Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Thursday, June 04, 2009 11:00 PM
Author: Gary Spencer
Subject: My Favorite Cars Pt. 4: Mustang vs. Z Series
| You know, I'm a big fan of Mustangs, both past and present. They're the classic American muscle car. But I'm also a fan of the Nissan Z series (my favorite model being the 300ZX, but I think they're all pretty sweet) as it's a fun, ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Saturday, August 08, 2009 9:07 AM
Author: Brian Cooley
Subject: 130: Obama boosts the Guzzler's program, and we burn a bunch of gas in a Z4
| Obama extends the Guzzler's program--how long will it last? Nissan prepares to get its first EV to market ahead of schedule. California makes new rules about car insurance company snooping. And we take a ride in the stunning BMW Z4. Listen now: Download today's podcast Originally posted at Car Tech Podcast |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Tuesday, July 28, 2009 3:31 AM
Author: Antuan Goodwin
Subject: Nissan developing new CVT with auxiliary gearbox tech
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Nissan and JATCO are developing a new generation of CVTs. (Credit: Nissan) Nissan's continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) have historically impressed us with their smoothness and efficiency. Nissan's latest announcement, in conjunction with its transmission supplier JATCO Ltd., could mean that its next generation of transmissions could be even ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Monday, July 27, 2009 11:04 PM
Author: Martin LaMonica
Subject: Nissan unveils all-electric sedan prototype
| Nissan gave a glimpse of its plans to make an all-electric sedan that will go 100 miles on a charge and have a suite of online features to aid drivers. The company on Monday showed off an electric car prototype, based on the Tiida mid-size sedan. It said that an ... Originally posted at Green Tech |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Friday, July 10, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Nissan's big bet: Mass market for EVs
| YOKOHAMA, Japan--Nissan Motor Co. CEO Carlos Ghosn is spending big money to make electric vehicles in high volumes--and soon. On Aug. 2, Ghosn will unveil the first of three electric models in three vehicle segments that he plans to sell by 2013. The vehicles will be made ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Thursday, July 02, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Automakers scrap diesel plans
| Mainstream carmakers have put the brakes on nine diesel-powered vehicles that had been scheduled for 2010. Honda, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, and Toyota have halted diesel programs because of spiraling costs and other problems. Financial problems halted the programs at some companies. Others, like Toyota, are looking elsewhere for fuel economy. "We are banking heavily on hybrids," said Toyota spokesman Curt McAllister. Only German automakers--Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW--have followed through with plans to launch U.S. diesels on time. Most German diesels are in premium vehicles similar to vehicles built in large numbers for Europe and other markets. That volume reduces development and production costs per vehicle. A diesel engine typically delivers fuel economy 20 to 30 percent better than that of a gasoline engine. But a diesel can add between $3,000 and $8,000 to a vehicle's price. Costly components include the turbocharger, the high-pressure fuel injection system and the complex emissions system, which is filled with precious metals. That cost seems to be a barrier for the mass-market brands. Still, the new German diesels are selling well. The price of diesel fuel may be a factor. It has dropped from its high last summer of $4.85 per gallon--considerably more than gasoline--to $2.63 last week, a few pennies less than a gallon of regular gasoline. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Saturday, June 27, 2009 11:00 PM
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Subject: Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V isn't all it can be
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We love hopped-up compact cars. Driving a Civic Si, Mazdaspeed3, or GTI is always a blast, so we were anticipating the arrival of the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. But it didn't exactly deliver on its promise. Tire squealing acceleration? Check. Flip through corners? Not ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Thursday, July 30, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Nissan tweaks mpg to sweeten payout
| Engineers at Nissan Motors are scurrying to eke another mile or two per gallon out of their vehicles to win customers who come looking for federal cash-for-guzzlers money. "We want as many of our products as possible to pop up on the shopping list," Nissan North America spokesman Brian Brockman says. Dealer enthusiasm and ad hype already are making cash-for-guzzlers the auto marketing event of the season. Nissan's actions show how automakers are enlisting engineers and others in their eagerness to take part. Realistically, there is little Nissan's vehicle engineers can do to improve fuel economy dramatically in the short amount of time the federal program is scheduled to run, concedes Robert Sump, vice president of Nissan Technical Center North America in suburban Detroit. The usual ways to cut fuel consumption, such as eliminating engine friction or switching to lighter materials, often take years. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Nissan seeks mass-market appeal for Leaf EV
| TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Nissan plans to price its Leaf electric vehicle to compete with $25,000 to $33,000 mass-market cars in the United States. That does not include any government incentives offered to buyers, said Larry Dominique, vice president of product planning for Nissan North America Inc. "Competitive pricing is going to allow mass-market appeal, which is going to set Nissan apart," he told the Management Briefing Seminars here. The electric-vehicle program's goals included "zero emissions, no price premium, lower maintenance costs" than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles and "lower total cost of ownership," he said. Nissan aims for the Leaf to be less expensive to operate than internal combustion engines, even if gasoline prices drop to $1.10 a gallon, he said. Nissan Motor Co., which unveiled the Leaf in Japan Aug. 2, has committed to sales starting late next year of 5,000 Leafs in the United States for test purposes. The plan will require Nissan to begin retailing the Leaf two years ahead of the schedule set by Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn. Those first 5,000 U.S. Leafs will take part in a five-market study of electric-vehicle driving habits. Nissan and public utilities and government agencies want to understand how consumers recharge their vehicles. Customers will buy the cars from dealerships. They must agree to have their recharging habits monitored through an onboard black box for their first two years of ownership. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 2:48 AM
Author: Rory Reid
Subject: Nissan GT-R: Meet the 193 mph fire engine
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The fire hose extends by around 65 feet and has an on-off handle for "burst mode." Click on the above photo for more images. (Credit: M&M Automotive) What happens when you mix a fire engine with a 193 mph supercar co-designed by the makers of Gran Turismo? Well, if these pictures are anything to go by, you get the fastest, coolest emergency vehicle in the world. Apart from Thunderbird 1, of course. The Nissan GT-R ultra-rapid response emergency vehicle was modified by M&M Automotive to offer some serious firefighting abilities. Its two rear seats were removed to make room for a 13-gallon tank secured by a roll cage, while in the trunk, there's a medium-pressure (20 bars) extinguisher system and winding device for a 65-foot hose. According to Nissan, the car will dispense both water and foam, and can fight fires for approximately two minutes on a single tank. The car was built specifically to patrol the iconic Nurburgring race track in Germany's Eifel region, where hundreds of amateur drivers try their luck on the high-performance circuit every year. Accidents are, understandably, quite commonplace, so having a fast emergency vehicle on hand is a smart idea. Ordinary fire engines would take ages to reach an accident, but, despite carrying an extra 440 pounds of firefighting equipment, the GT-R can lap the twisty 13-mile Nordschleife circuit in less than eight minutes. Car geeks the world over will tell you the GT-R is the perfect car for the job. Not only is it ludicrously fast, but it also has all manner of high-tech gizmos to help the driver arrive in a hurry. ... Originally posted at Crave |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Sunday, August 16, 2009 4:56 AM
Author: Brian Cooley
Subject: 131: 230, 367, hike! What in hell do these new mpg numbers mean?
| Chevy Volt gets 230 miles per gallon (for a day) while Nissan says we can play that game, too. BMW gets hybrid religion (again), and we take you for a ride in an Audi Q5 and point out what we love and what we wish we could. Listen now: Download today's podcast ... Originally posted at Car Tech Podcast |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Ghosn: Electric cars worth billions being invested
| YOKOHAMA, Japan--Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says the potential payoff from pioneering zero-emission cars is worth the risk of investing billions. Electric vehicles could take 10 percent of the global market by 2020, or roughly 6 million units in annual sales, Ghosn said. His comments came during the unveiling of the near-production version of Nissan's new electric four-door Leaf hatchback, which goes on sale next year. Nissan showed the Leaf at the Aug. 2 opening of its new global headquarters here. Where rivals see a niche, Nissan has "a completely different vision," Ghosn said. "We see it as mass market." Electric-vehicle sales hardly even register in today's market. But Nissan Motors, after long trailing Honda Motors and Toyota in hybrid vehicle technology, sees its lithium ion battery-powered electric vehicles as a way to jump ahead in the green-car race. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Saturday, August 15, 2009 1:42 AM
Author: Antuan Goodwin
Subject: Nissan claims 367 mpg for electric Leaf
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How does the Leaf get huge miles per gallon without actually using gallons? (Credit: Nissan) OK, these ridiculous mpg claims are starting to get out of hand. Earlier this week, General Motors announced an estimated 230 mpg for the upcoming Volt extended-range EV--a claim that was later undermined by the EPA. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Thursday, August 06, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: EV's computer combats will-I-make-it anxiety
