LeafNHTSA proposes rules for automakers to add sound to hybrids, EVs 1:29 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013  Automakers would need to make hybrids and electric vehicles emit sound under rules that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed today. The rules, ordered by Congress three years ago, are meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists from vehicles that make little sound when using electric power. NHTSA says that designing the vehicles to make noise at speeds below 18 mph would prevent about 2,800 injuries over the life of each model year of vehicles.... Read More »
2012 LISTS OF 10 Blunders 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 31, 2012 A look at some of the notable gaffes from the past year.... Read More »
LINDSAY CHAPPELL On the mpg front, 2012 had some fizzle 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 28, 2012  This was supposed to be a big year in the push for better auto fuel economy. Electric vehicles and hybrids were supposed to make giant strides in 2012.... Read More »
Nissan sweetens Leaf warranty in answer to critics 5:57 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 27, 2012  Nissan plans to bolster the warranty of the battery modules in its electric Leafs to reassure consumers of their durability. The company intends to notify current owners and dealers early next year that it will make the warranty retroactive to cover all existing Leafs, offering to repair or replace the car’s lithium-ion battery if it loses more than 30 percent of its ability to hold a charge after five years or 60,000 miles.... Read More »
Nissan shifts Leaf marketing strategy 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 17, 2012  Nissan admits its launch strategy on the Leaf miscalculated the short-term market potential for the electric vehicle and says it will do a better job of targeting potential buyers.... Read More »
Nissan hits back at Fiat for criticism of Leaf stylingDec. 5, 2012 09:45 CET  Nissan has hit back at Fiat for its recent criticism of the looks of the Japanese automaker's Leaf EV. “Let's face it, Fiat has not shied away from controversial styling themselves,” Nissan head of global marketing communications Simon Sproule said. “Many would describe many of their products as visual pollution."... Read More »
Chevy Volt again ranked by Consumer Reports as most-loved car 6:00 am U.S. ET | Nov. 29, 2012  The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid landed atop Consumer Reports' annual owner-satisfaction ranking for the second straight year. Ninety-two percent of responding Volt owners in a poll of the magazine's subscribers said they definitely would buy a Volt again, tops among 240 models, the magazine said today. Several other fuel-efficient models also scored highly, including Toyota's Camry Hybrid, Prius, and Prius C as well as Nissan's Leaf electric car.... Read More »
Turning over a new Leaf 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 26, 2012  The re-engineered Nissan Leaf electric sedan delivers a longer driving range, better driving dynamics, new styling and an entry-level sticker that's $5,100 lower than its predecessor's. Nissan Motor Co.'s overhauled EV went on sale in Japan on Tuesday, Nov. 20, with a no-frills level added below the two trim packages currently offered. All levels got a host of enhancements.... Read More »
FROM THE CURRENT ANE PRINT ISSUE Nissan's top executive in Europe sticks to tough targetNov. 20, 2012 06:01 CET  Nissan aims to pass Toyota as the top-selling Asian brand in Europe by 2016. Colin Dodge, who heads Nissan's European operations, is sticking to this goal despite the region's economic slump. Dodge sees the brand's new compact hatchback, due in 2014, and expansion in Russia as key growth areas for the company.... Read More »
LINDSAY CHAPPELL With Ghosn and Leaf, Kevin Costner's 'Tin Cup' comes to mind 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 17, 2012  Hearing Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn acknowledge that Nissan will not sell 20,000 electric Leafs in America this year, despite his unfailing assurances otherwise for the past year, I couldn't help remembering the old Kevin Costner golfing movie Tin Cup.... Read More »
Electric vehicle prices must fall for sales to take off, Power study finds 4:01 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 8, 2012  U.S. sales of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles are rising, but they won't gain real traction until manufacturers lower prices and demonstrate clear economic benefits, market researcher J.D. Power and Associates said in a study released on Thursday.... Read More »
Obama's $5 billion delivers slow jolt to electric vehicles 8:21 am U.S. ET | Oct. 16, 2012  President Barack Obama has put $5 billion in taxpayer money behind his goal of having 1 million electric cars on U.S. roads by 2015. The Republican presidential ticket says it's money wasted on “losers.” Whether the technology itself is a loser or consumers are merely slow to adapt to new things, car buyers so far haven't embraced electric vehicles in numbers close to Obama's goal.... Read More »
