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CARS & CONCEPTS U.S. tweaks boost Leaf's mpg score 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  U.S. production of Nissan's Leaf electric vehicle has resulted in improved EPA fuel economy numbers for the car. The production move from Japan to Nissan's plant in Smyrna, Tenn., this year gave the automaker a chance to make a small number of midcycle engineering changes.... Read More »
Renault-Nissan unlikely to hit 2016 EV targetMay 13, 2013 06:01 CET  Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, said the companies are unlikely to reach their goal of selling a combined 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016. Nissan has sold just 62,000 Leafs since the EV's debut in late 2010, he said.... Read More »
Nissan-Renault unlikely to hit 2016 EV target 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, said the companies are unlikely to reach their goal of selling a combined 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016. Nissan has sold just 62,000 Leafs since the EV's debut in late 2010, he said.... Read More »
2nd lives for EV batteries could cut prices 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013  Lithium ion battery packs that power some electrified vehicles could end up feeding juice into the electrical grid -- a development that could cut EV ownership costs.... Read More »
Nissan pushes chargers to boost sales of Leaf EV 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013 To attract a bigger audience to electric cars, Nissan officials say they must get more public EV chargers in place -- particularly the more powerful and expensive fast-charging stations. Nissan has assigned a five-person "infrastructure" team to spur charger-station installations.... Read More »
Automakers pitch green cars for saving money, not the planet 8:23 am U.S. ET | April 28, 2013  Nissan is joining General Motors and Tesla Motors, the largest sellers of rechargeable autos in North America, in promoting the money-saving benefits of battery-powered cars over saving the planet.... Read More »
Nissan to pitch cost savings of Leaf EV in new ad push 11:34 am U.S. ET | April 24, 2013  Nissan is readying a new U.S. ad campaign for its battery-powered Leaf hatchbacks that puts more emphasis on saving money than on saving the planet.... Read More »
PRODUCTION Nissan starts European production of Leaf EVMarch 28, 2013 13:22 CET  Nissan began production of the Leaf electric car at its factory in Sunderland, north east England. The car was previously made in Japan and imported to European markets.... Read More »
Nissan expects Leaf to set monthly U.S. sales record in March 3:40 pm U.S. ET | March 27, 2013  The Nissan Leaf electric vehicle, a month after the company dropped its sticker price by $6,400, is on its way to setting a monthly United States sales record in March of more than 1,900 units, Nissan executives said today.... Read More »
PLUGGING ALONG Plugging along 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013  Are sales of electric-drive vehicles disappointing? No doubt. Has the buzz faded? Undeniably. So are electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids dead? Not really.... Read More »
ELECTRIC CARS Renault CEO Ghosn clings to China for electric car boostMarch 18, 2013 19:10 CET  China will save the electric car, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn predicts - and with it the vision of battery-powered motoring on which he has staked his credibility. Ghosn has invested a bigger share of his companies' cash into the technology than any other mass-market carmaker.... Read More »
Nissan may build Leaf EV in China, government says 11:34 am U.S. ET | March 14, 2013  Nissan may build Leaf electric vehicles in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, according to a government statement.... Read More »
GENEVA AUTO SHOW Nissan is still counting on EV breakthrough 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 11, 2013  High prices and limited range have held back electric vehicle sales, but Nissan remains a true EV believer. "We don't deviate one jot from our determination to be a leader in electric cars," Andy Palmer, Nissan Motor Co. executive vice president, told reporters.... Read More »
2012 EUROPEAN SEGMENT LEADERS Premium cars rule in fading European marketMarch 9, 2013 06:01 CET  European sales fell by 8 percent to 12.5 million units last year, but that didn't diminish buyers' appetite for premium compact vehicles. Sales of premium medium SUVs grew 24 percent to 407,512 because of strong demand for the Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque, according to data from JATO Dynamics.... Read More »
Carmakers seek new ways to cut CO2 emissions as EV optimism wanesMarch 8, 2013 17:06 CET  Automakers are rethinking fuel-saving technologies for passenger cars as hopes dampen that electric vehicles will play a big role in cutting CO2 emissions.... Read More »
2013 GENEVA AUTO SHOW Nissan extends range for Europe-built LeafFeb. 27, 2013 15:34 CET  Nissan has extended the range and lowered the price of the Leaf electric car that the automaker will begin making in the UK in April. The new European version of the Leaf, which will debut at the Geneva auto show next week, will have a range of 200km, up from the 175km range offered in the version of the car made in Japan, the company said today.... Read More »
FINAL ASSEMBLY Nader's EV plan: Lower stickers, batteries come from utilities 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013  Consumer advocate Ralph Nader has long been a thorn in the side of the auto industry, but he is a big supporter of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. But he worries that slow sales of EVs will cause automakers to reach a "here we go again" moment, where "they decide it's not profitable, and they dump it."... Read More »
Auto execs turn away from EVs, focus r&d on downsizing, hybridsFeb. 8, 2013 06:01 CET  Optimism about electric cars is fading as manufacturers scale back investment in response to weak sales. Just 8 percent of auto executives said their companies would invest in pure battery technologies over the next five years.... Read More »
Energy department launches program to promote EV charging at work 5:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 7, 2013  The U.S. Department of Energy, taking another step to help make electric vehicles more popular, has teamed up with automakers and several other companies to boost the number of office-based charging stations tenfold within the next five years.... Read More »
Nissan: Leaf sales to lag until U.S. plant restocks supply 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 4, 2013  Nissan expects sales of its Leaf electric vehicle to sag through March, until a new American assembly line can fill a near-empty dealer pipeline. The problem is purely logistical, Nissan says.... Read More »
Frigid temps offer first tests for many EVs' range, performance 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2013  Frigid temperatures cut electrified vehicles' driving range, but automakers say there are ways for owners to maximize efficiency. With the electrified segment's growth in 2012, more people than ever in cold weather states will need to figure out what it takes to get the most juice out of their vehicles.... Read More »
Ford launches deals to spur Focus EV sales 3:25 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 25, 2013  Ford, responding to soft sales for the Ford Focus EV and recent moves by rivals, has launched a wave of discounts and special lease deals to spur demand for the alternative-powered compact car.... Read More »
NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW Nissan Leaf price cut puts heat on rivals 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013  Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn opened his press conference last week at the Detroit auto show with a bombshell: Nissan will cut the base price of the Leaf electric vehicle by $6,400.... Read More »
2013 DETROIT AUTO SHOW Nissan slashes base Leaf price for 2013 model 3:23 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013  Nissan will cut the base price of the slow-selling Leaf electric car by 18 percent, or $6,400, the automaker said today. The company will sell a 2013 base Leaf S for $28,800, down from $35,200 on the 2012 base model.... Read More »
GE backs off plan to buy 25,000 EVs, plug-in hybrids 12:06 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013  General Electric's commitment to buy 25,000 electric autos, promoted as the largest ever when it was announced more than two years ago, is taking a detour. The obstacle: Customers of GE's corporate fleet-services unit wanted more options. So GE has included natural gas-powered pickups and propane-fueled vehicles among about 11,000 autos -- mostly plug-in hybrids and electric cars -- already acquired from makers including Ford and GM.... Read More »
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