Nissan News
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Yesterday, Nissan officially started U.S. production of the 2013 Altima at its vehicle assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. The fifth generation of the car since it was launched in 1992, the 2013 Altima is expected to arrive at Nissan dealers across the U.S. at the start of June, with the entry-level model expected to retail for around $21,500. Available with two different engines and a choice of several different trim options, Nissan customers can choose from one of seven different Altima models. Two engine choices The base model is powered by a 182-horsepower, 2.5-liter, dual overhead cam...
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Five Ideal Companion Cars To The 2012 Nissan LeafYou’ve taken the plunge and shelled out anything from $33,000 upwards for an all-electric 2012 Nissan Leaf. Quiet, efficient and full of gadgets, you’ve discovered that it has quickly relegated your gas car to the garage, carrying out the weekend chores, work commutes and maybe even...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2011 Nissan Leafs Start Losing Capacity Bars: Should You Worry?It had to happen some time, just not perhaps as quickly as this. Since Nissan’s all-electric Leaf hatchback launched in late 2010, many have been watching with interest to see how long it would be before the car’s 24 kilowatt-hour battery pack showed the gradual reduction in range and...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
How Committed Is Nissan To Electric Cars? How About $4 Billion?New global car programs cost a lot, usually starting at $1 billion for a new platform and all the engineering, testing, and validation of the vehicle(s) it involves. Now a high-ranking Nissan executive has given a glimpse of what the company is spending on its electric-car program: $4 billion...
John Voelcker -
Fast Charging Vs Battery Switching: Better Place Customer ComparesBy far the most reasonable use for electric cars charged at home is for a regular commute. If the return journey is less than the range of the car, electric cars make complete sense. Battery topping up using Level 2 chargers in public areas is a bonus, but rarely make an impossible journey...
Brian of London -
2012 Nissan Leaf: Here's What It Went Through To Get To YouWith thousands of Leafs sold since the model's launch, it appears most owners are more than happy with their purchase. For many, the Leaf will be their first taste of all-electric mobility, and they're finding that the Leaf is happy to do everything their previous vehicle did--only without...
Antony Ingram -
Electric cars, just like every other device or machine that relies on rechargeable batteries, slowly discharge over time. Leave them in low state of charge for too long, and their traction battery packs are destroyed. Which is why automakers like Nissan and Chevrolet recommend owners follow specific instructions before leaving their Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt cars for extended periods of time. As we’ve proven, a 2011 Nissan Leaf will lose a few miles of charge if left unplugged in a semi-charged state for 8 days. Leaving your car plugged into a suitable charging station while...
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Diesel Nissans Unlikely In U.S, Plug-In Hybrid On The Way?Japanese automakers haven't embraced diesels in quite the same way as some other companies have done. Even in Europe, where diesels are popular, the range is limited. That's perhaps not surprising, given the unique demands in the crowded cities of the Japanese home market--making cleaner gasoline...
Antony Ingram -
2012 Nissan Leaf: No More Reservation Fees, Buy Like Any Other CarWhen Nissan first launched the 2011 Leaf, it introduced an online reservation system for would-be owners of the all-electric hatchback. Instead of relying on Nissan dealers to assess demand, Nissan opened up a dedicated reservation website, where those interested could pay $99 to be given a place...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
UK-Built 2013 Nissan Leaf To Sport Unique Europe-Only StylingLet’s face it: Europeans and Americans have very different tastes in cars. So much so, it is common for the same car to be subtly redesigned for each market. Now Colin Lawther, vice president of Nissan engineering in Europe, has announced that the European version of the 2013 Leaf will get a...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Want To Upgrade Your Leaf Charger To 6.6-kW? It Might Not HappenThe Nissan Leaf may not be able to have its battery recharger upgraded.
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
How Much Range Does Your Leaf Lose If You Unplug It For 8 Days?Remember Michael DeGusta, the guy who indadvertedly ‘bricked’ his oh-so-expensive Tesla Roadster after storing it in an almost-empty state for nearly two months? In the case of DeGusta’s Tesla, the car used most of the remaining charge trying to keep itself warm, but the story did...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Ever since Nissan launched its Leaf electric hatchback in late 2010, owners around the world have struggled with its on-board Carwings telematics system. Responsible for everything from initiating remote charging and cabin pre-conditioning through to predicting remaining range and finding charging stations, Carwings hasn’t always been that reliable...or accurate. Now Nissan is promising an upcoming software update to the Carwings system found in every Nissan Leaf, drastically improving the range prediction algorithms that are responsible for what many Leaf owners have unceremoniously...
