the Stria in the early 1990s, we at Nassau asked “what’s possible for a sports car to do?”. Our answer to that question eventually became the Stria, which featured an all-aluminum body and a highly advanced twin turbo V6.

When we began designing the new Nassau Niko XR, we asked ourselves “what should a sports car be?”

Our answer was to simplify. We took the Niko XR back to basics. The 2004 Niko XR is a simple, yet elegant front engine, rear wheel drive 2 seater convertible. Riding a 92" wheelbase, the Niko XR features a well appointed cloth interior with a Nassau Hi-Fi CD sound system. This really is a drivers’ car, with full instrumentation and all controls easily within reach. In between the driver and passenger, you’ll find a six speed manual transmission.

That transmission is connected to the all-new Nassau E24-4V. This engine, the first of a new family of 4 cylinders from Nassau produces 194hp and 161ft-lbs of torque, utilizing variable valve timing.

Redlining at 7,000rpm, the E24-4V pushes the Niko XR to 60mph in just 6.9 seconds and through the quarter mile in 15.3.

So if you’re looking for a simple, back to basics sports car, look no further than the 2004 Nassau Niko XR. Pricing will be announced at a later date.

[abg7]

The rear-drive Nassau is not dead yet… The Niko looks ace, and should drive like a dream!

And it could be the car that could bring the storied Nassau nameplate back to the FTCC… But will it ever happen?

[MAG]

August 1, 2003 - We have release pricing information for the 2004 Nassau Niko XR.

With this being the final car put into engineering before a complete restructuring of our processes, we do have high hopes. This is our first sports car for the masses since the 1960s and the original Nassau Pacific. The larger Grand Pacific was more of a grand tourer.

This model debuts a completely new series of 4 cylinder engines, the E series. We’re hoping that the lessons learned from this new model can be applied to future products.

The Niko XR goes on sale in January.

[MAG]

January 6, 2004 - Nassau’s sales slide continues as 2003 has wrapped up. With the new year comes the new Niko XR sports car. In 2004, we also see the end of the Stria C. The final 2003 models should be gone from dealer lots this month. But first, we’ll take a look back at 2003.

Our reputation continues to rise, this year another .60. Our prestige however, fell once again. Dropping the Stria is really hurting our prestige overall. Soon we’ll have newer models on the showroom floor and this should begin to rise again.

Revenues were down nearly $1 billion, however profits remained about the same.

Sales started off in the gutter this year and steadily rose each month, ending in our best December since 2001.

The economy bounced back this year after a significant drop over the last few years. That really helped to mitigate the weakening demand for our cars.

2003 saw a final sales total of 830,976 cars. This is down 60k from last year and our worst year since 1993. Fortunately, we do still have quality product and just need to hang on until we can get new models in showrooms.

570,111 - Gasmea (-5%) - Top Seller: Overland S
213,937 - Fruinia (-7%) - Top Seller: Nifty S
46,928 - Archana (-25%) - Top Seller: Tango S

Another year of losses in Gasmea and Fruinia. The big news was the Nifty S taking over the top spot from the Tango R in Fruinia.

Overall, Nifty S sales dropped slightly this year to 102,307 units.

Sales of the Tango line plummeted this year, posting just 241,422 sales across the 3 model lines. This was the lowest sales total in the history of the Tango, which dates back to 1978.

The Tango S sedan sold 75,677 units.

The Tango R wagon recorded 148,761 sales.

The Tango XF coupe sold 16,984. This is comparable to the 1995-1997 models, which were the last 3 years of the 3rd generation.

Sales of our Hornet sport coupe remained relatively flat, though slightly down. We sold a total of 54,550, which has been about average for the 2nd generation. Overall, the 1st generation has outsold the 2nd by around a 2 to 1 margin.

The base model Hornet S sold 18,472 units.

The more powerful Hornet XF sold 36,078 cars.

The story with our mid-size Accolade was a bit different this year. We actually posted gains across the lineup. The Accolade had its best sales year of the 3rd generation model and the highest sales total since 1998. We sold a total of 95,972.

The Accolade Estate, the only model sold worldwide, posted 28,719 sales.

The Accolade Sport, our performance sedan, sold 44,874 units this year, up very slightly over 2002.

The Accolade Elite, our flagship car, saw the biggest gains in the lineup, with sales up to 22,379 units.

