Nassau Motor Company - 2nd Gen 900 Revealed!

[MAG]

April 10, 2006 - The calendar has flipped to April and it is now time for the North Gasmean International Auto Show!

Today, we at Nassau continue our new model blitz. We started with our new subcompact car, the 900S, so the most logical place to look next is our compact car offerings.

The current, 4th generation Tango made its debut for the 1998 model year and has been a huge success for the company. We’ve sold over 2.2 million worldwide. But as competitors have introduced new small cars, the platform has begun to show its age.

Today we’re here to introduce our all new compact car. We’re here to introduce the 5th generation, 2007 Nassau Tango!

We’ll start with the base model Tango S hatchback, and this is where the first big change is noticeable. While the 3rd and 4th generation Tangos were primarily sedan-based, the 5th generation moves back to the all-hatchback style of the 1st and 2nd generation models. The hatchback body style adds increased practicality and utility to our small car.

Like the 900S, the Tango rides on an all new platform, which is a scaled up version of the chassis underneath our subcompact. However, to increase weight savings, we’ve made heavy use of aluminum. Both the roof panel and hood are made out of the lighter weight metal.

Four wheel anti-lock disc brakes are standard, with vented discs in the front and standard in the rear. 15" wheels are standard on the Tango S.

Inside, we’ve also made extensive use of lightweight materials. The cloth 4 seat interior features a Nassau CD player.

For those who’ve been upset by the loss of the 4 seat Nifty model, we consider the new Tango S its spiritual successor.

Powering the Tango S is a 1.8L version of our E-series 4 cylinder.

Producing 125hp and able to achieve an average of 30.9mpg, the E18-4V makes use of Nassau’s VVT system on both intake and exhaust cams. This also allows for reduced emissions as well. Power is delivered to the front wheels via a 5 speed automatic transaxle.

The volume model of the Tango line since 1992 has been the Tango R. From 1992-2006 in wagon form, the all-new 2007 model brings the hatch back as well.

The Tango R adds many upgrades to an already formidable platform.

The Tango R comes standard with foglights and 16" alloy wheels.

Inside, you’ll find a room for 4 and cloth seats with improved side bolstering and lumbar support. A Nassau Hi-Fi CD sound system is also available.

The big upgrade is under the hood.

The E20-4V 2.0L produces 148hp and will rev all the way to 7,000rpm. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via an all new 6 speed automatic transaxle.

This new engine and gearing allows the Tango R to accelerate to 60mph in 9.1 seconds and through the quarter mile in 16.8, all while returning 27.8mpg.

The 2007 Nassau Tango R will be the new benchmark of small cars.

Well, that just about does it for Nassau here in Detroit. Oh, except for this.

We’ve brought back the NP (Nassau Performance) badge! This isn’t just a marketing stunt, as the Tango NP is a truly deserving automobile.

Outside, the differences between this and the standard model are immediately evident. The Tango NP features a 3 door hatchback body style compared to the standard 5 door. The Tango NP also rides on larger 17" alloy wheels and comes standard with vented disc brakes front and rear.

Inside, the Nassau Hi-Fi CD sound system is similar to what’s available in the standard car. The interior has been upgraded and features leather seats and the finest materials.

Like NP models of the past, the big difference is under the hood. For the 2007 Tango NP that’s no different.

The Tango NP features the E22-4P. This is a turbocharged 2.2L version of our new 4 cylinder engine which produces 233hp. This is equal to the power made by the V6 in our Accolade Sport model.

All of this power allows the Tango NP to rip to 60mph in just 6.7 seconds. You’ll blow through the quarter mile in just 15 and continue accelerating all the way up to 152mph.

How is this possible out of a 2.2L 4 cylinder? Well, the engine’s not doing this all by itself. The E22-4P is connected to a 6 speed manual transaxle with a geared LSD. That transaxle and differential distribute power to all 4 wheels, a first for the Tango lineup. Up to 35% of the power can be shifted to the rear wheels to help increase acceleration, should the front wheels lose traction.

All in all, the 2007 Tango NP is a showcase of what’s possible at the Nassau Motor Company. You’ll be able to find our new hot hatchback on dealer lots in January, and possibly on racetracks soon after.

That’s all from Detroit. Thank you for stopping by the Nassau display!

[t00thPIK]

Please imagine my like on this latest post is applied all 200+ posts. I didn’t read them all thoroughly as I’ve only just got back to the game and the forums. It would take hours to read all the info here in detail, but from my detailed and selective skimming, I can see that the information contained within is invaluable. I think there’s so much that can be learned from your experience with the campaign. IMO, this thread should be stickied.

Thank you, MAG, for putting in such great effort to bring us the story of Nassau. I look forward to keeping up to date with the latest posts from now on. Cheers!

[MAG]

Thank you for reading!

April 24, 2006 - For the first time, we come to you from the floor of the Chicago Auto Show. Nassau has always had a presence at the Chicago Auto Show, but we’ve never debuted a model here until now. The Chicago Show is typically where manufacturers show off their trucks, so we figured this was the perfect place.

We at Nassau are happy to present three new models today, with the debut of our NT200 truck chassis.

We’ll start with the truck itself, our 2007 Nassau Nevada pickup!

The Nassau Nevada is all new for 2007! While the last update to our trucks for the 2001 model year was more of a refresh and revision, the NT200 chassis under these new trucks is all new. Utilizing the same materials as the previous pickup, with an AHS steel chassis and corrosion resistant panels; the NT200 has been slightly resized. Adding 3" of wheelbase and nearly a foot to the total length, this is our most practical pickup ever.

The 2007 Nevada comes standard with 16" steel wheels wrapped around 4 wheel anti-lock disc brakes. Offroad tires and a skidtray come standard for those who want to take their Nevada everywhere.

Inside, a comfortable cloth interior comes standard, along with a Nassau CD player.

Just as with the last update of our model, the engine was the headline. Under the hood is our new C51-8A V8 engine.

The C51-8A is a new version of our C-series V8, which features an aluminum-silicone block and head. This replaces the iron block version used in our current trucks. The use of aluminum means this new engine weighs 90 lbs. less than the current model. With slightly revised tuning, the new engine makes more power, gets comparable mileage, and produces much fewer emissions. All NT200 trucks come standard with the new 5.1L V8.

Since its debut for the 2001 model year, the Nevada Sport has been our best selling truck. There are now over 200k on roads across the world. So naturally, with the new chassis comes an all new 2007 Nassau Nevada Sport!

Featuring a handsome styling update, the 2007 Nevada Sport continues to be the most versatile vehicle we make. The rear doors of the quad cab open toward the rear, allowing ease of entry for passengers or cargo. The small, but spacious pickup bed allows for the easy transport of almost anything.

Mechanically the same as the standard Nevada pickup, the Nevada Sport also offers a cloth interior and CD player as standard. And just like the truck, a 5 speed manual transmission is available.

But let’s say you want the distinguished look of a classy SUV. Well, Nassau has you covered there as well, as we’ve made a huge update to our Provo XL. Presenting the 2007 Nassau Provo!

The all new 2007 model drops the XL badge, but adds a ton of new tech.

The Provo for 2007 is more comfortable and practical than the outgoing model and offers increased efficiency.

While still a capable offroad 4x4, the Provo has been upgraded to be more comfortable and efficient on road as well. The 2007 Provo drops the chunky offroad tires in favor of more comfortable, and quiet long life compound tires. It also swaps the offroad skid try for aerodynamic body cladding for the highway.

Inside is where the Provo really shines. Passengers are treated to a premium leather interior with seating for 5. A new 6 speed automatic shifts your gears and the manual locker setup of the Nevada is replaced by a viscous LSD unit.

For the first time ever, satellite navigation will be available in a Nassau vehicle, as the 2007 Provo utilizes a premium GPS system. Music, and directions, will get to your ears through a 9 speaker Nassau surround sound system. The Provo also features semi-active sway bars for increased ride stability and comfort.

Our three new NT200 trucks will be available starting in January. Pricing will be announced later in the year.

[MAG]

September 28, 2006 - Nassau has announced pricing for our 7 new models for 2007.

[MAG]

September 30, 2006

As of June 30, 2006, we’ve sold the final 2nd generation (NT150) Nassau Nevada Sport. Let’s take look back at our pickup/SUV.

The Nassau Nevada Sport was introduced in 2001, alongside the revised pickup (Nevada), and SUV (Provo XL). The Nevada Sport was meant to cover the mid-range, people who need the utility of a pickup, but wanted the comfort of an SUV. Powered by a standard C51-8I V8 engine producing 267hp and more than capable both on and off-road, the Nevada Sport proved to be so popular that production simply couldn’t keep up. Sales grew nearly every year the vehicle was available, peaking in 2005.

