2012 Nissan Altima 2.5 on 2040-cars

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2014 Nissan Versa Note

The original Austin Mini was not designed as a fun-to-drive, sporty small car. Its go-kart-like handling and general chuckability were an unintended byproduct of essential aspects of its design. Its four wheels were pushed to the absolute corners of the car to maximize interior space, and its front-wheel-drive layout and transversely mounted engine were in contrast to the rear-wheel-drive, longitudinal layouts of the day.
The result was a highly economical car with space for four and some luggage that just happened to be an absolute hoot to drive. Nissan has followed a similar path in the design of its Versa Note, which strives to provide the maximum amount of space and efficiency in a minimal footprint. On this front, it's successful.
First, we must salute Nissan for departing from the styling of the malformed kidney bean it calls the Versa Sedan. The Versa Note is a fashionably conservative design that neither offends nor excites. The front fascia is arguably its most conservative point, with high-mounted headlights and a sharper, cleaner version of Nissan's familial grille. The tail, with its funky I-don't-know-what-shape-I-am taillights contributes most of the car's flair. The large, spacious greenhouse, particularly up front, keeps passengers from feeling hemmed-in while letting in plenty of light.

Nissan's autonomous cars could drive in US first, maybe by 2020

Future shock could be just six short years away, and coming first to the US. Nissan says it might start making autonomous versions of its cars available in the US by 2020, before the tech hits the road in other countries. The Japanese automaker is in extensive discussions with regulators from California, the best-selling state for the Leaf battery-electric vehicle, for allowing self-driving vehicles to be on its roads, Hybrid Cars says, citing a conversation with Nissan executive Andy Christensen at the recent Detroit Auto Show. Many decisions need to be made between now and then, given the hurdles related to issues such as regulations, liability, safety and technology - and Christensen said the first wave of self-driving vehicles would be able to do their thing only on the highway. The vehicle of choice is most likely to be the Leaf because it's completely battery operated, making the conversion to autonomy that much easier. Last summer, Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn first promised production autonomous cars by 2020. The automaker has teamed up with MIT, Stanford, Oxford and others to extensively test its "Autonomous Drive" concepts since then. Late last year, Nissan tested a self-driving Leaf on Japanese public roads. Nissan is not alone promoting autonomous driving as a way to increase safety, fuel economy and traffic flow, just some of the reasons why the idea may be the wave of the nearer-than-we-thought-future. For example, the company says 93 percent of accidents are caused by driver error.

Nissan Recalls More Than One Million Vehicles For Air Bags

Nissan is recalling just over one million cars, SUVs and vans because the front passenger air bags may not inflate in a crash. It's the company's second recall to fix the same problem. The recall affects the Altima midsize car, Leaf electric car, Pathfinder SUV and Sentra compact models from the 2013 and 2014 model years, as well as the NV200 Taxi van and Infiniti JX35 SUV from 2013. Also covered are the Infiniti QX60 and Q50 SUVs from 2014. In documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Nissan says the vehicles' computer software may not detect an adult in the passenger seat. If that happens, the air bags won't inflate. Nissan will notify owners and dealers will update the software for free. The recall is expected to start in mid-April. Most of the vehicles were recalled in February of last year for a similar problem. Dealers replaced seat sensors, but Nissan said it continued to get consumer complaints and warranty claims in vehicles that had been repaired. Front passenger seats have sensors that determine the passenger's weight and turn off air bags off if a child is on board. The malfunctioning sensors can turn the air bags off even if an adult is in the seat. Nissan received three reports of air bags failing to inflate in a crash. Spokesman Steve Yeager said in an e-mail that he is not sure if anyone was hurt in those incidents. There have been no deaths due to the problem, he said. The recall affects almost 990,000 vehicles in the U.S., another 60,000 in Canada and small numbers in other countries, Yeager said. Related Gallery Nissan Searches For Identity In America