The automotive landscape is changing quickly with a raft of smaller, more efficient autos coming to market. We're even on the verge of mass-market electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. The bogey has shifted and will continue to shift over time, so Nissan is aiming to get ahead on the changes of tomorrow. The Japanese automaker issued a press release Wednesday to inform the world that it is working on a "Health & Well-Being" concept to make driving in a Nissan safer and healthier than ever before... and we can see some out of the box thinking showing through.
Have dry skin? The Nissan of two or three years from now could pump breathable vitamin C into the cabin, helping to keep your skin moisturized. Just when we were beginning to wonder if we would ever fix our dry elbow problem. Exciting stuff, and there's more.
The next-generation climate control system could control the filtering of air, a plasmacluster ion generator and inside/outside air control with but one control. How about a speedometer that keeps you out of trouble by reminding you of important dates like anniversaries and birthdays? As long as it doesn't tell us to slow down and it can shut up when prompted, we're okay with that. The Japanese automaker is also working on "easy chars" that utilize NASA research to promote proper blood flow in the legs and back during long trips. Another new seat design is new Comfortable Captain Seat, which utilizes an integrated leg rest, articulated seatback and three-layered cushion pads to keep passengers comfy for long periods of time. Hit the jump to read Nissan's invigorating presser.
Proving once again the old adage that there's more than one way to skin a cat battery, Chevrolet and Nissan have each designed new eco-friendly vehicles that are set to go head-to-head for sales supremacy starting at the end of this year. Though both automakers arrive at the same basic anti-gasoline (at least to a large extent) result, the Volt and the Leaf differ in more ways than they are alike.
We'll start with the drivetrain. While the Volt and Leaf are both technically electric cars, Chevrolet's solution to the range problem includes the addition of a small gasoline-fueled engine capable of recharging the Volt's onboard battery pack. There's enough battery capacity to travel at least 40 miles before the generator kicks in, but there's no limit to the range after the engine takes over.
Nissan's Leaf, on the other hand, has a somewhat larger battery that the automaker claims will allow for 100 miles of range per charge. After that, there is simply no more forward progress to be had until the Leaf is plugged into an outlet for a few hours - at least. But if going 100-percent gasoline free is your goal, this is your ride.
And then we have the body styles and shapes. Both cars spent plenty of time in the wind tunnel, with extremely different results. The Volt sports a more traditional sedan-like shape and offers seating for four. The Leaf, on the other hand, has a bit of an out-there look to its basic hatchback design and boasts seating for five.
Pricing too is a bit divergent. Nissan has affixed a $32,780 sticker to its electric car, before federal or state incentives. That price will drop to the mid-$20s when a $7,500 tax credit is applied. The General is making its Volt a bit more dear with a $41,000 asking price that drops to $33,500 after the credit. Interestingly, both automakers will offer leases for $350 per month for 36 months.
So, the big question is: Which electric car do you think is the better buy? Make yourself heard in our (totally unscientific) poll below.
2010 Nissan Patrol - Click above for high-res image gallery
Nissan has issued a recall for more than a thousand Nissan Patrol models in the Middle East, citing electrical problems that could affect the engine's fuel supply leading to engine stalls. According to Monal Zeidan, the general manager of marketing and communications for Nissan Middle East, there are problems with an integrated circuit inside the vehicle's electronic control module (ECM). Zeidan goes on to say that if the ECM fails the fuel injectors could stop working and the engine may stop. Owners of the 1,250 affected vehicles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are being asked to visit their dealerships to have a revised ECM installed.
While the all-new 2011 Infiniti QX56 is heavily based on the Nissan Patrol, our sources at Infiniti say the two models run different ECMs. That's a bit of good news for owners of Infiniti's latest flagship SUV, as it means they won't need to worry about the recall.
*UPDATE: Nissan has issued a clarifying statement that notes while U.S. Infiniti QX56 models are unaffected by this action, Middle Eastern market QX56 are indeed being recalled alongside their Patrol cousins.
Nissan Leaf EV - Click above for high-res image gallery
At the Plug-in 2010 Conference in San Jose, CA today, Nissan North America's executive vice president, Carlos Tavares, announced that the Leaf's battery pack will be covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty - exactly what Chevrolet is offering on the Volt pack. He said that feedback from people interested in the Leaf was important in setting these levels, so that explains why Leaf hand-raisers received email surveys about the topic recently.