A big bet on EVs 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 8, 2012  More than three years after embarking on a plan to mass produce electric cars in America, Nissan North America is putting the final touches on its $1.6 billion factory in Smyrna, Tenn. But it's all happening as the electric-vehicle market is falling far short of the rosy projections made back in 2009.... Read More »
Nissan plans cheaper Leaf variant 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 8, 2012  Nissan Motor Co., looking to bolster lackluster sales of its Leaf electric vehicle, will roll out a lower-priced variant for 2013. The entry trim level will be positioned below the two variants already offered, people familiar with the plan say.... Read More »
Nissan plans Leaf EV with budget trim level to spur sales 11:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 5, 2012  Nissan, looking to bolster tumbling sales of its Leaf electric car, will roll out a budget variant next year in a bid for a more-affordable sticker. The entry trim level would be positioned below the two higher-specification grades currently offered, two people familiar with the plan said.... Read More »
Volt deals, Toyota plug-in Prius buoy rechargeable-car sales 6:19 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 2, 2012  General Motors' Chevrolet Volt widened its lead as the top-selling U.S. rechargeable car this year and Toyota Motor Corp. expanded plug-in Prius deliveries as Nissan said it's working to boost electric Leaf sales.... Read More »
Nissan plans panel to advise Leaf owners 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 1, 2012 Nissan plans an independent global panel to review data for its electric Leaf batteries and help advise a small group of owners in Phoenix who believe their batteries are aging too fast.... Read More »
CORRECTION Nissan wants independent voice on probe of Leaf battery complaints 12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 27, 2012  Editor's note: An earlier version of this story mischaracterized the role of an independent advisory panel that Nissan is seeking. The group would review Nissan engineering data and communicate with Nissan Leaf owners about reported problems with the car's batteries.... Read More »
Nissan wants independent voice on probe of Leaf battery complaints 7:20 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 25, 2012  Nissan will ask an independent global panel to help it better communicate with a small group of electric Leaf owners in Phoenix who believe their batteries are aging too fast. While the automaker believes there is no problem with the lithium ion batteries, it has asked electric-car advocate and former General Motors marketing manager Chelsea Sexton to form a worldwide group to reassure disgruntled owners about their Leafs.... Read More »
Daimler, BMW, VW race to catch up with EV, hybrid modelsSept. 25, 2012 10:04 CET German automakers including Daimler, BMW and VW have spent much of the past decade fine-tuning their diesel and gasoline engines, letting Toyota race ahead in hybrid technology and more recently, allowing GM and the Renault-Nissan alliance take the lead in electric-powered vehicles.... Read More »
CARS & CONCEPTS Web chat alerts Nissan to Leaf woes 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 30, 2012  Nissan Motor Co. has dispatched engineers from Japan to look into online chat reports of battery problems with the Leaf electric car in the southwestern United States.... Read More »
BMW to showcase fleet at OlympicsJuly 26, 2012 06:01 CET  BMW has completed an 800-square-meter pavilion within the Olympic Park that will showcase its cars during the Olympics in London. BMW, which is the official automotive sponsor of the Summer Games, provided 4,000 hybrid, diesel and electric-powered vehicles to transport officials, media, volunteers and athletes during the Games, which start Friday.... Read More »
Silent justice: The Nissan Leaf as a stealthy police car? 2:00 pm U.S. ET | July 18, 2012  Portuguese criminals throughout Lisbon may have to peek over their shoulders in fear of silent justice. Electric Nissan Leaf hatchbacks, bearing the moniker “Polícia,” could pull up stealthily at a moment's notice to bring the law.... Read More »
Tesla, EV market face big test with first Model S sale 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 22, 2012  Tesla survived a cash crisis in 2008 and today delivers its first electric car designed and built solely in-house. Co-founder Elon Musk will soon learn if there's enough Model S demand for Tesla to profit.... Read More »
Nissan sees Leaf sales in U.S. doubling on local productionJune 18, 2012 09:04 CET  Nissan will begin production of its Leaf EV in the United States in December, helping Japan's second-largest carmaker double U.S. sales of the subcompact to 20,000.... Read More »
|
|  | ||||
Special Report
 Toyota's Lentz: Camry in a 'three-horse race'Toyota's Jim Lentz says the Camry will fend off main rival Honda Accord and upstarts such as the Ford Fusion... Mon., May 20» Watch the Video |
News by Brand
