Nissan

Eco-Friendly Cars: Toyota Prius to Tesla Roadster, Part 2

Despite vast promotions and bright, constant media spotlights, Chevy and Nissan are not the only new green players. Tesla, the Bay Area-based manufacturer, debuted its all-electric, super-quick but limited production Roadster in 2006. About 2,000 Tesla Roadsters with a 244-mile range, have been sold worldwide.  And the Tesla’s less expensive, estimated $50,000 S sedan will be available next year with three range options. Automakers carefully choose when and how they debut new models, although most often it occurs at various auto shows around country throughout the year, The buzz for hybrids and electric vehicles was particularly prevalent at the Detroit Auto Show, the year’s first major show, in early January. Ford unveiled the Focus Electric, C-Max Energi and C-Max Hybrid,

Read more

Nissan Leaf Named Kelley Blue Book Green Car of 2011

Despite its miniscule fleet in the United States, the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle  has been named the top green vehicle of 2011 by Kelley Blue Book because of its “ground-breaking combination of range, room and price.” The Chevy Volt, an electric car with a range-extending gas engine finished second in the voting by the renowned car guide. Although there about 20,000 active reservations in the U.S. for the Nissan Leaf, less than 500 have been delivered via mechanical issues or the recent earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. Kelley Blue Book  labeled the Leaf as “the first electric car for the masses.” Here’s a list of the top 10 electric cars of 2011, according to Kelly Blue Book: 1. 2011 Nissan

Read more

Nissan reports starting issue with electric Leaf

Nissan, the No. 2 carmaker in Japan, said Monday it’s investigating complaints from Nissan Leaf owners the electric car on occasion fails to start. A Reuters report detailed Nissan is looking into the exact cause, which it’s traced to the Leaf’s air-conditioning unit via component or programming issues. Nissan does not have a recalled planned, but is determining its next step after it identifies the source of the problem. Nissan has received complaints in the United States and Japan, although the volume of complaints has not been released. Nissan launched the five-seater Leaf, its zero emissions electric plug-in vehicle, in Japan and the United States in December, 2010. Nissan has sold more than 3,300 units in Japan as of February

Read more

Ferrari, Nissan, BMW chosen on 2011 All-Ugly car list

It’s not often Ferrari and Mazda or Lotus and Nissan are featured in the same car discussion. But all of them, and several other surprising choices, have been selected on the list of the 10 ugliest cars of 2011. John Pearley Huffman, who writes the appropriately titled Taking Blame column for the Inside Line feature on Edmunds.com, has strong and clever opinions. And he has a good share of detractors because of his selections. Huffman believes the Ferrari California is a ugly as the Mazda3 sedan. And he lumps the Dodge Caliber with the BMW6 series. The trio of newfangled electric-gas hybrids, the Chevy Volt, Honda Insight and Toyota Prius are grouped in an all-ugly category Huffman describes as “one

Read more

New design for 2012 Nissan Versa, 2nd-cheapest U.S. Car

The 2012 Nissan Versa, the second generation of the entry level sub-compact, will have its North American debut April 20-21 at the New York Auto Show. The recent increases in gas prices will likely add to what is already expected to be substantial attention for the Versa. The sub-compact segment is among the most competitive with Versa’s challengers including the Chevrolet Sonic, redesigned Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta as well as the updated Toyota Yaris and Mazda2. With the exception of  “spy shots,” few details of the 2012 Versa are available, but the design has been described as “edgier.” The Versa was introduced in the United States and in Canada in July 2006 as a 2007 model.  The hatchback model

Read more

Nissan, other car makers assess disaster impact (video)

The global effect to the auto industry following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan is still be assessed. But Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mazda have all stopped production, thousands of cars have been destroyed or damaged and the available of some models in the United States and other key sales countries has yet to be determined. Nissan, Japan’s second-largest car maker, reports 2,300 vehicles were burned or crumpled in the disaster, including nearly 1,300 Infiniti M, EX and FX models ready for transport to the United States. Additionally, some Z models, among other Nissan offerings, were destroyed. Correspondingly, six Nissan production plants suffered structural damage. Insurance analysts estimate the Japan disaster may cost the global automotive industry as much as

Read more

Japan Economy: Toyota, Honda, Nissan cease production

Toyota, Nissan and Honda have all suspended production of cars and trucks in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that has devastated northeastern Japan. Toyota, Japan’s largest automaker, reported it has ceased manufacturing at its 12 plants until March 16, according to Reuters. Two of the closed factories have  a combined annual capacity of 420,000 small cars built mainly for exported sales. Toyota manufactured 234,045 vehicles (38 percent of its global production) in January in Japan. Nissan has halted output at four plants in northeast Japan and will remain closed without a scheduled re-opening date. Two Nissan employees at a plant in Tochigi prefecture were slightly injured by the earthquake, according to new agencies. The carmaker also reported 1,300

Read more

Nissan Versa leads top-10 cheapest new cars to own

The 2011 Nissan Versa is the least expensive car in the United States to own and operate for five years, according to a new report on the website of the business publication, Kiplinger. The five-year cost of ownership assessment, published on Kiglinger.com, includes the purchase price, down payment, interest on the car loan, insurance, depreciation, taxes and fees, fuel, service and repairs. The Versa and the other cars on the list are all compacts or subcompacts because, according to the report, “They tend to have the lowest market price, the best fuel economy, and reasonable insurance rates since premiums tend to rise with horsepower.” The Nissan Versa averages 26 mpg (city) and 34 mpg (highway), has six airbags standard, but