| OPPAMA, Japan -- Nissan Motor Co.'s new electric vehicle comes with a computer system aimed at allaying drivers' fears that they will be stranded midtrip by dead batteries. The system taps navigation maps, cell phones and a 24-hour global data center to keep drivers apprised of how much farther they can drive. "One of the fears of customers is what happens when you run out of electricity," Nissan r&d chief Mitsuhiko Yamashita said last week at Nissan's Oppama technical center before the car's Aug. 2 unveiling. "This charging support gives drivers a secure feeling and will help EVs become more widely accepted." The navigation system shows a map with the driving radius of one-way and round trips possible given the car's current charge. It can calculate whether the vehicle is within range of a preset destination. The car also tracks all charging stations within range in case its lithium ion batteries need more juice. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Nissan gizmo battles bad smells before your nose even knows
| OPPAMA, Japan--Imagine a drive through the countryside when you suddenly sniff that distinctive, methane-drenched stench that says you're in cattle country. Nissan Motor says it knows how to spare your nose. Nissan's new Forest AC air-conditioning system detects offensive odors before they enter the car. It then automatically masks the smells with the pleasant aroma of floral wood and freshly cut grass. Forest AC is just one of several new technologies that could be coming to the United States as early as next year. Nissan showed them last week at its annual advanced technology briefing. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 7:00 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Nissan plans battery plants
| SUNDERLAND, England--Nissan Motor will invest almost $700 million in two plants to make batteries for electric cars in Britain and Portugal after securing financial support from those nations' governments, Reuters reported. Nissan will put more than $328.6 million into a plant near Sunderland in northeast England, ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Monday, August 03, 2009 1:42 AM
Author: Wayne Cunningham
Subject: Nissan turns over a new Leaf
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The Nissan Leaf is an electric car going into production in 2010. (Credit: Nissan) This weekend Nissan released photos and details of the electric car it intends to put into production in 2010. The Nissan Leaf is a purpose-built, pure battery electric vehicle. Nissan previously let us test-drive the Leaf'... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 9:02 AM
Author: Suzanne Ashe
Subject: BMW Z4 vs. Nissan 370Z
| Top Gear reviews the new BMW Z4 and the Nissan 370Z, putting each car through the paces. Although the 10-minute video favors the Z4, the Nissan has a few surprises. |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Thursday, July 30, 2009 4:30 AM
Author: Antuan Goodwin
Subject: New York coppers go green, <br />get Nissan Altima hybrid squad cars
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The Nissan Altima hybrid is the first hybrid squad car to be used by the NYPD. (Credit: NYPD) Here in sunny San Francisco and in many other major cities, hybrid taxis and buses are pretty commonplace. But New Yorkers might want to get used to seeing hybrid police cars, as ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 3:22 AM
Author: Antuan Goodwin
Subject: Nissan's Z takes on Porsche's finest
| Folks are always talking about Nissan and Porsche's Nurburgring rivalry between their heavyweights: the GT-R and 911. But the automakers may have another rivalry on their hands a short way down their respective product lines. When the Nissan 370Z first hit the streets late last year, many automotive journalists ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Thursday, July 09, 2009 2:39 AM
Author: Antuan Goodwin
Subject: 2009 Nissan Rogue: No surprises here
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The Nissan Rogue may go down in history as one of the most inaccurately named cars of all time. It's not mysterious. It's not particularly quick. It is relatively quiet, but you won't be catching anyone off guard in this tubby little CUV. ... |
Feed: Car Tech: An automotive blog from CNET
Posted on: Monday, July 06, 2009 11:57 PM
Author: Automotive News
Subject: Nissan exec plugs away to build EV power grid
| NASHVILLE--Imagine selling cars in a country with no gas stations. That's the challenge facing Nissan Motor Co.'s electric-vehicle ambitions. No recharging stations, no Nissan electric-vehicle sales. Enter Tracy Woodard. "It's sort of a chicken-and-egg thing," she says. "You can't sell EVs until there's an infrastructure. These things have to be hard-wired, and communities have to plan for that." Woodard, director of government affairs at Nissan North America, has been on the road almost nonstop since last year, appealing to cities and states around the country to stimulate the creation of local electric-vehicle infrastructures. So far, Woodard has worked out partnerships with governments and utilities in eight cities, states, or regions, including San Diego, Phoenix, and Raleigh, N.C. Local authorities have pledged to begin moving forward on electric-vehicle recharging networks, making new power-grid plans, devising residential electrical permitting policies, and the like. Nissan aims to be the industry leader in mass-marketing electric vehicles in the United States. In June, the company said it will spend $1.6 billion to construct an electric-vehicle assembly operation in Smyrna, Tenn., along with a factory to manufacture lithium ion batteries. It will train 1,300 employees for the task. ... |
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