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Infiniti LE Concept: Electric Sedan Full Details, NY Auto ShowYesterday, we got a brief glimpse of Infiniti's four-door sedan concept car; today, we have all the details of the Infiniti LE Concept. The four-door, all-electric sedan concept is really a thinly disguised production car that will reach Infiniti dealers within two years. It gives Nissan's luxury...
John Voelcker -
2013 Nissan Altima Promises Up To 38 MPG Highway Fuel EconomyThe 2013 Nissan Altima appears as if it will raise the bar for midsize sedan style and fuel efficiency.
Kurt Ernst -
Nissan CEO On Leaf Sales: Take The Long View, It Will HappenIt's the kind of question that makes every CEO roll his eyes. In effect, it translated to: Your sales of one model last month were lousy, so is that car a failure in the market? But if the model is the Nissan Leaf, the first battery electric vehicle sold in volume in the U.S. (and around the...
John Voelcker -
2011 Nissan Leaf: One-Year Drive ReportOn March 28, 2011, I took delivery of a European-specification 2011 Nissan Leaf. Yesterday, a few days short of our 1-year anniversary with the car, its odometer passed the 15,000 mile mark. But what have we learned about Nissan’s first electric car after living with it daily for a year?...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Nissan Leaf: Better Heater, Leather Option, 6.6-kW ChargerNissan’s all-electric Leaf hatchback has only been on sale in the U.S. for the past 15 months, but Nissan has already confirmed it will get some much-needed upgrades for the 2013 model. Speaking to The Detroit News yesterday, Mark Perry, director of product and advanced planning for Nissan...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Unless you’re the kind of person who likes spelunking, the chances are you don’t spend much time in caves. For PBS, the underground caves of Cumberland Caverns, Tennessee form the perfect acoustic music venue for the latest season of its Bluegrass Underground show. But how do you get musicians, instruments and television equipment some 300 feet underground to the venue? By Nissan Leaf, of course. Above ground, the duties of transporting instruments, equipment and band members to a gig normally fall to a minivan, tour bus or truck. That’s fine when exhaust gasses can easily...
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2012 Nissan Leaf: Now Available To Order Nationwide, Deliveries By SummerThe all-electric Nissan Leaf may have been on sale in some parts of the U.S. for 14 months -- but for residents in 21 states, today is the day Nissan will email them saying they can start the ordering process for the $35,200 hatchback. When the 2011 Nissan Leaf launched, Nissan restricted rollout...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Drive Report: Electric-Car Neophyte Uses 2011 Nissan Leaf For A WeekThe reviews of the Nissan Leaf electric car have already been posted, and one GreenCarReports writer even owns a Leaf, but this isn't going to be your standard review with driving impressions. It's no secret that I'm not exactly a green-car kind of guy. When the opportunity arose this winter to...
Joel Feder -
Nissan Leaf Battery Warranty: What You MUST Do To Keep It ValidYesterday, we covered a story about several Tesla Roadster owners -- and one in particular -- who claim that Tesla caused them to turn their $109,000 cars into very expensive bricks. The owners in question claim that Tesla didn’t make them aware that leaving a roadster unplugged for extended...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Leaf Software Update: Here’s What’s DifferentA little over a week ago, we told you that Nissan had announced a complementary voluntary service campaign for all 2011/12 Nissan Leafs. With Nissan strongly encouraging owners to have their Leafs updated to the latest operating system, we decided to get the software in our own 2011 Leaf upgraded...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Nissan Leaf Enters Autocross, Gives Electrifying PerformanceIn the fourteen months since Nissan launched the all-electric Leaf, we’ve seen owners do just about everything with their green ride, from dressing them up for halloween to drag racing, giving them a tow hitch and even racing at Laguna Seca. But now we can add the sport of Autocross to the...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield