2007 Nissan Altima S Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

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Nissan Leaf's lead over Renault Zoe narrows in Europe

The Nissan Leaf has seen its sales steadily decline in the US for a while now. Here, its been eclipsed by the second-generation Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in while people await the next-generation version of the all-electric Leaf. The EV may be starting to receive a similar response across the Pond. While the Leaf remains Europe's biggest-selling EV, that lead is eroding, as sales of the Renault Zoe are catching up, according to the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO). It's a good thing Nissan and Renault are sister companies. Through May, Nissan sold about 9,500 Leaf vehicles in Europe. The good news is that number is up 37 percent from a year earlier. There's disconcerting news, too, and that is that the Renault Zoe's sales have surged 60 percent this year to almost 9,400 units. So, for all we know, the Zoe may have caught up with the Leaf last month. Still, both models are outpacing demand for the Tesla Model S and Volkswagen e-Golf: the former's sales are little-changed this year, while the latter model's sales have dropped 34 percent. The BMW i3, Kia Soul EV, and Mercedes-Benz B250e all have had higher sales this year. As for plug-in hybrids, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has maintained its substantial European lead, almost doubling sales of the Volkswagen Golf GTE and totaling almost 9,400 units sold through May. Meanwhile, the new Volvo XC90 PHEV has leapfrogged models such as the Volkswagen Passat GTE, Mercedes-Benz C350e, and Audi A3 e-Tron into third place behind the Mitsubishi and VW. Here in the US, Nissan Leaf sales through June fell 41 percent from a year earlier to about 5,800 units, while Chevrolet Volt sales have surged 75 percent to 9,808 units. Featured Gallery 2016 Nissan Leaf View 30 Photos News Source: EAFO, Getty via Green Car Reports Green Nissan Renault Electric ev sales zoe

Nissan reveals new Qashqai crossover for Europe

Between the Juke, Rogue, Murano, Xterra, Pathfinder and Armada, Nissan offers a wide variety of crossovers and SUVs in this market. And that's not even counting the trucks, vans and Infiniti crossovers. But in the European market, it all comes down the Qashqai. Not that Nissan doesn't offer other crossovers in Europe, it's just that the Qashqai has, since its introduction in 2007, accounted for the lion's share, with over two million sold globally (of which 1.5 million were in Europe). And now, after teasing it repeatedly, Nissan has introduced the all-new model.
Larger, sleeker, more advanced, more comfortable and more environmentally friendly than the model it replaces, the new Qashqai is designed in Europe, for Europe, and hits the market at the start of the new year. It's the first European model to be based on Renault-Nissan's new Common Alliance Platform that will eventually encompass three Nissan models and 11 Renaults built in locations around the world.
An array of gasoline and diesel engines, ranging from 110 to 150 horsepower, will be available in two- or four-wheel drive configurations, with either a six-speed manual or the type of continuously variable transmission which Nissan champions.

Nissan's new GT-R boss says next car will go for more volume

Since its introduction in 2008, the Nissan GT-R has seen a steady increase of power and price almost every year, but the big news for the next-gen supercar might be an increase in production. Automotive News recently spoke with newly appointed GT-R chief engineer Kinishi Tanuma who said Nissan needs "more of a volume car." Nissan has sold a little more than 2,000 GT-Rs in the US since 2012 - 1,188 last year and 952 so far this year.
Of course, a key limiting factor in the GT-R's production is its hand-built engine. Currently, only four people are qualified to build the GT-R's twin-turbo V6, but Tanuma says a fifth is in training. Even if production numbers are raised, Nissan also wants to add more quality and value into the GT-R. There is still no word as to what kind of timeframe Nissan is looking to start pumping out more GT-Rs, but with a new Nismo model rumored to be bringing a two-second 0-60 time, demand is sure to be on the rise.