Our Stria C sports car ended its run with 1,993 sales in 2003. As of today, we have 11 left in inventory to sell this month.

Production capacity was the limiter for our NT150 truck line. Across the lineup of 3 models, we sold 115,766, which is up from 2002.

The Nevada pickup saw sales increase to 35,372 units.

The Nevada Sport pickup/SUV was the sales leader of the lineup, with 44,751 units sold.

Our premium Provo XL SUV was the only model with a drop in sales, mainly due to the capacity of our factory. We sold 35,643.

Finally, we get to our minivan lineup with the Overland. Sales fell pretty significantly, down to 218,966 units total.

The biggest drop was seen by the base model Overland S. Our smaller family van sold 114,655 units.

The larger Overland XL, sold 62,604 units.

The premium, all wheel drive Overland XL AWD saw a sales increase with the improving economy. This year we sold 41,707.

Sales Breakdown
148,761 - Tango R (-12%)
114,655 - Overland S (-12%)
102,307 - Nifty S (-1%)
75,677 - Tango S (-16%)
62,604 - Overland XL (-5%)
44,874 - Accolade Sport (+1%)
44,751 - Nevada Sport (+3%)
41,707 - Overland XL AWD (+7%)
36,078 - Hornet XF (-7%)
35,643 - Provo XL (-2%)
35,372 - Nevada (+2%)
28,719 - Accolade Estate (+7%)
22,379 - Accolade Elite (+19%)
18,472 - Hornet S (-16%)
16,984 - Tango XF (-30%)
1,993 - Stria C (-12%)

[MAG]

January 3, 2005 - What a year it was in 2004. We had a new car to draw customers into showrooms with the Niko XR. While sales of that model were about what we expected, sales of our other models were a bit surprising, considering pretty much everything we produce is running on an outdated chassis.

This year, our reputation took a significant hit and we’re not really sure why. Our current portfolio is the most reliable we’ve ever had. Perhaps the age of our vehicles has begun to show. With our new model, and some changes in the distribution of our sales, our prestige rose.

This year, revenues topped $16 billion. With costs remaining stable, we took in a profit of over $2 billion.

Sales this year were fantastic! We rose pretty steadily each month until the normal drop off in December.

And here’s the reason. We had a huge economic boom this year. After the small, but significant jump in the economy last year, we had a boom in 2004. Our financial wizards have a few takeaways from this.

On one hand, sales would have been much higher if we had newer products in showrooms. New products are coming, but they aren’t ready yet. However, this was good for our bottom line, as we did see an increase in sales. These sales increases were on products that have long since been paid for, so pretty much all of our sales are profit at this point.

We’re hoping this boom lasts long enough for our new products to arrive, but this could just be a short bubble and it could be ready to burst at any moment.

And now for our 2004 sales numbers. This year, we sold 898,343 cars, up 68k from last year. This ends a 5 year streak of sales drops and puts us in good position for the future. Engineering is nearly complete on several new models that we’ll be debuting over the next 4 years, so if we can keep customers coming into showrooms and keep product moving out the door, we’ll be able to hold on until then.

613,436 - Gasmea (+8%) - Top Seller: Overland S
228,792 - Fruinia (+7%) - Top Seller: Nifty S
56,115 - Archana (+20%) - Top Seller: Tango R

Sales were up pretty similarly in our two biggest markets, Gasmea and Fruinia. In Gasmea, the Overland S continues to be our top seller. In Fruinia, despite an economic boom, our best seller is our cheapest model, the Nifty S. Archana saw a huge sales jump led by huge increases from the Tango R, the Accolade Estate, and our minivans.

Sales of our Nifty S subcompact remained flat this year, coming in at 102,067 units, down 240 cars from 2003.

The Tango lineup, now seven years deep into its fourth generation, saw sales fall to 224,616 units. To put that into perspective, the 1998 Tango R, which was the first model year of this generation, sold 227,730 units. The Tango is becoming an also-ran in a crowded compact market.

The Tango S sedan contributed 67,601 sales to the total.

The volume Tango R wagon model came in at 143,133 units sold.

Sales of the Tango XF coupe continue to slow to a trickle, but we did manage to sell 13,882 this year.

With the economy in a boom, people now have more money to spend on less practical cars. This helped sales of our Hornet sport coupe lineup. Sales were up ever so slightly this year to 54,739 units total.