Nevada Sport Sales
2001: 38,776
2002: 43,570
2003: 44,751
2004: 43,190
2005: 47,512
2006: 22,925
Total: 240,724

We’ve also sold the final 2006 Nassau Provo XL. Let’s take a look back at our premium SUV.

The heavily revised Provo XL debuted in 2001 with a new V8 engine replacing an outgoing V6, and new styling to distinguish it from our pickup models.

During its 6 model year run, the 2nd generation Provo XL never met the sales numbers of the 1st generation. This was partially due to the new Nevada Sport and partially due to production issues. Our factory couldn’t handle producing 3 vehicle lines compared to the previous 2. Production and sales ended early in 2006 so that factory upgrades could occur. The Provo XL will be replaced by the 3rd generation Provo for 2007.

Provo XL Sales
2001: 33,637
2002: 36,209
2003: 35,643
2004: 34,948
2005: 41,343
2006: 18,941
Total: 200,721

As of July 22, 2006 we’ve sold the final 2006 Nassau Nevada. Let’s look back at our 2nd generation pickup.

The Nassau Nevada took over for the Nassau Redwood in 2001. The availability of a brand new V8 in place of the old V6 made the new pickup a hit. Easily outselling the NT100 model, the NT150 had its best year in its first. Sales remained steady throughout the life of the Nevada and dipped in 2006 when production stopped.

Nevada Sales
2001: 37,033
2002: 34,745
2003: 35,372
2004: 33,426
2005: 35,228
2006: 19,214
Total: 195,018

[MAG]

November 22, 2006 - As of today, the final 2006 Nassau Tango XF coupe has been sold. Let’s take a look back at our stylish compact coupe.

The Tango XF coupe debuted in 1992 along with the 3rd generation car. This was the first 2 door version of our compact since the Tango Turismo ended production in 1983. Along with the rest of the Tango lineup, the styling, engines, and chassis of the Tango XF was revised and a new 4th generation car debuted in 1998.

The new coupe was met with mixed reviews. While the new styling of the car was met with universal praise, other areas were not. Compared with the competition, it was down on power. And compared with the previous model, it was up in weight. Added to new suspension tuning designed to make the car more comfortable, the new car was slower than the old car.

Even with the mixed reviews, the '98-'06 Tango XF sold remarkably well. While it never hit the peaks of the previous model, it had longer sustained success.

The Tango XF is being replaced by a more performance oriented 3 door hatchback for 2007 with the Tango NP.

Tango XF Sales
1998: 27,590
1999: 28,513
2000: 25,783
2001: 26,807
2002: 24,277
2003: 16,984
2004: 13,882
2005: 10,689
2006: 8,864
Total: 183,389

November 30, 2006 - Nassau has sold the final 2006 Nifty S. Let’s look back at our 2nd generation subcompact car.

The tiny, four seater Nifty S debuted in 1998, after a 7 year hiatus. Sharing the same blueprint as the 1983-1991 model, the 2nd generation Nifty S was marketed as a big family car for small city streets.

Meant to complement the 4th generation Tango in Nassau’s small car lineup, the Nifty S ended up competing against it instead. There ended up being too much overlap in the customer base for both cars, which in the end, hurt sales for both models.

For 2007 the Nifty S is being replaced by the 900S, a more city-focused subcompact car that only seats 2.

Nifty S Sales
1998: 113,990
1999: 108,986
2000: 108,076
2001: 103,403
2002: 103,414
2003: 102,307
2004: 102,067
2005: 94,796
2006: 85,283
Total: 922,322

December 20, 2006 - We have sold the final 4th generation Tango S sedan. Let’s take a look back at our entry level sedan.

The redesigned, base model Tango S arrived in 1998 as the only sedan left in the lineup. With the Tango SE sedan discontinued after 1997, the Tango S was more focused toward the bottom of the lineup, while Tango SE features were rolled in with the Tango R wagon.

The Tango S sold well for the first several years of the model run, but as competition began to increase in the early 2000s, sales began to fall.

The sedan version of the Tango goes away in 2007, as the gen-5 model is hatchback only.

Tango S Sales
1998: 95,750
1999: 102,173
2000: 94,624
2001: 95,909
2002: 90,262
2003: 75,677
2004: 67,601
2005: 60,115
2006: 54,845
Total: 736,956

December 28, 2006 - We have sold the final 2006 Nassau Tango R wagon. This officially ends sales for the 4th generation Nassau compact. Let’s take a look back.

When the 3rd generation Tango debuted in 1992, it marked the move from a hatchback based chassis to a sedan base. This meant that the Tango R became a wagon. Styling was revised in 1998 when the 4th generation debuted.

Sales were initially on par with the previous model in the late 90s and early 2000s, but as the competition got better sales declined.

The 2.2L engine and the Hornet derived styling were hits with consumers, but many were turned off because it wasn’t a true hatchback.

The Tango R is being replaced in 2007 by a hatchback based model.

Tango R Sales
1998: 227,730
1999: 228,594
2000: 162,766
2001: 177,701
2002: 169,842
2003: 148,761
2004: 143,133
2005: 132,590
2006: 94,695
Total: 1,485,812

Thus ends the 4th generation Tango. Across the 3 model lines, a total of 2,406,157 were sold. Here’s how sales have come in for the Tango.

78-87 (Gen I) - 3,714,796
88-91 (Gen II) - 1,389,897
92-97 (Gen III) - 2,770,866
98-06 (Gen IV) - 2,406,157

The best selling model in the history of the Tango so far was the 1978-1987 Tango 5R. The base model of the 1st generation sold 2,175,673 units.

The best selling single year model was 1994. That year’s Tango S, Tango SE, Tango R, and Tango XF combined to sell 508,118 cars.

The best selling Tango ever was the 1989 Tango S. The top level 5 door hatch sold 270,059 units that year.

Before we go, we also have to take a look at the December 2006 issue of EngineFad magazine.

The cover story features the new Blake T3000. Blake’s minivan sales have tanked over the last few years, despite growth in the market segment. Blake is hoping that by moving to a more car/crossover based platform, and styling it to look like the B1050, which revolutionized the small car segment, they’ll have another hit. The T3000 debuts for 2007.

There’s a big spy shot section this month. There were some pictures of an un-camouflaged Lutz Stallion. The new model is expected to debut in Detroit at the 2007 North Gasmean International Auto Show. Lutz appears to be going back to the original 60s model for styling cues.
There were also some shots published of a powertrain mule caught at our test site in Versailles. The body was clearly the current Hornet, but with bits of camo. The photographer noted that he couldn’t hear the car because it was a particularly windy day, but he did notice that the rear wheels were a lot beefier than the current model. This has led EngineFad to speculate that the next generation Hornet may be moving to an AWD layout, similar to the current Accolade, on which the car is based. The new Tango NP was also mentioned, as it is AWD, so an AWD Hornet would make sense.

There was also a minivan comparison test. The Nassau Overland, which is all new for 2006 took first place over competitors from Albright, Atlas, Lutz, Whitaker, Raleigh, and Blake.

More trouble for Raleigh, as they will be discontinuing their R2 subcompact after the 2007 model year. This leaves only the R4 compact and R6 midsize sedan in their lineup.

[MAG]

January 2, 2007 - 2006 is in the books and we now move to a second wave of new vehicle introductions. This year we replace our subcompact, compact, and truck model lines. We’re expecting big things out of all of our new models.

But before these cars hit the market, we need to look back at the year that was 2006.

2006 was big for the reputation of the Nassau Motor Company. The release of the new Overland was huge for the company. Our new engineering processes ensure that we will be producing the best vehicles we can, but it’s up to the public to respond. We saw our reputation rise over 4 points and there was a slight bump to our prestige.

However, this was not our best year in terms of profits. Though we took in over $17 billion in revenue, a record for the company, the costs of re-tooling 3 factories hit hard. Our profits shrunk to a mere $98 million.

2006 mirrored 2005 in many ways in terms of sales figures. Last year, production shortfalls resulted in us not having any Overland vans to sell at the end of the year. This year, we overproduced at the Nifty and Tango plants to ensure that we’d have stock. The results of that went pretty well. We had stock of some of those models into the month of December before running out. The same couldn’t be said for our NT150 trucks. We’ve always sold those as fast as we could build them, so when the factory closed down in July, stock ran out quickly. We’ve expanded our factory for these models in hopes that we don’t run into the same issue with our new products.

The bubble that has been our economy since the beginning of the 2000s showed its first signs of bursting this year. We’re hoping that having new product will offset any declines in consumer spending power.

