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Nissan Leaf ends 2013 with best sales month ever, but can't catch Chevy Volt

Nissan and Chevrolet both ended 2013 with solid sales figures for their plug-in vehicles, the first two that were released (all the way back at the end of 2010) from major automakers. As has been the story for most of 2013, December sales for the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt were roughly the same. When we left the year-to-date running tally at the end of November, the Volt was at 20,702, while the Leaf was at 20,080. As you can tell from the image above (if you've been noticing the trend in these EV sales monthly flash-reports), the Leaf outsold the Volt, but was it enough to put the Nissan on top for the year? In 2013, Nissan sold 22,610 Leafs, more than twice as many as in 2012. Almost. The Leaf made a valiant attempt, and did have its best month ever with 2,529 units sold. That means that for 2013, Nissan moved a total of 22,610 Leafs, more than twice as many as in 2012 (that year, Nissan sold only 9,819 Leafs in the US) and actually more than 2012 and 2011 Leaf sales combined (which was 19,493). Nissan continues to see the effects of its price drop and expanded sales areas, with Georgia rapidly becoming a Leaf hotbed. Nissan's Paige Presley said that Atlanta was once again the Leaf's number one market and that, "sales are expanding deeper into Georgia markets such as Macon and Columbus." The Volt saw a boost upwards from a November slump and sold 2,392 units in December. That puts the plug-in hybrid's annual total at 23,094, just down from the 23,461 sold in 2012. For all of 2013, though, the Volt outsold the Leaf by 484 vehicles. In a competition like this, we'll count that as a win for both sides. We will our more detailed monthly green car sales report, which covers more of the fuel efficient vehicles on the market, up soon. News Source: GM, Nissan Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales hybrid sales

NHTSA urges owners of recalled Takata airbag vehicles to take immediate action

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation are taking the unusual step of issuing a followup press release urging owners of certain recalled vehicles "to act immediately" to fix their cars and trucks. The problem in question concerns the repair campaigns for rupturing Takata airbag inflators issued in June and covers a long list of models from Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, Mazda, BMW, Nissan, Infiniti, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac.
While NHSTA doesn't specifically say why the recall is vital in the new release, Toyota's own explanation in its newly announced renotification campaign earlier today sheds some new light on the topic. According to the Japanese automaker, in testing, Takata found a possible link between the rupturing airbag inflators and high humidity. NHTSA is advocating that all owners pursue repairs immediately if they haven't already done so already. This is especially crucial for those drivers especially in Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii because of the humid conditions there.
We don't need to tell you how dangerous an inadvertent airbag deployment could be - even in a stationary vehicle - but adding to the Takata issue is fears that the deployment could lead to shrapnel being sprayed into the cabin.

Infiniti QX60 Monograph previews a handsome next-gen three-row crossover

Infiniti has pulled the sheet off its QX60 Monograph — a styling exercise meant to preview the forthcoming production replacement for its three-row crossover. Infiniti insists that while this is not the production QX60 replacement, it is close enough to not merely be labeled a "concept." Whatever Infiniti wants to call it, it's impressive. This slick design blends elements of the original Infiniti FX line with some of the luxury brand's more recent artistic direction (see: the big, fat grille) and perhaps a little dose of European flavor; we'd be lying if we said there wasn't some Jaguar F-Pace evident in that profile.  "More than a design study or concept, a 'Monograph' provides a tangible insight into how Infiniti plans to transform a future model. The QX60 Monograph previews some of the proportions and design elements that will adorn the brandÂ’s future three-row SUV, " Infiniti said in the QX60's official announcement. "We commenced the design of the Monograph knowing this was an opportune time to start a discussion about where we are planning to take the QX60 in the future," said Alfonso Albaisa, senior vice president, Global Design, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.  "In crafting this Monograph, we wanted to change the tonality of the QX60 and transform the nameplate from a sculptural and architectural point of view. We raised the visual center of gravity, giving it a strong, straight shoulder line that carries through to the hood, with a higher, more prominent grille, and longer-looking cabin to deliver a sense of muscularity and a commanding presence," Albaisa said. Every element of the QX60 Monograph's exterior was designed deliberately to convey that image, from the heat-sink-inspired shape of the headlamps to the slick, well-integrated segments of the rear lighting signature, which blends into a single wrap-around element when not illuminated.  As close to production-ready as this QX60 Monograph might be, there are some obvious signs that there's still work yet to be done. As you'll note, there's not a single shot of this crossover's interior, and that's because it doesn't have one yet. Infiniti knows it can't afford to fumble a new launch, especially of a crossover, so we have fairly high expectations for its cabin, especially since Infiniti has been known to produce some top-notch interiors when it tries. Look for the real-deal next-generation QX60 to be shown sometime in 2021.