Redone 2013 Nissan Altima pricing, sale date, details

At the event for production of the first redesigned 2013 Nissan Altima in Smyrna, Tenn., we got a firm on-sale date and price list for the new car.

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The Altima will go on sale June 26, starting at $22,280 including $780 shipping for the base four-cylinder, $24,880 for the 2.5 SV four-cylinder, which is expected to the most popular, and ranging up to $28,830 for the base V-6, called SL.
Nissan expects the four-cylinder to get a government rating of 27 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway and 31 in city/highway combined.
The V-6 already has its government rating: 22/31/25.
The Altima coupe that's based on the 2012 car being discontinued will carry over as a 2013 model unchanged. Nissan wouldn't give specifics about a coupe version of the new model.
Here is Nissan's press release today outlining standard and optional features of the 2013 Altima and giving a full list of trims with prices:
About the 2013 Nissan Altima
With the arrival in summer 2012 of the all-new fifth-generation design - the most innovative Altima yet - Nissan promises to shake up the midsize sedan segment again with the most engaging, innovative and stylish vehicle in its class. Among the 2013 Altima's many attributes are a targeted best-in-segment* fuel economy of 38 mpg highway (2.5-liter engine), new premium exterior styling with a strong presence and excellent aerodynamics, an upscale interior with premium materials, and an outstanding balance of ride comfort, stability and a fun-to-drive demeanor with projected best-level acceleration.
Building on Nissan's "Innovation for All" philosophy, the new Altima offers standard Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone System with Streaming Audio via Bluetooth. Also available are NissanConnectSM and NissanConnectSM Navigation with a suite of Bluetooth phone connectivity features, including hands-free text message integration, Pandora playback, real-time Google POI search and more; along with Easy Fill Tire Alert; and next-generation Safety Shield Technologies, including Blind Spot Warning (BSW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Moving Object Detection (MOD) systems.
The premium interior design looks and feels a class above, with new NASA-inspired "zero-gravity" front seats, available leather appointments, and a new standard Advanced Drive-Assist Display in the center of the instrument cluster that integrates key information - including available navigation, text messaging notification and audio data - right in front of the driver.
Dynamic performance is provided by a choice of a redesigned 182-horsepower (est.) 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder engine or a 270-horsepower (est.) 3.5-liter V-6, with both engines matched with standard Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission).
Altima's next-generation CVT reflects Nissan's more than 20 years of engineering and development leadership with its smooth, fuel-efficient design. Altima's redesigned 4-wheel independent suspension features segment-first Active Understeer Control for refined feel and responsive handling.
The 2013 Nissan Altima is offered in seven well-equipped models to meet a range of customer needs and budgets. MSRP for the 2013 Nissan Altima sedan include (All MSRPs plus $780 shipping charge):

Altima Sedan 2.5 CVT $21,500 USD
Altima Sedan 2.5 S CVT $22,500 USD
Altima Sedan 2.5 SV CVT $24,100 USD
Altima Sedan 2.5 SL CVT $28,050 USD
Altima Sedan 3.5 S CVT $25,360 USD
Altima Sedan 3.5 SV CVT $27,780 USD
Altima Sedan 3.5 SL CVT $30,080 USD

Coming new Accord must be a hit for Honda

Randy LeBlanc has owned Honda Accords for more than 20 years. The real estate agent in New Orleans' suburbs bought a used 1988 in the early 1990s and got a new Accord in 2001. Now, 125,000 miles later, LeBlanc, 41, and his wife need a new sedan. He's 90% sure it won't be a Honda.He's shopped Toyota, Hyundai and Kia lately; is leaning toward Toyota. He says Honda makes him move up too many trim levels to get now-common features such as Bluetooth, and that the Accord is too noisy.
Noise "has been a knock on Honda for how many years now?" LeBlanc asks. "It doesn't seem to be a concern of theirs."
Honda now has standard Bluetooth on some models, such as the redone 2012 CR-V, but the 2012 Accord requires spending for the leather-clad EX-L trim to get Bluetooth.
So LeBlanc is likely to join others who've forsaken Accord, once a must-drive for family car shoppers.
The onus is on the redesigned 2013 Accord, due this fall, to make up that lost ground. Honda previewed its look in January with a coupe concept (above). It will be smaller and lighter, Honda says, with lots of crash-avoidance technology. And the hybrid returns.
But the midsize sedan competition is fiercer than ever. Accord was deposed by Toyota Camry as No. 1 in sales in 2001, but held No. 2 for nine years before low inventory after Japan's tsunami last year let Nissan Altima push it to No. 3. Then it slipped to fourth behind Ford Fusion, also being redesigned this year. Accord was 1-in-6.7 family cars sold as recently as a year ago; now it's about 1-in-10.