Even though we lost key product in the middle of the year, 2006 turned out to be great for Nassau in terms of sales. We sold a total of 958,287 cars. This was up 75k over last year and made 2006 our best year since 1999. This gives us big hopes for 2007, as now all of our products with the exception of the Accolade and Hornet lines will be less than 3 years old.

624,503 - Gasmea (+4%) - Top Seller: Overland S
273,728 - Fruinia (+20%) - Top Seller: Overland S
60,056 - Archana (+11%) - Top Seller: Tango R

We saw sales increases across the board thanks to the new Overland. Our minivan took over the top sales spot in Fruinia from our subcompact Nifty, which helped increase sales by 20% in the country.

The final year of the Nifty S ended a little early, with the last of the inventory sold in November. Final year sales totaled 85,283 units.

It was also the final year for the 4th generation Tango lineup. Total sales were down as inventories dried up at the end of the year. Across the board, we sold 158,404 cars.

The Tango S sedan saw only a slight drop, moving 54,845 cars.

The Tango R wagon saw sales dip below 100k for the first time, as inventory dried up. We sold 94,695.

Tango XF coupe sales remained in line with what we expected. Our compact coupe has fallen out of favor in the last few years. This year’s version sold 8,864 units.

After 3 years of sales increases, the Hornet sport compact finally saw a sales decline. It was slight, as 48,963 were sold in total. We’re currently developing a replacement for this model, which has been on sale since the 2000 model year.

The base model Hornet S only saw a small sales drop, selling 18,471 units.

Our premium Hornet XF saw a bigger decline, as sales fell to 30,492 units.

After a run of sales increases from 2002 through 2005, the Accolade came back down to earth a little bit this year. Sales of this model seem to be the most closely tied to the economy of all of our cars. With a dip in the economy came a dip in sales. We sold 104,639 this year.

The Accolade Estate, which took over as the volume leader last year lost that title this year. Sales were down to 37,119.

The Accolade Sport actually saw a sales increase. It seems people are still interested in our premium sports sedan. We sold 44,400.

The Accolade Elite was hit the hardest by the economy. The luxury version of our premium sedan sold just 23,120 units.

Our Niko XR sports car has been a bit of a disappointment. Sales dipped again this year to 8,031 units.

Our truck division had a pretty rough sales year, caused mostly by a lack of inventory when the factory shut down for re-tooling and expansion. Sales ended in the middle of the year, with a total of 61,080 NT150s sold.

The Nevada pickup sold 19,214 units.

The Nevada Sport fared a little better, coming in with 22,925 sales.

Finally, our Provo XL luxury SUV sold 18,941 units.

The 3rd generation of our Overland minivan lineup debuted this year. The new, bigger chassis was a hit among consumers and our van had its best sales year ever. The final tally was 491,887 sold, beating the previous record of 363,409 set in 1997.

The Overland S was the sales leader, pulling in 210,789 sales.

The Overland SL AWD, a merger of the Overland XL and Overland XL AWD of the previous generation had a great year, registering 138,357 sales. This was higher than both vehicles combined in 2005.

We’re officially back into the commercial vehicle market. Our Express delivery van sold 142,741 units.

Sales Breakdown
210,789 - Overland S (+49%)
142,741 - Express (NEW)
138,357 - Overland SL AWD (NEW)
94,695 - Tango R (-29%)
85,283 - Nifty S (-10%)
54,845 - Tango S (-9%)
44,400 - Accolade Sport (+5%)
37,119 - Accolade Estate (-24%)
30,492 - Hornet XF (-20%)
23,120 - Accolade Elite (-29%)
22,925 - Nevada Sport (-52%)
19,214 - Nevada (-45%)
18,941 - Provo XL (-54%)
18,471 - Hornet S (-1%)
8,864 - Tango XF (-17%)
8,031 - Niko XR (-4%)

[MAG]

April 30, 2007 - We’re now a third of the way through 2007. The beginning of this year saw us launch 7 new models on three new lines of vehicles.

So far, returns have been strong. The reviews on our new pickups have been great and the sales of our new 900 S have been so good that we’ve had to add an additional shift to our Hamburg factory.

But the reason for an update today is that EngineFad has released their 2007 Car of the Year issue.

Yes, for the 2nd time in its history, the Nassau Tango has been named the EngineFad Car of the Year!

The Tango beat out various other new models, such as the 2007 Viking P60 and the 2007 Champlain Corsica, which it shares the cover with. The story on the Tango also details the new engineering and design processes we used on the car. The Tango, and to a smaller extent, last year’s Overland, utilized a much more global and collaborative effort from all of our design teams. The fire at Nassau has been re-ignited.

Other stories this month include the possibility of Lutz taking over Irish automaker McNamara. McNamara’s two most successful cars, its compact Swift and it’s Thunder SUV continue to sell well. However, the company discontinued the mid-size Sparrow, which was redesigned just 2 years ago, leaving only 2 model lines in showrooms. Like Nassau, McNamara saw its fortunes turn south in the late 1990s but they haven’t been able to turn things around.

With a new Lutz Stallion debuting, there are now talks of a Whitaker Panther revival. Could the Gasmean pony car market be coming back?

ZAC, the German luxury automaker is having to answer tough questions about a series of steering column failures on its E Series of sedans. They’ve currently recalled all 2003 - 2007 models after pressure from the news media and safety agencies.

Dakota, the “performance” brand of the Whitaker auto conglomerate looks to be on the chopping block. The downturn in the economy has hit Whitaker hard and they’ve now gone to the Gasmean government, requesting loans to keep themselves afloat. It looks like one of the conditions of these loans will be consolidation. Dakota’s product line consists mostly of rebadged Whitaker vehicles with more performance oriented suspension tuning and appearances. Whitaker’s economy brand, Neptune, may also be shuttered.

[MAG]

October 25, 2007 - The end of 2007 is approaching. At Nassau, we’ll be sad to see the year go. As of today we have already hit a yearly sales record for the company, topping the 1.1 million vehicles we sold in 1996. All of our new models have been hits, but not quite in the way we expected - as the newest issue of EngineFad shows.

As of the end of October, sales of our new 900 S have nearly hit 400k units, making it our best selling car for a single model year of all time. Our previous best was the 1989 Tango S, which sold 270k units.

The article on the car begins with a look at Nassau’s history in the subcompact market, starting with the introduction of the first generation Nifty in 1983. However, if you really want to get into semantics, the first car we ever built, the 1950-1963 Metropolitan is technically a subcompact.

The developmental process of the new 900 S is discussed. The biggest takeaway would be the shift in tone for the new model. From 1983-2006, the Nifty was marketed in a “cheap and cheerful” style. Bold colors, funky looks, low cost, and practicality were the big talking points. We’ve taken a new approach with the 900 S. We’ve improved the quality of the materials inside and refined the looks and color choices on the outside. We also decided to focus on the city commuter crowd rather than the small family market, leaving that segment to the compact Tango. This meant moving from a 4 seat configuration to a 2 seater, which made the car appear more exclusive and “exotic”, and allowed for a large cargo area in the rear. This also allowed for a price increase, which further bumped us into the small-premium category.

We also decided to ditch the Nifty name. The name itself was part of the “cheap and cheerful” approach. According to our research, moving to an alpha-numeric name would make the model appear to be more premium, which would make it more desirable.

And the results speak for themselves. Prior to 2007, the best sales year for the Nifty was in 1984, when 147,835 were sold between the S and Deluxe models. The second generation model only managed a best of 113,990 during its reintroduction in 1998. As of the end of October, we’ve already sold nearly 350k of the new model.

Sales have come from all over. Cities in Gasmea and Fruinia are filling up with _900_s. Even in Archana, where we’re really pushing the value of the Tango S, we’ve seen big sales gains. Also for the first time, we’re seeing fleet owners come to Nassau. City parking authorities and rental agencies are chomping at the bit for this car.

That’s the gist of the main article, so let’s move on to some of the other content in this month’s magazine.

We were mentioned again twice in the news and rumors section. The first story is that the next generation Hornet sports car will debut at the North Gasmean International Auto Show in Detroit in 2008. We will not confirm or deny this. There have been several stories in recent months about the development of the replacement for the current Hornet. Speculation has abounded. The big rumor is the move to an AWD layout, which would make sense, as the new Tango NP pushes power to all 4 wheels. We’ll just have to wait a few months to find out.

It didn’t make the cover, but another rumor going around is that Nassau will be returning to the Fruinian Touring Car Championship in 2008. This we can confirm. We last competed in 1999 with the Tango XF coupe, but our last victory was in 1996. Our last championship came in 1992, the end of a run of 4 consecutive titles for the Nassau Laguna NP. We’re still working to finalize everything, but we will be fielding the new Tango NP hatchback and will have at least 2 teams in the field.