For what it's worth, the official Leaf battery warranty is what about half of AutoblogGreen readers voted for in our unscientific poll on the topic. Almost 45 percent said the eight-year/100,000-mile level was good for electric vehicles, while a few more thought 10-years/150,000 miles was the preferred level.
In other Leaf news, Nissan has also announced its official rollout plans. As we already knew, the electric car will first launch in December, in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee. Firm orders from these five states, which make up the so-called EV Project, will begin in August.
Following that initial wave, the machine will be sent to Texas and Hawaii in January 2011. Next up will be North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama in April 2011. The rest of the nation will see their Leafs beginning in the fall of 2011 with availability in all markets nationwide by the end of that year.
There are plenty more interesting tidbits to glean from Nissan's press release on the matter, which can be found in its entirety after the break.
2011 Nissan Leaf - Click above for high-res image gallery
We've met the Nissan Leaf before. First at its coming-out party in Japan, followed by an all-too-brief stint behind the wheel of a Versa-based prototype late last year. Now we've had a chance to sample Nissan's first foray into the world of electric vehicles in production form and the automaker picked one of its most important markets - the heart of Silicon Valley - to give us some seat time.
If there's any area ripe for early-EV adoption, it's San Jose, CA. And during a quick test loop through the tight confines of Santana Row and a run through the city's suburban surrounds, it's obvious that the first mass-produced EV is officially ready for prime-time.
2009 Nissan Cube - Click above for high-res image gallery
Last month, the Lexus HS250h was the subject of a serious recall involving fuel leakage resulting from rear-end collisions. Now, Nissan faces a similar predicament involving 2009 and 2010 model year Cube hatchbacks, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a full recall, covering 46,000 Cubes built between January 30, 2009 and July 30, 2010.
Much like the HS hybrid, NHSTA cites that the amount of fuel leakage following a rear-moving barrier crash "exceeds the allowable limits," and that this could result in a fire. While a fuel leak is bad news, it's important to note that this NHTSA test isn't simply a case of a simple crash test and resultant fuel leak - the government agency's methodology includes striking the vehicle from the rear with a deformable barrier at 50 mph with a 70 percent overlap. Post-impact, the vehicle is then spun on its longitudinal axis degree-by-degree for a total of 90 degrees, somewhere along which a fuel leak was detected. While any fuel spillage is a bad thing, we suspect you can put any images of the massively overblown Ford Pinto debacle out of your head right now.
In any case, the full recall is expected to start on or before August 30. To fix the problem, dealers will install a special protector to the gasoline recirculation tube where it meets with the filler neck connector. Naturally, the service will be performed free of charge at any authorized Nissan dealer. The full details are available in NHTSA's press release after the jump.
Nissan is reportedly considering building a sports car based on the electric drive hardware from its new Leaf EV. From a business perspective, it would likely make sense for Nissan to follow the same path set forth by Toyota/Lexus with premium hybrid models, and indeed, the Leaf is already pegged to get a pricier sibling at Infiniti. A premium battery electric vehicle could be sold a significantly higher price point, helping to subsidize the cost of more mainstream models like the Leaf.
The big question is what platform to use. Mercedes-Benz and Audi are both developing electric versions of their respective supercars. Nissan could do a battery powered version of the 370Z, which has both its positives and negatives. The Z is relatively lightweight for a modern car, although its small size could make packaging the battery problematic. A more likely scenario might be a version of the 2009 Infiniti Essence concept which was originally shown as a hybrid. The larger car would allow for more battery and range.
A third possibility that might actually be the best option is a new car based on the Leaf platform but with the motor moved to the rear axle. The compact size of the electric motor could make packaging easier than with an internal combustion vehicle, and much of the rest of the hardware could stay the same.
2011 Nissan March - Click above for high-res image gallery
The all-new Nissan March, which debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in, you guessed it, March) went on sale in Japan this week. The March (or Micra, as it's known in Europe) is powered by a new family of inline three-cylinder engines. The base normally-aspirated 1.2-liter is rated at 79 horsepower, and Nissan has also announced a supercharged and direct injected version that should produce over 100 horsepower.