The base Hornet S actually suffered a sales drop, down to 17,925 units.

This was made up for by an increase in sales for the more premium Hornet XF. We sold 36,814 this year.

The biggest surprise for us in 2004 was the sales jump experienced by our Accolade mid size lineup. After debuting the third generation in 2000, the car has languished in the market. Sales have been down significantly compared to the second generation model. Reasons for this vary, from the lack of an entry level sedan, to an overly complex engine, etc. Sales this year rose to 111,398, crossing the 100k mark for the first time since 1997.

The Accolade Estate saw a pretty big increase, especially in Archana. In a market where we normally struggle to sell 500 cars, we sold nearly 1,500. Combined with other markets, we sold 36,026 wagons this year.

The only model of the lineup that didn’t see an increase this year was the Accolade Sport. Our performance sedan had a slight drop to 43,213 units sold.

The biggest increase, which makes sense in a booming economy was the luxury model, the Accolade Elite. Sales increased to 32,159 this year, the best ever for the model.

We expected around 10k sales for our new sports car, the Niko XR and came up just short. We sold 9,594. Once word of mouth gets out, we expect sales to rise.

The final Stria C sports cars have been cleared out of inventory. The last 11 2003 models sold this year, all in Fruinia.

Our NT150 truck lineup had a sales drop this year down to 111,564 units total.

The Nevada pickup brought in 33,426 sales.

The Nevada Sport pickup/SUV saw a slight drop from its peak last year, selling 43,190 units.

The Provo XL luxury SUV saw a bit of a drop, down to 34,948 units.

We had big increases across the board for our minivans. Even though our competition has moved up to larger models, our small van managed to bring in 284,354 sales.

This was led by the Overland S, our smallest van, which sold 145,391 units to become our best selling vehicle in 2004.

The larger Overland XL held its own with 74,161 sales.

Finally, the flagship Overland XL AWD had its best year since 2000, when the current model debuted. We sold 64,802.

Sales Breakdown
145,391 - Overland S (+27%)
143,133 - Tango R (-4%)
102,067 - Nifty S (-%)
74,161 - Overland XL (+18%)
67,601 - Tango S (-11%)
64,802 - Overland XL AWD (+55%)
43,213 - Accolade Sport (-4%)
43,190 - Nevada Sport (-3%)
36,814 - Hornet XF (+2%)
36,026 - Accolade Estate (+25%)
34,948 - Provo XL (-2%)
33,426 - Nevada (-6%)
32,159 - Accolade Elite (+44%)
17,925 - Hornet S (-3%)
13,882 - Tango XF (-18%)
9,594 - Niko XR (NEW)
11 - Stria C (2003 model)

[MAG]

January 11, 2005 - Somehow this slipped by, but as of January 25, 2004, we’ve sold our final Nassau Stria C convertible. Let’s take a look back at our advanced, drop top sports car.

Debuting for the 1995 model year, the Stria C was the convertible version of our mid-engined, aluminum paneled sports car. Fundamentally the same as the coupe version, the drop top enjoyed a longer model run thanks to higher sales. For a period of time in the late 1990s, people needed to be seen in this car.

Utilizing the same 332hp 3.8L twin-turbo V6 as the coupe, the convertible was slightly slower, with a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds, a quarter mile of 12.6 and a top speed of 160mph. The convertible was hampered by the same 5 speed transmission as the coupe.

While the Stria S was expected to be the volume model, the Stria C ended up being the more popular of the two. Sales peaked in 1998 with 7,649 cars sold. After 2000, sales began a steep drop. The final cars were produced in 2003 and the last ones left dealer lots in January 2004.

Stria C Sales
1995: 4,193
1996: 5,743
1997: 6,854
1998: 7,649
1999: 5,324
2000: 5,451
2001: 2,611
2002: 2,276
2003: 2,004
Total: 42,105

[MAG]

April 18, 2005 - Welcome to the 2005 North Gasmean International Auto Show!

Our engineers at Nassau have been working diligently over the last few years to ensure that we have the most up to date lineup that consumers want. Today, the work done on those long days and nights finally comes to fruition. And we figured, why not start at the top?