In other news, Italian automaker Volante will soon be replacing the Vera. Introduced in 2000, the V12 Vera hit a top speed of 242 miles per hour, making it the world’s fastest production car. It held this title until 2006. The replacement model is expected to debut at the Fruinian Motor Show.

With Whitaker deep into development on the next generation Blackhawk sports car, the annual mid-engined rumors have begun to surface.

Finally, Gasmean automakers Whitaker and Albright have hit capitol hill to plead for government loans to keep their respective companies running. The downturn in the economy that began last year seems to be worsening and the Gasmean companies have been hit especially hard by rising gas prices and aging product. Lutz, the second biggest Gasmean automaker has refused to accept any assistance. However, Lutz has a larger sales footprint overseas and builds small cars that sell in large numbers in Fruinia. Albright has almost no footprint outside of Gasmea and Whitaker’s attempts at foreign sales have not been tremendously successful.

That’s about all for today. We’ll be back soon at the beginning of 2008 to recap 2007.

[abg7]

It was an unexpected victory, but the latest 900 S definitely earned its award. And you certainly referenced the bailouts which GM and Chrysler (on which Whitaker and Albright, respectively, are based) needed to survive the GFC - I can applaud you for that. Even better, I’ve been waiting for you to return to the FTCC with the Tango NP - the fact that two teams will be fielding it only convinces me even more.

On another note, it’s quite obvious the Whitaker Blackhawk seems to be based on the Corvette, just as the Atlas Ace is the counterpart of the Viper.

[MAG]

January 4, 2008 - 2007 would be a pivotal year for Nassau regardless of the sales outcome. We replaced our most recognizable model. We took another stab at the subcompact market. We looked to build upon the sales gains our 1.5 gen trucks made with a new model and a bigger factory producing them.

So with all of that going on, let’s take a look back at 2007.

The rise in our reputation we saw last year continued, as we improved another three points. We’ve made massive gains in the build quality, fit and finish, and reliability of our new engines and chassis. We also saw another slight bump in prestige.

The big news is that revenue shot up 41% this year to over $24 billion. Costs were high as factory retooling continues and material costs rise. Still, we ended up with a profit of $1.4 billion.

As you can see, our sales jumped right away as the public demand for our new models was huge. The sales hit we took at the end of last year was more than made up for almost immediately. Our new 900 S became an instant success, selling huge across all three major markets.

This big sales gains came as the world slides farther into a recession. Our forecasters feel that we may have hit a peak in the mid 2000s and this could be the beginning of a long down period. This could become an issue as we’re scheduled to debut the replacement for the Hornet in Detroit, which will be coming to the market in 2009. What demand will there be for a sports car if the economy has tanked?

Now let’s get to sales numbers. 2007 saw our wave of new vehicles continue. 70% of our current lineup now consists of models introduced in 2005 or later. That will stay the same for 2008, but increase in 2009.

At the end of the year, 1,436,180 new Nassau vehicles left dealership lots. This was our best sales year in company history, beating 1996 by 320,000 cars. We nearly sold one million units in Gasmea alone.

912,403 - Gasmea (+46%) - Top Seller: 900 S
404,583 - Fruinia (+48%) - Top Seller: 900 S
119,194 - Archana (+98%) - Top Seller: Tango S

Sales up by nearly half in Gasmea and Fruinia thanks to the new 900 S. Archanan sales nearly doubled. While they were also fond of the 900 S, Archanans value practicality and a good deal, so the larger Tango continued to be the top seller there.

Sales of the all new 900 S obliterated our expectations. With the move from 4 to 2 seats, we were expecting sales of around 100-125k. We were proven wrong as our new subcompact become something of a statement car or a fad. At the end of the year, sales tallied 414,474.

Standing next to those numbers, anything else could be considered a failure. However, the new Tango might have actually been more impressive. With more model lines than the 900, the Tango had more choice for consumers. It turns out that consumers liked all of our choices, as sales across all three models came in at 419,927.

The base model Tango S was the sales leader. It was our top selling car in Archana and across the world sold 173,642 units.

The higher level Tango R was the model to get in Gasmea and Fruinia, where consumers demand a bit more comfort in their cars. The new top level Tango sold 162,882 units.

The new performance focused Tango NP took over for the outgoing Tango XF coupe. While the new Tango NP is a turbocharged, all wheel drive, 3 door hatchback, the outgoing Tango XF was more of a sporty appearance package applied to a 2 door version of the sedan. While it did have a manual transmission and a larger engine, it did not offer big performance in the sport compact market. The new Tango NP does, and buyers are eating it up. We sold 83,403, shoving Nassau’s name back into the performance compact market.

Though sales were down this year and it’s widely known that a replacement is on the way, the Hornet is weathering the storm quite nicely. When you factor in that the Hornet is a 2 door, front wheel drive V6 sport compact in a down market; sales held somewhat steady. Across both model lines we sold 35,809.

13,608 of those sales were the base model Hornet S.

The sportier Hornet XF sold 22,201 cars.

The continuing rise in popularity seen by the Accolade sedans over the past few years has officially come to an end. This seems to be our lineup most tied to the economy. The Accolade does have a lot going against it right now. It’s on the smaller end of the midsize range. We’ve now introduced a new compact which is nearly the same size. We’ve released a sporty version of that compact, which competes nearly directly with the aging Accolade Sport. Our new Overland models are much more practical than the Accolade Estate, which is also aimed at the premium family market. The Accolade Elite is competing against a terrible economy and our new luxury SUV. But for now, with 45,680 sales across the 3 lines, the Accolade hangs on.

The Accolade Estate wagon sold just 10,182 units this year.

With the introduction of the Tango NP, the Accolade Sport has become a bit of a harder sell. While the sedan still tops our new hatchback on the track, the hatch is $5k cheaper. The Accolade Sport was our top selling model in the lineup, netting 23,006.

Sales of the Accolade Elite have plummeted as well. We sold 12,492.

The Niko XR roadster, which ushered in the current era of new Nassau models has not been the success that we anticipated. We sold just 5,274 in 2007.

2007 was the debut of our all new NT200 trucks. More than just a refresh, like the NT150s introduced in 2001, these models are all new inside and out. We also expanded our Westmoreland truck factory, so that we could finally produce what the public demanded. Just as with our other new models, it was a success. Our three NT200s combined to sell 173,030 trucks.

The workhorse of the bunch, the Nevada pickup was also the sales leader. We sold 76,631 of our midsize truck.

The Nevada Sport SUV wasn’t quite as popular as we expected. However, it still managed to sell 35,137 units.

The big winner was our Provo luxury SUV. It seems as though the new luxury truck has taken over as our flagship vehicle, in place of the Accolade Elite. We sold 61,262 this year.

The sophomore season for our new minivans was not as successful as its first. We still had a really great showing, as we sold a total of 341,986 vans.

Sales were led by our base model Overland S. Our front wheel drive model sold 159,788 units.

The premium all wheel drive Overland SL AWD saw a sales drop as well, down to 92,861.

Our commercial van, the Express sold 89,337 units this year.

Sales Breakdown
414,474 - 900 S (NEW)
173,642 - Tango S (NEW)
162,882 - Tango R (NEW)
159,788 - Overland S (-24%)
92,861 - Overland SL AWD (-33%)
89,337 - Express (-37%)
84,403 - Tango NP (NEW)
76,631 - Nevada (NEW)
61,262 - Provo (NEW)
35,137 - Nevada Sport (NEW)
23,006 - Accolade Sport (-48%)
22,201 - Hornet XF (-27%)
13,608 - Hornet S (-26%)
12,492 - Accolade Elite (-46%)
10,182 - Accolade Estate (-73%)
5,274 - Niko XR (-34%)

That does it for 2007. The next time we see you will be from the floor of the North Gasmean International Auto Show.

[MAG]

April 21, 2008 - Welcome to the Nassau display at the 2008 North Gasmean International Auto Show!

We’re here today for a big announcement. Rumors have been circulating for months regarding the next generation Nassau Hornet. More powerful, more refined, faster, all-wheel drive, and more technology are just some of the terms that have been tossed around.

Unfortunately for those awaiting the unveiling of our new car, we have some bad news. There will be no third generation Hornet. In fact, 2008 will be the car’s final model year. Production will end in August and the car will be sold throughout the remainder of the year.

Fortunately, if you were looking for all of those terms mentioned earlier, we do have good news. We already build the car you want. The Tango NP checks off every single box that a third generation of our Hornet would.

You may be wondering why we called a conference to announce the end of one of our models. That’s not exactly why we’re here. We’re here to show the exciting future of the Nassau Motor Company, and we didn’t come empty handed.

Presenting, the all new, 2009 Nassau Raider S!