The normally-aspirated engine is available with either a five-speed manual gearbox or a continuously variable transmission along with an automatic start-stop function to switch off the engine when the car comes to a halt. The CVT variant with idle-stop is rated at 61 miles per gallon (U.S.) on the Japanese urban test cycle, which should be equivalent to somewhere in the low to mid 40 mpg range on the EPA cycle.
Nissan has yet to confirm whether it will offer the redesigned Micra/March in the U.S. market.
What the Murano engineers did right was the powertrain. The matchmaker who hooked up the VQ with the Xtronic CVT deserves a promotion. In fact, after spending countless hours with the pair, we observed that it just may be the perfect mechanical marriage for this vehicle.
A perfect powertrain... for the United States, perhaps. As we all know, diesel is the name of the game across the pond in Europe, and Nissan has never offered its attractive midsize crossover with an oil burner. Until now, that is. For the 2011 model year, Nissan has fitted the Murano with an optional 2.5-liter four-cylinder diesel powerplant that musters up 190 horsepower and over 330 pound-feet of torque (450 newton meters).
This new torque-rich engine finds itself mated up to a six-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control in lieu of the gasoline-powered model's continuously variable unit. This combination delivers estimated fuel economy of 29 miles per gallon U.S. (35.3 mpg U.K.) on the Combined Cycle while emitting 210 grams of carbon emissions per kilometer. These figures are no doubt aided by the Murano's first electric power regeneration system.
That's not the only update our European friends get that we've yet to see in the States. Taking a close look at our high-res image gallery will reveal a more aggressive front fascia that Nissan claims was engineered to provide additional cooling airflow to the new diesel engine. It remains to be seen if the new toothy grin will show up in other markets, like, uh... ours. In any case, the diesel-equipped 2011 Murano will start at £37,795 in the UK - that's a startling $58,000 USD, although that figure includes the UK's massive Value Added Tax, among other market-specific considerations. See the complete press release after the break.
Why is everybody picking on Porsche these days? Last month, the marketing team at Mini had quite a bit of fun at the expense of the German sports car maker, daring the storied automaker to step into the ring to take on a Mini Cooper S at Road Atlanta. A privately sourced 911 ended up kicking the Mini's go-kart-handling butt to the curb, but even in defeat, the British marquee had the nerve to mention that the 911's two-second victory would cost the typical weekend warrior about $36,000 per second.
Mini isn't the first automaker to go after Porsche; Nissan has been nipping at the heels of the 911 since the venerable GT-R hit the streets a couple years back. Nissan was back at its German rival during the Goodwood Festival of Speed last week, with a splattering of advertising preaching general superiority. Nissan smacked at Porsche, Audi and BMW on a giant billboard at London's BFI IMAX cinema and on smaller postcards handed out. The ads are part of a UK-wide campaign that includes such slogans as "How to beat the Germans" and amusingly, "Kaisers Chiefed" and "The Germans Came Off Wurst." The aggressive campaign at Goodwood included a brace of Nissan GT-R and 370Z models displayed wearing BMW, Audi and Porsche logos next to fighter plane-style kill marks.
So, is Porsche going to take this face-slap sitting down? Actually, lawyers at the German automaker have already blew the whistle on the ad, but not because of any embarrassment, pain or trauma it may have caused. Instead, Porsche suits simply asked that any unauthorized use of its crest trademark be removed. Nissan is reportedly removing the trademarks and continuing the ad campaign. For our money, we'd rather see the lawyers stay out of this fight and get a GT-R and a 911 Turbo on the 'Ring for a final showdown.
Jim Press left Chrysler at the end of last year, and other than taking a moment to speak up for Akio Toyoda earlier this year, Press has stayed away from the lights. Turns out he's been on the job for Renault-Nissan since about March, when he was hired as a consultant on the company's sales and marketing operations.
Consulting has been a popular move for recent ex-auto execs, with Bob Lutz and Tom Purves perhaps assisting Lotus, Fritz Henderson landing at AlixPartners, and Rick Wagoner getting a board seat at the Washington Post. According to a Nissan spokesman, Press has already been visiting dealers and is "providing substantial input."