Since its introduction in 1992, the Nassau Overland has become a staple of the minivan market. 13 years later, it remains one of our top selling vehicles. But as time has progressed, consumer tastes have changed. Over the last few years, vans from our competitors have grown larger, as families demand more space and more practicality. In a market dominated by these larger minivans, even the Overland XL has been eclipsed. But now, not only have we caught up to the competition, we’ve surpassed them. Today, we are proud to present the first look at the 2006 Nassau Overland!

We start with the 2006 Nassau Overland S. The first thing you’ll notice is the size. We’re playing with the big boys now. Riding on a 122" wheelbase, which is a foot longer than the previous model, the Overland S is now comparable to the vans from our competitors.

We’ve borrowed some styling cues from our Provo XL SUV, making this the most attractive minivan on the market.

The Overland S features a standard cloth interior with seating for 5, 7 optional, and features a Nassau CD sound system. Built with comfort and ease of drivability in mind, the Overland S comes standard with a smooth 5 speed automatic transaxle.

The Overland S rides on 16" wheels that surround 4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes (front vented, rear solid disc).

Under the hood is an all new 3.4L version of our F series V6 engine.

The Nassau F34-6V engine produces 216hp and 207ft-lbs of torque.

For those expecting a more premium feel in their minivan, we have the 2006 Nassau Overland SL AWD. With our new van, we’ll now only be producing one size, so our all wheel drive model will be the same size as our standard front wheel drive model.

Upgrading to the Overland SL AWD gets your a premium leather interior and a Nassau Hi-Fi sound system with surround sound.

Like the standard model, all Overland SL AWD models come equipped with electronic stability control and traction control.

The Overland SL AWD is powered by the same 3.4L V6, but power is sent to all 4 wheels.

Upgrading also adds foglights and alloy wheels to an already attractive package.

But even then, we’re not quite done.

We’ve brought a classic Nassau nameplate out of retirement for the 2006 Nassau Express. The Express is the panel van version of the new Overland built specifically for the commercial market.

The Nassau Express is a front wheel drive version of the van which rides on durable 15" steel wheels.

With a cloth interior which seats 2, the Express features a large cargo area which can haul anything you can think of.

The 2006 Nassau Overland and Nassau Express will go on sale in January. Pricing will be released later this year.

[MAG]

August 14, 2005 - Nassau has released pricing for the new 2006 Overland.

[abg7]

The mid-Aughts boom has worked wonders for Nassau, but…

@MAG

pretty much everything we produce is running on an outdated chassis

How best to tackle that problem? I expect that a new platform be fast-tracked so that it will serve as the basis for a wave of new models later in the decade.

[MAG]

Our engineering department has been a busy place for quite a while now. The Overland is just the first of those projects to be completed. Expect a busy auto show season this year.

October 30, 2005 - We have sold the final 2005 Overland XL minivan. Let’s look back at the 2nd generation of our larger front wheel drive van.

With 10" inches of space in the rear, the 2nd generation Overland XL ditched the boxy, early 90’s-futuristic styling for a more rounded and eye catching body.

Powered by a 170hp 3.2L V6, the Overland XL was a middle of the pack performer in the class. The Overland XL was also the middle of the pack of vans offered by Nassau. More upscale than the base Overland S model and without the all wheel drive of the Overland XL AWD, the front wheel drive Overland XL was typically the 2nd best selling Nassau van.

The Overland XL’s best sales year came in its first, in 2000, when 116k were sold. Sales fell through 2003 as the competition’s vans began to grow larger. Thanks to a booming world economy, sales rose in the final 2 years of the model run to over 70k units. The Overland XL will be replaced by a 3rd generation model in 2006.

Overland XL Sales
2000: 116,477
2001: 75,055
2002: 65,559
2003: 62,604
2004: 74,161
2005: 72,406
Total: 466,262

We have also sold our final 2005 Overland XL AWD minivan. Let’s take a look back at the flagship model.

The 2nd generation of the Overland XL AWD was the flagship model of Nassau’s family cars. The premium, top of the line van was offered with leather interior, a surround sound CD system, and standard all wheel drive.

The best sales year for the Overland XL AWD was 2000, when 92k were sold. Sales fell to around half of that for most of the van’s run, with a brief uptick near the end.

Overland XL AWD Sales
2000: 92,742
2001: 45,795
2002: 39,121
2003: 41,707
2004: 64,802
2005: 58,988
Total: 343,155

November 18, 2005 - We have sold the final 2005 Nassau Overland S. This marks the end of the 2nd generation minivan.