When examining the sports car landscape, we felt it was the perfect time to swing big. With Nassau, there’s no bigger swing than bringing back the legendary Raider nameplate. The original Raider introduced Nassau to the Gasmean market in 1970 and now nearly 40 years later, this new model reintroduces Nassau to the pony car market.

Meant to compete with the Lutz Stallion and the also newly reintroduced Whitaker Panther, the 2009 Nassau Raider S does just that. It all starts under the hood.

Powering the Raider S is our venerable 5.1L V8. The C51-8I produces 270hp and 312 ft-lbs of torque. This elephant of a motor powers the Raider S, through a six speed manual transmission, to 60mph in just 5.7 seconds and through the quarter mile in 14.1. Wind all six gears all the way out and you’ll be topping out at more than 170mph. Compared to the competition, Nassau comes out on top.

Outside, the Raider S is bold. The sleek, aerodynamic front prominently features the famous Nassau split-intake grille. This is a throwback to the 1970 model, which was the first Nassau model this style grille was used on. Foglights are standard. The rear features split tail lights and a center panel which houses the reverse lights and a Nassau logo, which doubles as the hatchback release handle.

The Raider S is equipped with 4 wheel disc brakes (vented front/solid rear) which are surrounded by 17" alloy wheels. New technology is on display as traction control is standard, though it can be deactivated.

Inside, the Raider S seats 4 in a sporty cloth interior which features a Nassau CD player.

Now you may be thinking, “That’s all well and good. This beats the standard models of the Stallion and Panther, but those cars offer more performance oriented trims as well.” We didn’t forget about that, which is why we handed the new Raider to the team at Nassau Performance. Here’s what they came up with.

Just like the standard model, the 2009 Nassau Raider NP features an AHS steel chassis and makes heavy use of aluminum for some of its body panels. That’s where the similarities end, as Nassau Performance has really done wonders with this car.

The exterior features an aerodynamics package with front and rear spoilers, which improves handling at the cost of a little top speed (166mph). The front brakes have been beefed up and the 17" alloys have been replaced with 18"s. You may also notice the vents in the hood.

Those vents are to increase cooling for this.

The Nassau C55-8P V8 engine. This 5.5L V8 cranks out 300hp and 342 ft-lbs of torque. That’s enough to bring the 0-60 time closer to 5 seconds (5.3) and the quarter mile into the 13s (13.7 seconds). That power is delivered to the rear wheels via a six speed manual transmission and a viscous limited slip differential. This puts the Raider NP right on par with the top of the line models from the competition.

Inside, drivers are welcomed by a premium and sporty leather interior which seats four and features a Nassau Hi-Fi CD sound system.

The 2009 Nassau Raider can be yours starting in January. Pricing will be announced later this year.

[MAG]

A History of the Nassau Raider

The story of the Nassau Raider begins in 1960. It was a very different time, for both the world, and for the Nassau Motor Company. The world was in the midst of an economic depression. Nassau was on the brink of failure.

The president and founder of the company, Donald Gaul, had just retired. His son Robert, a former engineer had ascended to the top of the company. Robert inherited a company in dire straits. Sales were in a freefall and Nassau was losing money.

Take a look at the company’s vehicle lineup of the time and you could see why. Nassau offered five models for sale in 1960. The most successful was the Express commercial van, which Robert had actually been the head developer of. The company’s main vehicle, the Metropolitan, was offered in both coupe and sedan versions. Initially a sales success, the Metropolitan’s numbers were tumbling. The reason for this was that a 1960 Metropolitan was nearly identical to the car that was introduced in 1949. There had been various updates and minor tweaks, but the car was largely the same and after 11 years on the market, the competition had surpassed us.

1950 - 1963 Nassau Metropolitan

Nassau’s other vehicle, the Pacific, was a failing roadster. Selling in numbers smaller than the car it replaced, the Pacific would last just 5 years on the market.

1960 was also the first year that Fruinian cars could be sold in Archana. Relations with Gasmea were starting to heat up and it would only be a matter of time before a trade agreement would be in place.

With a big challenge in front of him, Robert rose to the occasion. He spearheaded development of the company’s first “modern” cars. The B-body triplets (Arabia, Bahama, and Regent) hit the market in 1964 and were a success. He also replaced the Pacific with the Grand Pacific, which turned the car from a small roadster to a larger grand tourer. Powering this new car was Nassau’s first V8 engine.

The Nassau A50-8M V8 Engine

Following the success of the company’s new cars, Robert set his sights on Gasmea. Gasmea was a completely different market than Fruinia. Gasmeans wanted larger cars with larger engines. The same year as our B-bodies were released, a phenomenon began across the ocean. 1964 was the year that Lutz released the Stallion, creating the “pony” car market. Whitaker, Gasmea’s other large automaker responded a year later with their own Panther. Robert now knew exactly what he needed.

The first thought was to simply market the Bahama coupe as a pony car. While it worked for the Fruinian market, the car was not suited for Gasmea. Relatively small and powered by a 141hp inline 6, the coupe would’ve fallen flat in the marketplace. A new car was needed.

1965 - 1969 Nassau Bahama NP

The development team of the new car would use a stretched version of the B-body chassis, dubbed the C-body. The engine would use the A series V8 from the Grand Pacific as a base. By the end of 1968, we were putting the finishing touches on the car for its debut in 1969.

1970 - 1973 Nassau Raider NP

The car was the hit of the auto show season. A Fruinian muscle car? The public was intrigued. Following its debut, the “Invasion” as campaign was launched to increase public demand before the car’s release in 1970.

1969 Ad for the Nassau Raider

The Raider launched with the choice of three trims and three V8s, ranging from a 228hp 5L to a 275hp 5.7L. The car sold in meager numbers compared to the competition, but for the company it was a big hit. Sales peaked in 1972 at just over 60k units and then things turned south. An oil shortage combined with rising insurance rates and increased environmental concerns caused sales to drop for the final year of the car’s first generation.

The Raider made its name on the track as well as the street. In its legendary single season in the FTCC, it won three quarters of the races and the championship. The following year, V8 engines were banned in the series, eliminating the car from competition. While the FTCC claimed the move to 6 cylinder engines was environmentally driven, many still claim the Raider was the main reason. The Raider also claimed back to back titles in the Trans-Gasmean Racing series in 1972 and 1973.

1974 - 1977 Nassau Raider NP

The second generation Raider, which debuted in 1974 was a reaction to the times. The car was downsized significantly, moving to the new A-body platform shared with the new Bahama hatchback. The base engine in the car became a 2.5L straight six which produced just 123hp. A 230hp V8 was still available, but only in the top of the line Raider NP, which was a 2 seater version of the car.

Sales plummeted and racing success dried up. By the end of the second generation in 1977, the Raider sold only 11k cars.

A sleek, all new third generation Raider debuted for the 1978 model year. While the body and interior were new and futuristic looking the engines were carried over from the second generation, now tuned to run on unleaded fuel. This had a disastrous effect on performance. The base model Raider S equipped with a 2.5L straight six made only 104hp and took over 10 seconds to reach 60mph. The Raider XF with its 5L V8 producing 172hp managed the same feat in under 8 seconds. While this was considerably slower than the previous models, this was still on par with the competition of the time.

1978 - 1984 Nassau Raider XF

Success returned in the marketplace. The 1978 Raider became the best-selling ever, moving more than 82k units. Success also returned on the track, as the Raider XF would claim 2 more championships before being retired from the Trans-Gas series after the 1984 season. As the 80s continued, slight upgrades were made to the car to keep the public interested. The biggest such upgrade came in 1982 when the Raider XF received the option of a fully digital dashboard display.

1978 - 1987 Nassau Tango 5R

In the early 1980s, focus began to shift to fuel economy. Nassau had already begun to modernize its lineup and optimize for fuel economy. In 1978, the company released the front wheel drive Tango. In 1980, work began on a replacement for the Raider. This work resulted in the 1984 Laguna, which was a front wheel drive hatchback powered by an optional 2L turbocharged 4 cylinder. This new model offered similar performance to the V8 Raider XF while returning much better fuel economy. The styling of the Laguna was purposefully similar to the Raider in order to make customer transition to front wheel drive models easier. The cars were sold side by side in 1984.

1984 - 1988 Nassau Laguna Turbo

After the 1984 model year, production of the Raider ended. Over three generations and fifteen model years, we sold 679,505 Raiders. The Laguna took over for the Raider in 1984 and it would be replaced with the Hornet in the mid 1990s. Now, 25 years after the last car rolled off the production line, the Raider returns for 2009.

2009 Nassau Raider NP

[MAG]

August 9, 2008 - Pricing has been announced for the 2009 Nassau Raider. The car goes on sale in January.