[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Carlos Osorio/Associated Press]
Hitachi Automotive supplies engine control units to Nissan. Further up the chain, an unnamed supplier hasn't been able to fulfill Hitachi's need for a custom integrated circuit, so Hitachi hasn't been able to fulfill Nissan's orders for ECUs. That has put Nissan in the potential position of needing to halt Altima and Sentra production for three days, July 14-16, at factories in Tennessee and Mexico.
The Altima and Sentra would take the fall first as they're Nissan's volume models. Hitachi's delay has already interrupted production in Japan, but thus far the issue has only involved 15,000 units. A U.S. and Mexico plant stoppage of two company staples would bite more deeply into Nissan's combined 1.2-million-unit production capacity. It's suspected that Subaru and perhaps Honda are also affected by the ECU delay.
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Chris Shunk, Alex Nunez, Sam Abuelsamid and Dan Roth convene yet again for Episode #186 of the Autoblog Podcast. Topics are the final passing of the long-suffering Chrysler PT Cruiser, General Motors' "Build your own engine" for Chevrolet Corvette buyers, Tesla and its dalliance with Toyota prototypes, and the work being undertaken to develop vehicles that can be driven by the blind. There's the inevitable tangential excursions, and we finish up by responding to your feedback and questions before wrapping at an hour and twenty-five minutes. Thanks for listening, see you next time!
Autoblog Podcast #186 - The PT Cruiser is dead, blind drivers, Tesla and Toyota, and more!
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Nissan NV - Click above for high-res image gallery
If you've been champing at the bit to get your hands on Nissan's forthcoming NV series of vans, you'll have to wait a few months longer.
According to a Nissan spokesperson, production of the NV1500, 2500 and 3500 commercial vans has been delayed until the first quarter of 2011, with sales beginning shortly thereafter. The reason for the delay - and the subsequent model year change from 2011 to 2012 - was due in part to the engineering team asking for more time to complete additional validation. Contrary to earlier reports, the 2011 Nissan Quest has not be delayed and sales are still set to begin early next year.
2011 Nissan Juke - Click above for high-res image gallery
It's really difficult to pin down whether the Nissan Juke will sell well when it arrives here in the States this fall. The micro-crossover doesn't have a lot of competition and its affordable anticipated starting price of well under $20,000; both good signs. The big unknown is whether Americans will embrace the Juke's cartoonish looks, which could turn away potential suitors.
Unique looks and diminutive stature doesn't appear to be affecting the little Juke in Japan, though, as Nissan says it already has orders for 10,943 little utes. We already knew Nissan was on track to best its estimate of 1,300 orders in the first month due to the fact that the Japanese automaker had already rung up 5,296 orders in the first week the Juke went on sale.
Among the nearly 11,000 orders cataloged so far, the top color is Radiant Red, with 29 percent of all orders to date. The red interior is a big hit as well, with 59 percent of total orders. And if you're thinking that a bunch of young kids are picking up these affordable little mini-crossovers, think again. So far, the largest demographic for the Juke is the 50 and older club, with 44 percent of all sales. The 20- to 29-year-old club accounts for 15 percent, and the vast majority of orders come from men. Hit the jump to read Nissan's brag-tastic press release.
Paul Newman's 1987 Nissan 300ZX IMSA GTO Racecar - Click above for image gallery
Chances are, you've probably thought about what exactly you would buy if you had money bleeding out of every bodily orifice. Allow us to add another candidate to the list: Paul Newman's 1987 Nissan 300ZX IMSA racecar. Yes, that Paul Newman - the 24 Hours of Le Mans finisher and SCCA champion. Now, we know past ownership isn't reason enough to hand over $300,000, but that's just fine. This car packs a walloping 750 horsepower from a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6. The stock gearbox has been abandoned in favor of a Weismann five-speed, and the rear differential was replaced with a Stock Car Products piece. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Newman's Own Z, this car was campaigned throughout 1987, landing a best place finish of third place at the same time. The following year, it was handed over to Scott Sharp, in whose capable hands it managed to rack up a multitude of wins. The car has been restored since then, and has only competed in a total of four vintage races since work was completed. Of those, Newman's wicked Nissan managed to pull off three wins. Not too shabby. If you want it as badly as we do and have the means to procure it, the car is up for grabs on eBay Motors. Top tip, Ramin!