Read more

Nissan Leaf, Tesla Roadster top 2011 'gas' mileage honors

The influx of hybrid vehicles and intensified competition among manufacturers has shuffled the  annual listing of most efficient cars. For 2011, some cars are familiar, but there are a few surprises. Compiled by editors of the web site, thedailygreen.com and published on Huffington Post.com, the Nissan Leaf, the first standard production, all-electric car on the road in the United States, shares the best “gas” of any car in the country, the equivalent of 99 mpg, with the Tesla Roadster, the limited production electric sports car. Here’s the description of the Leaf and the list of the top-15 cars for 2011 with the best gas mileage averages: “The first all-electric car on the road in the U.S. is the Nissan Leaf,

Read more

Kia Optima tops BMW, Honda, Chevy, Nissan for Cars.com Best of 2011 award

Kia, the once not-so touted cousin of the equally once not-so lauded Hyundai, has joined its midsize brethren in the honors line. Cars.com has given the Kia Optima its “Best of 2011” award. The editors of the web site cited the Optima’s outstanding fuel economy overall driving. Hyundai, which owns Kia, has received its share of honors for its Sonata and other vehicles in the Korean manufacturer’s lineup. The editors of Cars.com said: “With its value, sharp packaging, outstanding fuel efficiency and lofty features, the Optima gives all family-car shoppers a shot at something far more compelling than the segment represents.” The BMW 5 Series, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt (recently named North American Car of the Year), Honda Odyssey and

Read more

Ford counters Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt with Focus Electric

Ford Motor Company has unveiled the Focus Electric — the automaker’s first all-electric passenger car. The zero-CO2-emissions, gasoline-free version of Ford’s popular small car is the flagship of the company’s growing fleet of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles coming to North America and Europe by 2013. The Focus Electric will launch in late 2011 and offer a mile-per-gallon equivalent better than Chevrolet Volt and competitive with other battery electric vehicles, according to Ford. A full recharge is expected to take three to four hours at home with the 240-volt charge station — half the charge time of the Nissan Leaf. Ford will be partnering with Best Buy and the Geek Squad for installation and servicing of a two-part charging

Read more

Nissan Rogue 2011 car review

Now in its fourth model year as a compact sport utility vehicle, the Nissan Rogue is the smaller sibling of the Murano crossover. It comes standard with front-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is an option) and a four-cylinder, 170-horsepower engine. For 2011, the Rogue has refreshed styling, several new colors and features for the first time Bluetooth and a USB port. It’s available in three trims, S, SL and Krom — the sport model. The new styling includes a new front fascia with fog-light cut-outs, a redesigned chrome grille, the addition of chrome trim on the lower door edges, a revised rear spoiler, and a new chrome bar above the rear license-plate holder. Eight paint colors are now available, twice as

Read more

Nissan Cube, Honda Crosstour get 2010 all-ugly honors

One car owner’s dream car is another auto enthusiast’s nightmare. In 2010, more than one model grabbed its share of attention and catapulted its way to the year’s all-ugly list — the Nissan Cube to two Honda models. Correspondingly, while the Nissan Cube and Honda Accord Crosstour have received all-ugly honors, they’ve also received auto industry innovation design awards. In its 2010 end-of-the-year compilation, Forbes.com chose eight cars for their less-than-attractive appearances. The website also features a clever image of a Nissan Cube mostly covered by a brown paper bag. In its introduction to the article, the Forbes’ writer said: “Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some consumers love the quirky angles of the (Scion) xB, or

Read more

California customer gets delivery of first Nissan Leaf in U.S.

Nissan has delivered the all-electric Leaf to its first customer in the United States, marking what green car proponents hope will be a milestone in the automotive industry. Olivier Chalouhi, who paid a $99 deposit like about 20,000 other pending Leaf owners, took delivery of the Leaf in Petaluma, Ca. during a press conference at a Nissan delearship. Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner and a national spokesperson for Nissan, was given the first Leaf about two months ago in Texas. Chalouchi, a 31-year-old entrepreuner, plans to drive the Leaf, which has a range of between 60 and 120 miles, about 20 miles per day. He was the first person to place his order for the Nissan Leaf

Read more
,

Nissan Leaf, 2011 review

The Nissan Leaf hatchback sedan — the first mass-produced all-electric car —drives like a regular, pleasant five-passenger economy car. However, some  owners may worry they’ll run out of charge before reaching their destination. However, Nissan says 90 percent of the U.S. population, on average, drives less than 100 miles a day. It says typical consumer weekday and weekend driving patterns are mostly less than 50 miles. The ran of the Leaf with a fully charged battery is touted as  100 miles. Key Takeaways First mass-produced all-electric car: The Leaf made history as the first purpose-built, mass-market battery electric vehicle, driving like a pleasant five-passenger economy hatchback with zero tailpipe emissions. 100-mile range covers 90% of daily driving: Nissan cites data

Read more

Nissan recalling more than 600,000 vehicles with potential steering, battery defects

Nissan is recalling more than 600,000 vehicles, mostly in United States and involving Frontier pick-ups and Xterra SUVs, to fix faulty steering columns and battery cables that could result in cracked steering shafts. A lower steering column joint and shaft will be replaced on approximately 303,000 Frontier edition and 283,000 Xterra editions in 2002-2004 model years. Additionally, the positive battery cable terminal will be replaced on approximately 18,500 Sentra sedans made between May 15, 2010 to July 8, 2010 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Approximately 515,000 of the vehicles involved are in the U.S. The remaining recalls will occur in Canada and several Latin American and African countries. In the SUVs, the lower steering column joint can, in rare cases, develop corrosion

Read more
Previous Next