November 2, 2008 - Nassau’s first season back in the Fruinian Touring Car Championship has wrapped up.

This season, the Nassau Tango NP was fielded by 2 teams and 4 drivers. The teams faced struggles early in the year but by the end of the 20 race season had scored 2 victories. One of our drivers also claimed the Rookie of the Year title.

The champion was Peter Jergensen, winning his 2nd consecutive title in his Viking P4.

Final Standings:
7th - Davis Lester - Nassau Performance (1 victory)
8th - Richard Evans - Kali Motorsports (1 victory)
11th - Amanda Mitchell - Nassau Performance (Rookie of the Year)
14th - Stamos Andres - Kali Motorsports

December 28, 2008 - The final 2008 Nassau Hornet S has been sold. Let’s take a look back at the base model 2nd generation coupe.

The 2nd generation Hornet S ditched the curvy/angular styling of the 1st generation model for a more square and distinguished look. The new model also featured a sportier suspension set up and an all new DOHC F series V6 engine, which produced 174hp. These changes made the car lighter and more quick. The Hornet S could reach 60mph in just over 7 seconds and could run through the quarter mile in 15.4 seconds.

The market at large reacted unfavorably to the changes made to the car. Even though it was faster and used higher quality materials, the build quality was slightly lower and the styling was regarded as “too inoffensive”. Sales of the 2nd generation base model only passed the 20k mark twice.

The Hornet S is being replaced by the V8 Raider S for 2009 as Nassau will focus more on the performance market segment.

Sales Totals
2000: 19,687
2001: 22,045
2002: 21,961
2003: 18,472
2004: 17,925
2005: 18,658
2006: 18,471
2007: 13,608
2008: 15,604
Total: 166,431

[MAG]

January 3, 2009 - 2008 has ended and the final stage of our model replacement plan begun in the mid 2000s is finally here. With the release of the Raider, our lineup is now virtually complete. Nassau is racing again and behind the power of our compact and subcompact lineup, we are selling more cars than ever.

We saw small drops in our reputation and prestige as our lineup ages. With the end of the Hornet, the Accolade now sits alone as our oldest model, which was introduced in 2000.

We also saw our highest profit ever, as we brought in over $3 billion.

Sales of our small cars are carrying the company. In the current economic climate, consumers are looking to spend less and we released our new subcompact and compact cars at the exact right time.

The economy did stabilize this year. We’re hoping we’re about to see a rebound rather than a freefall in the next few years.

Sales in 2008 ended up being the highest in company history, as we moved 1,524,770 vehicles. With the release of the Raider, there are now only 2 models in our lineup released prior to 2005, the Niko roadster and the Accolade.

990,294 - Gasmea (+9%) - Top Seller: 900 S
414,825 - Fruinia (+3%) - Top Seller: 900 S
119,651 - Archana (-%) - Top Seller: Tango S

We continued to build on our big gains from last year as we saw sales rise in all three markets.

Our subcompact 900 S saw a pretty decent sales increase, up to 457,525.

Moving from 2 to 4 seats, we move to the Tango lineup. Across all three model lines, sales increased to 463,211 units.

The Tango S base model hatchback broke the 200k barrier, selling 205,225.

The Tango R 5 door hatch saw sales rise to 178,376 units.

Sales of the Tango NP 3 door turbo model fell slightly this year. There were c few contributing factors to the drop. Blake released the new B2000 and Whitaker released the new Cali, which both compete directly with our compact. Sales fell to 79,610.

In its final year on the market, sales of our front wheel drive Hornet sport coupe rose to a total of 42,218.

The final Hornet S coupes have been sold. The 2008 version sold a total of 15,604 units.

We still have a few Hornet XF coupes on dealer lots. Sales total for the year was 26,614.

Sales of our Accolade continue to fall and production has been scaled back. There are plans for a replacement model, but it is still a few years away. Total sales across the 3 model lines came to 34,589.

The Accolade Estate wagon sold just 6,829 units this year.

When it was released, the Accolade Sport was one of the most desirable sedans on the market, Now the competition has surpassed us and sales have dropped. We sold 16,354.

The Accolade Elite saw sales stabilize a little this year, with numbers down only slightly from 2007. We sold 11,406.

Our Niko XR roadster continues to disappoint, as we sold just 5,161 this year. Production of this model could be coming to an end soon.

Sales of our NT200 chassis trucks were up this year, thanks to big gains by the Nevada pickup. Total sales were 182,892.

The Nevada was the only model that saw gains, as sales increased to 89,612.

The Nevada Sport sold 32,763, down slightly from last year.

Our Provo luxury SUV also saw a slight sales drop, down to 60,517.

Sales of our Overland vans were about the same as last year, coming in at a total of 339,174.

The base, front wheel drive Overland S sold 155,458 units.

The Overland SL AWD model sold 88,180 units.

Gains in the commercial sector helped sales of our Express. We sold 95,536.

Sales Breakdown
457,525 - 900 S (+10%)
205,225 - Tango S (+18%)
178,376 - Tango R (+10%)
155,458 - Overland S (-3%)
95,536 - Express (+7%)
89,612 - Nevada (+17%)
88,180 - Overland SL AWD (-5%)
79,610 - Tango NP (-5%)
60,517 - Provo (-1%)
32,763 - Nevada Sport (-7%)
26,614 - Hornet XF (+20%)
16,354 - Accolade Sport (-29%)
15,604 - Hornet S (+15%)
11,406 - Accolade Elite (-9%)
6,829 - Accolade Estate (-33%)
5,161 - Niko XR (-2%)

[MAG]

January 18, 2009 - The final 2008 Nassau Hornet XF has been sold, marking the end of our front wheel drive sport compact. Let’s take a look back at the performance variant of the Hornet.

Introduced in 1999 for the 2000 model year, the 2nd generation Hornet XF underwent a drastic styling change from the outgoing model. The more conservative styling was meant to increase sales, but actually wound up doing the opposite. Sales of the 2nd generation never hit the yearly numbers of the 1st.

The Hornet XF was a 2 door, 4 seat coupe, which featured a premium leather interior. Meant to be a “performance compact”, the car was equipped with a 5 speed manual transmission. Driving the front wheels was a 202hp 3.0L DOHC V6. The Hornet XF was no slouch in the performance department, getting to 60mph in under 7 seconds and the quarter mile in just over 15.

Sales of the car peaked in 2001 and had a brief resurgence in 2005 before trailing off. The Hornet XF was essentially replaced in 2007 with the release of the all wheel drive Tango NP hatchback, which is our new “performance compact”. For those looking for more serious performance, the Raider replaces the Hornet’s spot in the Nassau lineup.

Sales Totals
2000: 33,698
2001: 40,132
2002: 38,809
2003: 36,078
2004: 36,814
2005: 38,133
2006: 30,492
2007: 22,201
2008: 26,704
Total: 303,061

Between the Hornet S and Hornet XF, the 2nd generation model sold 469,492 cars, just under 10k more than the 1st generation.

April 25, 2009 - EngineFad has released their annual news and rumors issue.

The cover story focuses on the all new Lutz Chivo, a compact set to debut this November for the 2010 model year. Whitaker will also have a lineup of new compacts debuting around the same time. With Blake and Nassau currently dominating the segment, the market is about to get very crowded very quickly.

In the giant News and Rumors section, there are couple blurbs about Nassau. Firstly, they mention that our Accolade sedan is not expected to be on the market much longer. Sources have indicated that a new model is on the way to replace the current one, which has seen sales plummet. Sources have also indicated that the Niko XR roadster could be discontinued as well.

A deal for Lutz to purchase McNamara motors last year fell through and the bell now tolls for McNamara. Down to just 2 model lines, their Thunder SUV and Swift compact, McNamara no longer had the resources to compete. With outstanding debt growing, the company had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.

One company moving out of the compact market is Albright Automotive. Albright has discontinued their compact cars marketed under both the Atlas and Albright brands. They intend to focus on their large sedans and SUVs.

Finally, there is a story on increasing SUV sales in Gasmea as the economy seems to have jumpstarted itself.

July 8, 2009 - Nassau has made the following announcements regarding its model lineup.

The 2009 model year will be the last for the Accolade Estate and Accolade Elite models. The Overland has all but taken over the market for the wagon model of our small midsize sedan and the Provo SUV has taken over as our luxury flagship.

The Accolade Sport sedan will continue, but 2010 will be its final year.

Nassau will be debuting a new Accolade at the Fruinian Motor Show next year.

Finally, the Nassau Niko XR roadster will end after the 2010 model year. No replacement is currently planned.

November 8, 2009 - the Fruinian Touring Car Championship has wrapped up another season.