The 2nd generation Overland S gave up some practicality and utility in favor of a stylish new body. When it was introduced in 2000, it turned heads and found itself at the top of the sales charts. As time went on, sales fell as competitors offerings grew larger. At the end of its run in 2005, the Overland S is the smallest minivan on the market. The 3rd generation, debuting next year is more on par the with the size of the competition.

While it didn’t sell as many units as the 1st generation (2.01m vs. 1.59m), the 2nd generation van was still a success for the company. The 2nd generation ran for 6 model years, compared to the 1st gen’s 8. The 1st gen averaged 252k sales per year, while the 2nd gen increased that number to 266k. The Overland S model was the top seller for both generations.

Overland S Sales
2000: 122,760
2001: 135,239
2002: 130,722
2003: 114,655
2004: 145,391
2005: 141,308
Total: 790,075

[MAG]

January 5, 2006 - 2005 has come to an end and the future is now for Nassau. In the early 2000s, we completely revamped our engineering department and began work on a new series of vehicles. Introduced in Detroit last year, the Overland is the first of those projects to hit the market. A new era begins for Nassau.

We saw increases to both prestige and reputation. Our Niko sports car definitely helped here, as well as increased sales of our now nearly perfected Accolade.

Revenues were up slightly from last year and we ended with $2.6B in profits.

Monthly sales were initially good. However, we underestimated demand for the last year of the Overland and under produced. Running out of the higher end models in October and the base models in November really hurt sales at the end of the year.

Luckily, we still have a booming economy to prop us up as we finally begin to clear out our outdated models. The increased quality of our new models should really help to increase future sales as well.

The final tally for 2005 is in and we sold a total of 883,300 cars. This is down 16k from last year. We don’t see this as bad at all, because had we been able to produce enough Overland vans to sell through the end of the year, we’d have likely hit over 900k units sold. The first of our new models has begun production and goes on sale this month.

601, 213 - Gasmea (-2%) - Top Seller: Overland S
228,112 - Fruinia (~%) - Top Seller: Nifty S
53,975 - Archana (-4%) - Top Seller: Tango R

Sales in Gasmea dropped slightly, as this is the biggest market for our minivan. Running out of inventory really hurt us at the end of the year. Sales in Fruinia were flat with last year and Archana fell slightly.

Sales of the Nifty S fell below 100k for the first time since the model name was brought back in 1998. The 1991 model, the last of the 1st generation, was the only other model to not break the 100k mark. We sold 94,796 in 2005.

The aging Tango lineup continues to hold on, but just barely. Total sales across the 3 model lines was 203,394.

The Tango S sedan sold 60,115 units.

The Tango R wagon continues to be our volume compact, with 132,590 sales.

The spotlight on the Tango XF is slowly fading. Our sporty compact coupe sold just 10,689 units.

Sales of our Hornet sport coupe rose for the 3rd year in a row. We sold 56,791 this year.

The base model saw sales rise to 18,658 units.

The Hornet XF, our understated performance option, sold 38,133 units this year.

The Accolade had another fantastic year and capped off a 4th consecutive year of sales gains. In fact, in 2005 the Accolade had its best sales since the 1997 model. This year we sold 123,153.

48,645 of those were Accolade Estate models. Our midsize wagon was a benefactor of not having enough minivans to sell.

The Accolade Sport saw sales fall very slightly to 42,126 units.

The Accolade Elite saw a small increase in sales, up to 32,382.

The Niko XR hasn’t been the hit we were anticipating. We sold just 8,381 this year. However, we’re making much more on each one of our new roadsters than we made on the Stria it replaced. That’s thanks to a much less complicated engine and more conventional materials used.

Things are going well for our truck division. We’re selling our NT150s as fast as we can build them. This year we sold our most trucks ever, with 124,083 leaving dealer lots.

Sales of our Nevada pickup rose to 35,228 units.

Our Nevada Sport SUV was the sales leader, finishing with 47,512.

Our Provo XL luxury SUV finished the year with 41,343 units sold.

The final 2nd generation Overland minivans sold 272,702 units in its final year.

The base Overland S was our top selling model this year, with 141,308 units sold.

The Overland XL contributed another 72,406 sales.

The Overland XL AWD sold 58,988 in its final year.

