2003 Nissan 350z Touring Coupe 2-door 3.5l Automatic (black) on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 April Fools' Day: Morgan digs at Tesla, Mini's scissor doors, more

Every year automakers go out of their way to come up with gags for April Fools' Day. Sometimes the jokes fall flat, but occasionally a company really nails it with an idea that we'd actually love to see. Rather than scouring the Web for all of these stunts, you can find some of our favorites right here. Morgan MOGrod The Morgan Motor Company's MOGrod is one of our favorite April Fools' jokes so far this year because it's a car we wish could be real. The company says on Twitter that the retro hot rod uses a 3.7-liter Ford V6, and there are already 250,000 preorders, which is a play on the huge number of reservations for the Tesla Model 3. Morgan took the joke even further by sketching a landspeed record version for the Bonneville Salt Flats. Mini Scissor Doors The people at Mini apparently have a lot of free time because the company has two gags this year. The first is the scissor door option. The idea cleverly plays on the myriad ways customers can customize their Mini, but this solution doesn't look like anyone could easily enter the car due to the way these doors open. Mini Hipster Hatch There's also the Hipster Mini, which is a much funnier idea. This fictional hatchback would be perfect for fashionable Millennials thanks to features like Instagram-filter windows and a fixed-gear drivetrain, which limits the top speed to 25 miles per hour. The interior uses stonewash denim upholstery and packs a twin-deck cassette player. Skoda Dog Umbrella People love dogs, and owners know that a wet canine can be a mess. Skoda is ready to tackle this problem with an umbrella for your mutt. Made from unobtainium, the gadget hides in the door when not in use, but when raindrops start falling, people can keep their pup dry. Skoda Snowman Skoda's Facebook page also teases us with a very cool vehicle. The Snowman is a 396-horsepower plug-in hybrid snow machine. With its tracks, the company's newest model would never have to worry about getting stuck in the winter. Opel Adam C Sure, electricity and hydrogen are cleaner forms of fuel than gasoline or diesel, but Opel has a way to make your car even more environmentally friendly – muscle power. Wind up the crank at the rear for 15 minutes, and the Opel Adam C is good for 125 miles. GM's European division also claims that owners get a great workout because a full winding session burns 400 calories. You wouldn't feel guilty about picking up that pizza after cranking up this hatchback.

What does a world-class downhill skateboarder drive? Something very cool

Kevin Reimer has an interesting career and a fascinating car. The resident of Vancouver, BC is a professional downhill skateboarder - which we now know is a thing you can be - who sees a lot of commonality between his extreme occupation and his cherry 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R.
The subjects of the latest Petrolicious joint, Racing Champions, Reimer waxes philosophical about skateboarding and driving down some of the same routes. You'll not be surprised to hear that riding the curves of a mountain slope, be it on a deck or in a bucket seat, both rely on grip and nerve in various measure. Scroll down to see for yourself, and don't miss the rest of our Petrolicious library when you're done.

Nissan exec talks about smaller Leaf, and maybe a CUV EV as well

The Renault Zoe is a popular electric vehicle in Europe, and it gives buyers on the continent a zero-emissions option that's smaller than the Nissan Leaf. Here in the US, Nissan only offers its one all-electric passenger vehicle, but the company might be taking a page from its corporate partner to offer a smaller Leaf in the near future. According to Gareth Dunsmore, Nissan EV European head, Nissan is thinking about both a smaller EV based on the Zoe and larger, all-electric SUV/CUV. "We've invested $5.4 billion in electric cars such as the Leaf, so we need to ensure we're satisfying as many types of customer as possible," he said. "In Europe, that could mean looking towards B-segment hatches and SUVs or crossovers," according to Auto Express. "If we look towards crossovers or the B-segment for the next car, those could make perfect sense." As for what we actually know about the next-gen Leaf, details are scarce. We did get confirmation that a 200-mile range update is in the works, but information on timing and other details are still something we're waiting for. Let's throw the idea of a smaller Leaf into the rumormill and see when Nissan starts talking. The gallery above shows off the Nissan IDS concept, which was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. Related Video: Featured Gallery Nissan IDS Concept: Tokyo 2015 News Source: Auto ExpressImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Nissan Renault Crossover SUV Electric renault zoe nissan ids