Nassau saw more success on the track this year as we doubled our win total from 2008. This year’s champion was Vic Rossini, driving his all new Blake B2000. We also picked up a 3rd team, Smith-Jones Racing.

Final Standings:
4th - Richard Evans - Kali Motorsports (3 victories)
5th - Davis Lester - Nassau Performance (1 victory)
8th - Amanda Mitchell - Nassau Performance
10th - Ty Jones - Smith-Jones Racing
11th - Stamos Andres - Kali Motorsports
19th - Jackie Hoffman - Smith-Jones Racing

November 22, 2009 - The final 2009 Nassau Accolade Elite has been sold. Let’s look back at our luxury midsize sedan.

Launched for the 2000 model year, the Accolade Elite was positioned as Nassau’s flagship model. This car featured everything that Nassau was capable of at the time. Equipped with a luxurious leather interior with seating for 4, this all wheel drive sedan featured a 5 speed automatic transmission connected to an all-aluminum 3.2L V6 engine, which produced 232hp. This was the same engine found in the performance oriented Accolade Sport. Miles of comfort was complemented with decent performance. A 0-60 time of just over 8 seconds and a quarter mile of 16.1 was adequate for the time.

As the economy boomed in the mid 2000s, so did sales of the Accolade Elite. Sales peaked in 2005, with over 32k sold.

The Accolade Elite leaves the lineup with no direct replacement. The Provo SUV could now be considered our luxury flagship and a new Accolade will debut next year.

Sales Totals
2000: 16,694
2001: 19,983
2002: 18,793
2003: 22,379
2004: 32,159
2005: 32,382
2006: 23,120
2007: 12,492
2008: 11,406
2009: 13,035
Total: 202,443

December 27, 2009 - The final 2009 Nassau Accolade Estate has been sold. Let’s take a look back at our midsize wagon.

The 3rd generation Accolade Estate debuted for the 2000 model year, marking a drastic change for the model lineup of the car. Gone was the standard sedan, as the wagon would now carry on as the lone “base model”. This “base model” still featured a premium interior and comfort tuned suspension.

Unlike the other models offered, the Accolade Estate featured seating for 5 in a premium leather interior. Powering the wagon was a 165hp version of our 3.2L V6.

Initially considered a sales flop, the 3rd generation wagon moved half the units on average compared to the 2nd generation model. Sales did rise every year until peaking in 2005. Competition from the outside, as well as our own Overland minivans severely ate away at the Accolade Estate’s market.

Sales Totals
2000: 21,633
2001: 26,945
2002: 26,960
2003: 28,719
2004: 36,026
2005: 48,645
2006: 37,119
2007: 10,182
2008: 6,829
Total: 258,864

[MAG]

January 4, 2010 - Behind the power of our small cars, the Nassau Motor Company is on a roll. However, this time we’ve learned from the mistakes of our past and the company is in a great position to keep this momentum going.

The last time we saw success like this was just over 10 years ago, from 1996-1998. During that time, we brought out a new lineup of small cars and made incremental improvements to our other models. Unfortunately, we weren’t a fast enough moving company and our updates and upgrades were quickly surpassed by our competition, leading to a decline in profits and sales. A few years later, sales bottomed out in 2003. It was then that a renewed focus was placed on our engineering teams. In the years that have passed since, we have released an almost entirely new lineup, retired some models, and brought some new ones in. We have also seen our sales nearly double, which leads us to 2009.

We saw a small drop in our reputation, as we shifted the last of the current generation Accolade Estate and Accolade Elite models out of inventory. This models have historically had some issues with reliability. We did see a rise in our prestige, as our new Raider sports car better fits the market than the outgoing Hornet.

We also saw a profit of over $4 billion, most of which is being reinvested in the next generation of Nassau cars.

As you can see from our year over year sales for the past 5 years, things are going pretty well. Since the end of 2006, we’ve seen a huge amount of sales growth.

All of this is being aided by an economy that is back on the upswing. After a brief recession at the end of the 2000s, purchasing power is back up.

Our 2009 sales numbers beat last year and hit a total of 1,615,682, a new record for the company. We now only have 2 models in our lineup from prior to 2005, the Accolade Sport and the Niko XR. Stay tuned during auto show season, as this will be changing very soon.

1,055,932 - Gasmea (+7%) - Top Seller: 900 S
433,612 - Fruinia (+5%) - Top Seller: 900 S
126,138 - Archana (+5%) - Top Seller: Tango S

Sales were up about 5% across the board, with a larger increase in Gasmea. For the first time we sold over 1 million vehicles in a single market.

We saw a slight decline with our subcompact this year as the fad may be slowing down. The 900 S sold 453,863 units.

Things on the compact front were much better, as 2/3 of our Tango lineup posted sales gains. Total sold across all model lines was 477,838.

The Tango S, our top selling car in Archana, recorded 227,325 sales this year.

The Tango R saw a sales increase as well, up to 189,776 units.

The all wheel drive Tango NP saw sales fall this year to 60,737. Increased competition in the performance market from our new Raider and a price drop for the Accolade Sport definitely contributed to the decline.

We sold the final 90 of our 2008 Hornet XF coupes in January of this year.

Sales for our new Raider lineup were strong. Between the two model lines, we sold a total of 79,114.

Sales were split pretty evenly. The base model Raider S sold 39,810 units.

Falling just short of that was the Raider NP with 39,304 sales.

2009 was the end of the road for 2/3 of our Accolade lineup. We cut prices across the board, which led to an uptick in sales. Total sales improved to 43,513.

The Accolade Estate sold 15,806 in its final year.

The Accolade Sport, which will continue for a final model year in 2010 sold 14,672.

The Accolade Elite recorded 13,035 sales in its final year.

Moving to our roadster, the Niko XR sold 2,237 this year. Next year will be its final model year.

On to our Nassau trucks, which saw a small sales decrease to 177,711 units.

Our Nevada pickup saw sales drop to 85,032 units.

The Nevada Sport, which hasn’t been as successful in this generation of models recorded 24,395 sales.

A model that has been successful is the Provo. After a slight drop last year, an improving economy helped lead our luxury SUV to 68,284 sales; its best total since the 1st generation model in 1999.

We end with our minivan lineup. There were increased across the board as we sold 381,316 vans.

Of those, 172,582 were the base model Overland S.

The top trim, all wheel drive Overland SL AWD came in at 99,198.

We wrap up with our commercial Express van. Sales jumped this year to 109,536.

Sales Breakdown
453,863 - 900 S (-1%)
227,325 - Tango S (+11%)
189,776 - Tango R (+6%)
172,582 - Overland S (+11%)
109,536 - Express (+15%)
99,198 - Overland SL AWD (+12%)
85,032 - Nevada (-5%)
68,284 - Provo (+13%)
60,737 - Tango NP (-24%)
39,810 - Raider S (NEW)
39,304 - Raider NP (NEW)
24,395 - Nevada Sport (-26%)
15,806 - Accolade Estate (+131%)
14,672 - Accolade Sport (-10%)
13,035 - Accolade Elite (+14%)
2,237 - Niko XR (-57%)
90 - Hornet XF (2008 model - discontinued)

We’ll see you later this year for auto show season!

[MAG]

February 16, 2010 - Welcome to the 2010 Fruinian Motor Show! Nassau is here to debut 2 new models. Both of our new cars focus on making the driving experience a little more premium - a little more luxurious. Let’s get to it.

Introducing the 2011 Nassau Grand Pacific Coupe! From the same development team that revived the classic Raider, the new Grand Pacific is just as focused on luxury as the original.

This grand tourer features an active sport suspension with adaptive dampers to provide a ride of unequaled comfort and sportiness. Good for long cruises along the seaside or short bursts down the drag strip, the Grand Pacific is the perfect luxury coupe. 4 wheel vented disc brakes are standard and wrapped in 18" alloy wheels.

Inside, a luxurious leather interior surrounds the driver. A Nassau first, a luxury satellite navigation system ensures you’ll never get lost, wherever your travels take you.

Under the hood, our 5.5L C series V8 has been retuned and its internals have been forged to create the most advanced Nassau V8 ever. The C55-8S produces 347hp and 365ft-lbs of torque.

Also available for 2011 will be the Grand Pacific Convertible. The convertible is mechanically identical to the coupe, minus the drop top.

We don’t just have a high priced luxury coupe to debut. Our premium Accolade sedan has been the go-to car in its class since the 1980s. Today, we lift the covers off the 4th generation Accolade!

The Accolade SE returns for 2011, becoming the standard trim for the 4th generation car. This 4 door, sedan seats 5 in a premium leather interior. Keeping along with the upscale theme, the new Accolade features a premium satellite navigation system.