As sales fell this year, Honda threw upwards of $1,000 in dealer cash atop discount financing to keep interest in the 5-year-old car. But rivals ratcheted up appeal, too. A redone Camry rolled out in October, and by this spring, Nissan threw up to $2,250 on the Altima's hood ahead of the redesigned 2013's intro.
It worked: Sales through March boomed 39% for Altima and 37% for Camry -- while Accord fell 8%.
Honda spokesman Chris Martin says slow sales this year are "absolutely a concern, but you have to look at the competitive marketplace." He notes that Camry just had a full model change, Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima had full changes in 2011 and "the (Volkswagen) Passat entered the marketplace as an actual, credible contender. So if you look five years ago, a lot of these people weren't playing seriously."
An unanswered question is just how different the next Accord will be. We've only seen the concept, while rivals such as Nissan and Ford have gone the full monty with their redesigns.
Honda typically is secretive about new models, but perhaps it should have made an exception this year. There's four months before Honda plans to release Accord details -- a lot of time for shoppers to compare such sedans as the new Altima, new Fusion, new Malibu, Camry, Sonata and Optima in buying research that likely will exclude Accord.
"You're going to be fighting for buzz with (the redone) Altima and Fusion, and the rest of the (Chevrolet) Malibus will start coming out," AutoPacific analyst Dave Sullivan said.
Martin says sedan sales are not a "zero-sum game" and that all the redesigns will pull in new shoppers -- a rising tide can lift all sedans.
But Honda had very different results with its two key redesigns last year. Will the next Accord be a Civic or a CR-V?
Honda stumbled with the redesigned Civic, widely dinged for a cheap interior and subpar handling. Sales rose 19% through March, but outpaced the market by just 6% — some came thanks to dealer incentives a redesigned car shouldn't need. By contrast, sales of the redone CR-V, out in December, are are up 30% with zero incentives.
Honda's Martin says he's confident the 2013 Accord will put Honda "back into a segment leadership position" in many areas.
"We are bringing a four-cylinder engine with direct-injection and all-new CVT transmission. We're going to have a very powerful and efficient (V-6) engine with a six-speed automatic transmission. So (the) '13 Accord is going to make some major strides in fuel economy and feature content and level of technology and safety."

Wal-Mart, Best Buy, others gang up on Google Wallet

Merchant group unveils rival to Google Wallet also includes Target, Sears, and Lowe's. But the new MCX doesn't have a mobile app ready to go just yet. 

                           
                                              Google Wallet, you're not the only game in town.
                                              (Credit: Roger Cheng/CNET)

Watch out, Google Wallet. There's a new mobile-payment service in the works.

A consortium of of retailers today announced that they have launched a mobile-commerce company, called Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX). Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, and Lowe's are among the many companies that have signed up for the initiative. The companies combine to generate a whopping $1 trillion in sales each year.

MCX is currently in the process of developing a mobile application that would allow customers to pay for purchases at participating retailers with their mobile devices. According to MCX, the app will work across "virtually any smartphone" and will automatically integrate consumer deals, promotions, and retail programs.

"MCX will leverage mobile technology to give consumers a faster and more convenient shopping experience while eliminating unnecessary costs for all stakeholders," Mike Cook, corporate vice president and assistant treasurer at Walmart said today in a statement. "The MCX platform will employ secure technology to deliver an efficiency-enhancing mobile solution available to all merchant categories, including retail stores, casual dining, petroleum and e-commerce."

The retailers' move could spell trouble forGoogle's fledgling Wallet mobile-payment app. Google Wallet runs on Android-based devices and allows customers with certain smartphones to pay for purchases from the handset. Google Wallet has so far been slow to roll out. However, until now, it was facing few competitors.

With MCX on the way, Google might find it a bit more difficult to expand its offering. Google is forced to partner with merchants and credit card companies to get its service up and running. With so many major retailers signing on to MCX, they might not want to partner with Google on Wallet.

MCX hasn't said when it'll launch its application, but the company did say today that it plans to announce "additional merchants, as well as more details regarding its product offering and partners, in the weeks and months ahead."

Samsung Galaxy S III

These days, it seems like there's always a smarter, faster Android phone on the horizon. And this month's list is proof of that. Since we last updated this roundup in mid-June, half of the phones have changed. That's because the long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S III finally made its arrival, and is now available on every major carrier. Not to spoil the surprise, but four of our 10 best Android phones are Samsung Galaxy S IIIs—the phone nabbed our Editors' Choice on all four carriers. If you want Android 4.0, state-of-the-art hardware, and cutting-edge features like voice control and facial recognition, you probably want the GS3. But that's not to say there aren't other top-notch options on every carrie

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