Our neighbors to the north may recall the Nissan X-Trail a little better than the rest of us. The Japanese manufacturer recently stopped sale of the SUV in Canada, which a shame considering what's on offer for 2011. Next year, buyers in other parts of the world will be able to snap up their X-Trail with an efficient clean-diesel engine bolted to a six-speed automatic transmission. Power figures for the engine and auto trans combo are still MIA, but Nissan claims that the mill will be capable of power on par with a 3.5-liter V6.
The rest of the changes to the globe-wandering SUV are mostly aesthetic. Outside, the truck gets a slightly reworked front fascia, including the headlights, bumper and grille, along with LED tail lights. Inside, the driver is treated to larger gauges and a new vehicle information display, while passengers get to play with an all-new heated or cooled glove box. Looks like a little bundle of SUV joy to us. Hit the jump for the press release.
Nissan dropped the first teaser image of the 2011 Quest minivan just before this year's New York Auto Show, and now we're seeing more shadowy angles of the new minivan, including the interior. Toyota's new "Swagger Wagon" is already off to a good start, and Honda's angular new Odyssey will be hitting the road later this year, so the minivan segment is starting to get pretty competitive once again.
From these teasers, we see a shapely new nose and a very upright rear greenhouse that gives the illusion of wrapping all the way around the D-pillar (sort of like what Nissan has done on the Cube). Nothing too outrageous has been done to the interior, but we expect overall refinement to be substantially better than what we've seen in previous Quests, and the usual host of cubbies and cup holders will surely be on hand.
The 2011 Quest will make its official public debut at this December's Los Angeles Auto Show, and those of you who are salivating at the thought of a new Nissan van can stay up to date on the newly launched Quest microsite. In the meantime, check out the gallery below to see the latest teasers, and follow the jump to read Nissan's (very short) press release.
Up to this point, Nissan has relied on hybrid technology purchased and licensed from the undisputed leader in hybrid vehicles. That would be Toyota, naturally. But the two Japanese automakers will be moving in separate directions in short order as Nissan has developed its own hybrid powertrain technology, and unlike most other automakers, Nissan's system will debut powering a rear-wheel-drive machine wearing the Infiniti badge.
And there's apparently another way Nissan and Infiniti's first in-house hybrid system will differ from Toyota's full hybrid and Honda's mild hybrid architecture. According to Reuters, Koichi Hayasaki, Nissan's chief engineer of its rear-wheel-drive hybrid system maintains that "Typically, carmakers say the fuel economy improvement on their cars using a 'strong' or 'full' hybrid system is roughly 30 percent, while for 'mild' hybrids, it's 15 percent. We're aiming for an improvement of 60 to 90 percent."
Further, Nissan claims its hybrid system will use a single electric motor and twin clutches (instead of two electric motors as used by Toyota), a move that ought to help make the system simpler and lighter than its competitors. It will also use lithium ion batteries instead of cheaper but less energy dense nickel metal hydride cells. If Nissan can manage to hit all of its targets, we may be looking at a new hybrid standard bearer.
According to a Nissan official, a report suggesting that Carlos Ghosn is stepping aside after more than decade at the helm of Nissan "is not true!" A local news site in Cool Springs, TN (near the automaker's North American headquarters) reported today that Ghosn, who is currently the CEO of both Nissan and French automaker Renault, plans to surrender the Nissan post to Carlo Tavares. Tavares is currently the Executive Vice President of Nissan Americas Operations.
Nissan spokeswoman Katherine Zachary emphatically told Autoblog that the Coolsprings.com report is "not true" but declined any further comment on the matter. Ghosn became Chief Operating Officer at Nissan in 1999 before later being named CEO. His leadership is largely credited with the brand's product resurgence in the past decade and saving it from bankruptcy. More recently, Ghosn has pushed both Nissan and Renault to produce large volumes of mainstream electric vehicles.
Just a few short months ago, Ghosn was re-elected to serve as the head of Renault for another four years. If we hear any more news on the matter, we'll dutifully pass it along.
The automotive landscape is changing quickly with a raft of smaller, more efficient autos coming to market. We're even on the verge of mass-market electric vehicles like the 