Featuring standard all wheel drive and 4 wheel vented disc brakes, the Accolade maintains its spot at the top of its class.

Under the hood is our all new F series V6. This 3.2L features forged internals and is mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. The F32-6I produces 230hp and 207ft-lbs of torque.

For the discerning buyer, the Accolade Elite returns and differentiates itself from the standard model. Inside, the interior is even more luxurious. Seating has been reduced to 4, as the rear seat features a center console. A high-tech luxury satellite navigation system is available.

Outside, the Accolade Elite features a bespoke front fascia, different from the other flavors of Accolade. Under the car, a hydropneumatic suspension with semi-active sway bars back up the car’s sporty looks. The standard F32-6I V6 provides power through a 6 speed automatic transmission.

The Accolade Sport has been the king of performance sedans since the 1990s, so we took great care in the all new 2011 Accolade NP.

Inside, the premium interior has been carried over from the Accolade SE, but the rear seat features a center console, similar to the Accolade Elite. But no one really cares that the Accolade NP features premium satellite navigation. They care about the 6 speed manual transmission, and what it’s connected to.

Under the hood is a performance tuned version of our new 3.2L V6, dubbed the F32-6P. Producing 260hp and 233ft-lbs of torque and sending it to all 4 wheels, the Accolade NP will rocket to 60mph in under 6 seconds. Keep going and you’ll blast through the quarter mile in 14.2.

Look for the 3 new Nassau Accolade models at our dealerships next January. Pricing will be announced later in the year.

[MAG]

April 20, 2010 - After what seems like forever we’ve finally made it! Welcome to the 2010 North Gasmean International Auto Show!

Since its debut in 1991 for the 1992 model year, our Overland line of vans has become part of the foundation of the Nassau portfolio of vehicles. With over 5 million sold, the Overland has become a staple on the roads of Gasmea and beyond.

At Nassau, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the competition and being on the cutting edge of driving technology. And today we are here to reveal the all new, 2011 Nassau Overland!

The Overland S has been tastefully updated for the 2011 model year. New styling front and rear bring the Overland more into line with the rest of the Nassau lineup.

But styling changes aren’t the only differences from the current, outgoing model. We’ve made extensive use of aluminum in the body of our new van, meaning the new model is lighter. An updated cloth interior adorns the Overland S, which comes standard with a CD player.

The biggest changes are underneath the flashy new exterior.

Powering the new Overland line is the all-new Nassau G34-6D V6, which produces 251hp and 230ft-lbs of torque. The new 3.4L G series V6 features a Nassau-first direct injection system, which offers increased power and efficiency over the outgoing F series. The new engine is mated to a 6 speed automatic transaxle, driving the front wheels.

Now for the top of the Overland range, the 2011 Nassau Overland SL. Yes, we’ve officially dropped the “AWD” from the name, but our top of the line model is still driven by all four wheels. Our all wheel drive system has been refined and optimized and can send up to 45% of power to the rear wheels if needed.

On the outside, wheel size increased from 16" to 17" and the front fascia now accommodates front fog lights. But it’s the inside where the Overland SL really shines.

Passengers are greeted with a premium leather interior, which features a premium Nassau Satellite Navigation System as well as MP3 connectivity.

Powering the Overland SL is the same G34-6D found in the Overland S model, mated to a 6 speed automatic transaxle.

Finally, we can’t introduce a new van lineup without discussing our commercial Nassau Express offering. We’ve updated this for 2011 as well.

The 2011 Nassau Express has been updated with efficiency in mind. The front and rear feature the same updated styling as the Overland line, with the Express offering a slightly different grille. 15" steel wheels are surrounded by long-life tires.

Inside, the Express seats 2 in the same comfortable cloth seats as the Overland S. A Nassau CD player is also offered.

Under the hood is a 3.1L version of our G series V6, dubbed the G31-6D.

The 3.1L is rated at 209hp and 200ft-lbs of torque and delivers its power to the front wheels via a 6 speed automatic. This efficient new engine allows the Nassau Express to achieve 26mpg!

That wraps up our new cars for next year. Pricing for these models will be announced in the fall.

[MAG]

October 22, 2010 - Nassau has announced the sale of the final 2010 Niko XR roadster. Let’s take a look back at our small sports car.

Introduced in 2003 for the 2004 model year, the Niko XR was Nassau’s first entry into the small sports car market since the original Pacific ended production in 1963. The Niko XR was designed to be a technological showcase for Nassau and featured many new technologies for the brand at the time. The biggest was the use of variable valve timing in the car’s 2.2 liter D series engine. This allowed the rear wheel drive roadster to produce 188 horsepower and scoot to 60mph in less than 7 seconds.

Unfortunately like the Nassau roadsters of the 1950s and early 1960s that preceded it, the Niko XR never really found a market. Poor sales led to the cancellation of a planned follow up model and production ended in early 2010. However, much of the technology introduced in the Niko XR eventually found its way into the rest of the Nassau lineup.

Sales Totals
2004: 9,594
2005: 8,381
2006: 8,031
2007: 5,274
2008: 5,161
2009: 2,237
2010: 2,629
Total: 41,307

Nassau has also announced the sale of the final 2010 Nassau Overland S minivan.

Introduced for the 2006 model year, the 3rd generation Nassau Overland S was the follow up to the somewhat poorly received 2nd generation (2000-2005) model. The most divisive aspect of the 2nd gen had been the styling. With the 3rd generation, styling went back to a more traditional look and was actually modeled after the Nassau Provo of the same time period.

Powered by the F-series 3.4L V6 which produced 216hp, the Overland S once again became the go-to in an increasingly crowded people mover market. Each model year of the 3rd generation would register more sales than the best year of the 2nd gen. The 4th generation Overland minivans go on sale in 2011.

Total Sales
2006: 210,789
2007: 159.788
2008: 155,458
2009: 172,582
2010: 165,426
Total: 864,043

November 28, 2010 - Nassau has announced the sale of the final Overland SL AWD minivan.

The 3rd generation Overland lineup was pared down to 2 model lines, as the Overland XL and Overland XL AWD were combined into a single model, the Overland SL AWD. The new top of the line model was powered by the same 3.4L V6 as the base model, but was equipped with all wheel drive and a premium interior.

The Overland SL AWD didn’t sell as many units as the base Overland S, but it was never meant to. This, along with the Provo, were considered the top of our line of people movers.

Total Sales
2006: 138,357
2007: 92,861
2008: 88,180
2009: 99,198
2010: 105,810
Total: 524,406

Nassau has also announced the sale of the final 2010 Nassau Express. Let’s take a look back at our commercial van.

Based on the Overland S, the Nassau Express was our re-entry into the commercial/delivery market. Using the name of our original commercial van, which was produced from 1956-1970, the new Express was marketed to fleets and small businesses.

Total Sales
2006: 142,741
2007: 89,337
2008: 95,536
2009: 109,536
2010: 113,026
Total: 550,176

Nassau has announced that the final 2010 Accolade Sport has been sold.

Introduced in 2000, the 2nd generation Accolade Sport, based on the 3rd generation Accolade was a strong seller for the company for many years. Powered by a 232hp 3.2L V6 and equipped with all wheel drive, the Accolade Sport had a 0-60 time of 5.8 seconds and could run through the quarter mile in 14.2, making it one of the quickest sport sedans of the time.

Unfortunately, the company’s focus during the 00s was in other places and the Accolade Sport languished without being updated for many years. After 11 model years, a new model is due out next year.

Total Sales
2000: 49,126
2001: 46,124
2002: 44,361
2003: 44,874
2004: 43,213
2005: 42,126
2006: 44,400
2007: 23,006
2008: 16,354
2009: 14,672
2010: 20,226
Total: 388,482

December 1, 2010 - Nassau has announced pricing for its new models for 2011.

Grand Pacific Coupe - $41,893
Grand Pacific Convertible - $47,763

Accolade SE - $24,023
Accolade NP - $25,301
Accolade Elite - $33,144

Overland S - $18,884
Overland SL - $26,153
Express - $16,346

Editors Notes
I want to apologize for the increasing length between updates. Work has been crazy over the last couple months and the laptop that I have Automation installed on is in the process of dying a slow death. I just wanted to lay out my plans for wrapping up my play-through of the lite campaign.

Tomorrow, the 2010 sales year wrap up will be posted. I hope to have at least 1 sales year per week, possibly 2, until the end of the game in 2020.

Even though there isn’t really a need, as I’m nearing the end of the game, I will continue to introduce new models until the campaign ends.

Once I reach the end of the campaign, I’ll probably have a few posts looking back at the company and some of the cars produced over the course of the campaign.

Eventually, I will get a new laptop and probably re-create many of the company’s models in the Unreal version of the game.

So until tomorrow…