1987 Nissan 300zx Very Clean Garage Keep on 2040-cars

Auto blog

How and why Nissan nearly killed off Infiniti

Launched in 1990, Infiniti was expected to be Japan's answer to BMW (Lexus would end up chasing Mercedes-Benz). Yet things went awry almost right out of the gate. Overlooking the fledgling automaker's now infamous early marketing campaign, its product line over the past twenty-four years has been a roller coaster ride of strong hits (Q45, FX35 and G35) and frustrating misses (M30, I30 and QX4).
In a recent interview with Ward's Auto at the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer revealed that the company's luxury brand was almost cancelled by CEO Carlos Ghosn as unnecessary. Infiniti, like most premium marques owned by a volume manufacturer, had fallen into the trap of losing autonomy and pushing its high-end product just like its mainstream models.
The one obvious exception to this industry blunder, said Palmer, was VW Group's Audi brand. Realizing that Audi's impressive comeback over the past two decades shamed even that of actor Robert Downey Jr., Nissan hired Audi veteran Johan de Nysschen to bring Infiniti to its intended glory - and protect it from extinction. Check out the complete interview here.

Recharge Wrap-up: Elon Musk talks autonomous cars, Renault to run ZOE in ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally

Elon Musk discussed the autonomous driving capabilities of the Tesla Model S with NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang. He said the car is already equipped with the hardware needed for highway driving. "Even with the current sensor suite, we could make the car go fully autonomous, but not a level of reliability that would be safe in, say, a complex urban environment at 30 miles an hour," says Musk. That would require "a bigger sensor suite, and you need more computing power." Huang and Musk also discussed car hacking and artificial intelligence during the interview at the 2015 GPU Technology Conference. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Renault will send four of its ZOE electric cars to the ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise) Monte-Carlo Rally. The rally, which travels through the principality beginning and ending at the Port of Monaco, is open to electric cars with ranges of less than 250 kilometers (about 155 miles). Visitors can also explore an "electric village," which includes vehicle test drives and information about the future of automobiles. The race takes place from March 20 through 22. Read more in the press release from Renault below. A Seattle-area Nissan dealership has opened a "charging depot" with six fast chargers. Bellevue Nissan now claims to have a larger group of fast chargers than any other dealership in the country. The chargers are part of the NRG eVgo network, and will be available to drivers around the clock every day of the week. They'll also be part of Nissan's "No Charge To Charge" program for Leaf customers. Washington Governor Jay Inslee was on hand at the dealership for the opening, where he called such fast charging stations, "the backbone of our future transportation infrastructure." Read more at Hybrid Cars. A coalition of environmental groups and renewable energy advocates want New York to require all heating oil sold in the state to include at least two percent biodiesel. The proposal passed the Assembly's Committee on Environmental Conservation Tuesday. Its sponsor is Assemblyman Steven Englebright, a Long Island Democrat who says a biodiesel standard would reduce carbon emissions while boosting the state's agricultural industry. Supporters of a biodiesel standard include the New York League of Conservation Voters, the New York Public Interest Research Group and the state's Corn and Soybean Growers Association. Conventional oil companies are opposed.

Nissan New Micra being considered for Canadian market

A new story from AutoGuide is triggering new speculation that Nissan may be about to bring its New Micra to North America. According to a dealer-based source, Nissan is showing off the overseas hatchback at Canadian dealer meetings along with the redesigned 2014 Rogue. The report indicates that the car is expected to go on sale sometime mid next year. Autoblog has learned that, while the New Micra is indeed under study for the Canadian market, it is not being considered for US sales. Our well-placed source tells us that bringing the New Micra to US dealers "just wouldn't make sense."
Bringing the New Micra to US dealers "just wouldn't make sense."
Reading between the lines a bit, that's because Nissan already has a robust small car lineup spearheaded by the Versa sedan and new Versa Note hatchback, along with the compact Sentra. And while both Versa models are generously sized for the subcompact classes they compete in, their low entry price (the sedan starts under $12k) means that pricing the smaller Micra underneath it would be difficult. Given its historically significantly higher fuel prices (not to mention higher vehicle prices and a penchant for small cars), Canada seems like a much more hospitable market for the Micra.