2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 on 2040-cars

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Nissan Murano production fires up in America for first time [w/video]

Production of the new, third-generation Nissan Murano has finally kicked off at the company's Canton, MS factory, marking not only the eighth vehicle built on the facility's lines, but also the first global product to be built there since it opened in 2003.
"The strategic investments that Nissan has made in Canton serve as a testament to the flexibility, efficiency and talent of our workforce and suppliers," said John Martin, Nissan's boss for manufacturing, supply chain management and purchasing. "In Canton, we build high-quality vehicles that compete and win globally, and the bold new Murano will build on that reputation."
The addition of Murano production, which joins Altima, Armada, Titan, Frontier, Xterra and NV, brought a further 1,300 jobs.

Nissan Altima takes first V8 Supercars win

The V8 Supercars championship used to be strictly a contest between Holden and Ford. But just as BMW crashed the Audi and Mercedes party in DTM, so has Nissan (and for that matter, Mercedes) pushed past the door into Australia's popular touring car series. And like BMW, Nissan hasn't waited long before notching its first victory.
Nissan claimed the checkered flag this weekend in the first of three races at Winton, the ninth stop on the calendar. And what a spectacular win it was: not only did Nissan take the checkered flag, they finished one-two. James Moffat drove his Altima to the finish line just ahead of teammate Michael Caruso. It was Caruso who lead the first half of the race after qualifying just behind defending champion (and current points leader) Jamie Whincup, who suffered a gearbox malfunction and retired on only the ninth lap.
Of course that's just one race out of 27 so far and 37 scheduled this season, so that won't be elevating Nissan or any of its drivers to the lead the same way that BMW did upon its return last season to DTM, but it's a good start and a cause to celebrate for Nissan. Mark Winterbottom (Ford) and James Courtney (Holden) won the following two rounds at Winton as Jamie Whincup (Holden) leads Will Davison (Ford) in the standings.

Nissan-Dongfeng's Leaf-based Venucia e30 EV goes on sale in China

Nissan's proverbial other shoe has dropped on the other side of the world. The Japanese automaker, along with Chinese company Dongfeng, has started selling the Venucia e30 battery-electric vehicle in the world's most populous country. How the sister vehicle to the Nissan Leaf will fare remains to be seen, but it's a pretty big bet. The companies certainly tested the model enough, very quietly running 300 trial vehicles a combined three million miles on China's roads. The result is a vehicle the companies say reduces operating costs by about 85 percent relative to gas-powered vehicles and can go 35 miles on a five-minute quick-charge. In China, the Venucia e30 retails for about $44,000, though that's before government incentives kick in. The car will debut with sales in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dalian, Wuhan, Tianjin, Zhengzhou and Hangzhou. The rest of the country gets access to the model next year. Nissan and its Chinese partner are probably hoping for the kind of success Nissan's has finally started to have with the Leaf in the US recently. Last month, Nissan moved 3,186 Leaf vehicles Stateside, a monthly record. Year-to-date US sales of the Leaf are up 34 percent from last year to 18,841 units. You can find more info on the e30 in Nissan's press release below. DONGFENG NISSAN LAUNCHES ITS FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC VEHICLE - Venucia `e30' offers trusted, affordable, pure EV experience for Chinese consumers - SHANGHAI, China (September 10, 2014) - Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company (DFL-PV) today launches its first pure-electric vehicle model, "e30," from its local Venucia brand. With a five million kilometer pilot run across China completed prior to launch, e30 is trusted to bring Chinese consumers an enjoyable EV experience at affordable running costs. Its starting price is set at RMB 267,800 Venucia e30 Jun Seki, President of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. (DFL), Nissan's joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd., said, "With Nissan Global's advanced technology, sales experience and know-how of electric vehicle, the Venucia e30 has been locally developed through our careful studies about market situations and consumer needs in China. I am looking forward to seeing the Venucia e30 lead China's electric-vehicle market into the future and also to more development of new energy vehicles and the wide adoption of electric vehicles in China." e30 achieves an optimal balance between driving range, affordability and convenient charging.