Sales Breakdown
141,308 - Overland S (-3%)
132,590 - Tango R (-7%)
94,796 - Nifty S (-7%)
72,406 - Overland XL (-2%)
60,115 - Tango S (-11%)
58,988 - Overland XL AWD (-9%)
48,645 - Accolade Estate (+35%)
47,512 - Nevada Sport (+9%)
42,126 - Accolade Sport (-3%)
41,343 - Provo XL (+18%)
38,133 - Hornet XF (+4%)
35,228 - Nevada (+5%)
32,382 - Accolade Elite (+1%)
18,658 - Hornet S (+4%)
10,689 - Tango XF (-23%)
8,381 - Niko XR (-13%)

[MAG]

February 20, 2006 - Welcome to the 2006 Fruinian Motor Show! Nassau is here for the first time since 2003 to introduce a new model. Last time it was a new sports car, but what is it this time?

Over the last few years, the Nassau Nifty has been our best selling car in Fruinia. Thanks to its low cost, small size, and dare we say - good looks; the citizens of Fruinia have turned to our smallest offering for the answer.

But time goes on, and it is now time to replace our subcompact car. During the engineering process, we took a hard look at people who actually bought the Nifty. Our research led us to some surprising discoveries.

Unsurprisingly, the Nifty was very popular in cities, especially the tight, old cities of Fruinia. Also, despite the fact the the Nifty was a 4 seater, most buyers were single or couples with no children and rarely used the back seat for anything other than additional storage space. All of this research went into our new model, which we are now excited to unveil.

Presenting the 2007 Nassau 900S!

The all-new Nassau 900S is the ideal car for city life. Just like its predecessor, the 900S is a front wheel drive, 2 door hatchback. Unlike its predecessor, the 900S is a 2 seater. Removing the rear seats allowed us to bring down the weight of the car and increase efficiency, with the added benefit of more storage space. Because most Nifty buyers rarely used the rear seat, we don’t feel that many people will miss it. Plus, we have other options in our lineup for those that need more seating capacity.

The 2007 Nassau 900S improves on the Nifty in every conceivable way. Increased visibility and electronic aids made it more driveable and safer. A larger storage area makes it more practical and increases vehicle utility. Plush cloth seats and a Nassau CD player make it more comfortable and easy to live with on a day to day basis.

Outside, the 900S features 16" wheels which wrap around 4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes. Our new system brings the 900S to a complete stop from 60mph nearly 2 feet shorter than the Nifty.

Under the hood is a showcase of Nassau engine technology.

The 900S is powered by a 900cc (0.9L) version of our E-series 4 cylinder engine, which made its debut in our Niko XR roadster. With less displacement than the 1.2L D-series found in the Nifty, the E09-4V puts out more power. The 78hp produced by the new engine is a 28% increase over the outgoing model. The new engine also helps the 900S achieve a rating of 40.0mpg, a 6% increase, and an emissions rating of 90.4, a 39% reduction.

The 900S “gets up and goes” much more quickly as well. Even though it utilizes a similar 5 speed automatic transaxle, the 900S gets to 60mph in 12.8 seconds and through the quarter mile in 18.9. If you need to take a trip outside your city, you don’t have to be frightened to drive on the highway, even in Gasmea. The 900S has a top speed of 104mph.

Pricing will be announced later this year, but you can reserve your car today. When it launches next January, the 2007 Nassau 900S will be a hot commodity!

[abg7]

The 900S is basically a Nifty by another name - not using the earlier nameplate for this latest city car seems like lunacy to me. But it definitely looks like a winner on looks and specs alone. As for the new Overland line, it’s just as likely to maintain the typical minivan virtues (loads of space and high levels of practicality for a modest outlay) of its predecessors.

EDIT: now I fully understand why the new name had to be adopted - the 900s has half as many seats as any Nifty.

[MAG]

There are a couple reasons behind the name change.

The Nifty nameplate has been around since the early 1980s and has always been used on a subcompact 4 seater. With the move to a 2 seat configuration, we felt it would be best to select a different name to avoid customer confusion.

We’ve also bumped up the quality of the new car. While past Nifty models have featured a more basic interior and bare-bones cassette players, the 900S has a higher quality cloth interior and CD sound system. We also wanted to highlight the new engine, which is an achievement in quality and efficiency for Nassau. Plus, Nassau 900 sounds pretty good too.