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Nissan not shuttering Leaf EV battery plants, at least not yet

The big news on the electric vehicle front today is that Nissan is considering slowing down EV battery production in the US and UK and source all of Nissan's big packs come from Japan. Nissan may also buy some batteries from the Korean company LG Chem. This is apparently causing dissent within Nissan, but it follows what Alliance partner Renault is doing in the hunt for 180-mile EVs. This change – officially denied by Nissan – raises a lot of questions here, since Nissan made a huge deal about building the Leaf pack in Tennessee a few years ago. In fact, the car's big price drop was due, in part, to localizing battery production. If the company is really going to give up on building the packs where it makes the cars, then does Nissan not see itself as being capable of producing an energy-dense battery cheap enough to compete with Tesla and its Gigafactory and GM (which, of course, has long worked with LG Chem on batteries)? Whatever Nissan decides, it needs to be ready to compete in a market that offers a $35,000, 200-mile car by 2017. "We have not taken any decision whatsoever to modify battery sourcing allocation." – Renault-Nissan's Rachel Konrad Nissan would not comment directly on the reported change, but Rachel Konrad, the Alliance's global director of communications and marketing told AutoblogGreen, "The Renault-Nissan Alliance remains 100 percent committed to its industry-leading EV program. This global commitment continues for the foreseeable future, and we have not taken any decision whatsoever to modify battery sourcing allocation. Nissan has no plans to impair its battery investments. Beyond that,we will not comment on speculation or anonymous sources, and as a matter of policy the Alliance does not confirm or deny procurement reviews." There's a point-of-view where it doesn't matter where the batteries come from if the resulting EV is competitive, price-wise. Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, after all, said during a recent Twizy test drive that the battery is a means, and the objective is the car. In the end, Nissan is saying it has no near-term or medium-term plan to shutter plants in US or UK and CEO Carlos Ghosn says, "What's important to us is that electric car performance fully meets customer expectations." Whatever's going on, Ghosn has seen three top executives leave the Renault-Nissan family recently.

Renault-Nissan promises 10 autonomous models through 2020

Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn promised back in 2013 to have autonomous technology on the road by 2020, and now the automaker has pledged to have more than 10 models ready in that time with varying levels of autonomous capabilities. The company claims it will offer these systems to customers around the world at affordable prices in major markets like the US, Europe, Japan, and China. Renault-Nissan will introduce driverless tech in multiple phases over the next four years. The first step will come later this year with the introduction of a single-lane autonomous system that will be able to go down the highway and manage stop-and-go traffic automatically. The next innovation in 2018 will offer multi-lane capability, and the ability to automatically pass other vehicles on the road. Another big jump will come in 2020 with the ability for models to navigate intersections and urban areas without a driver's control. Renault and Nissan engineers will develop all of this together, and the results will be available in both of the company's brands. Ghosn explained this roadmap towards an autonomous future last year but cautioned that Renault-Nissan didn't plan to take complete control away from owners. Instead, the company sees these systems as a way to make people even safer behind the wheel by reducing the chance for driver error. The automaker's deliberate introduction strategy is prudent because it can potentially adapt to proposed regulations that could mandate rules on how piloted vehicles operate. RENAULT-NISSAN TO LAUNCH MORE THAN 10 VEHICLES WITH AUTONOMOUS DRIVE TECHNOLOGY OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS World's fourth largest car group confirms autonomous drive and connectivity timeline through 2020 Fatal and serious injuries have been significantly reduced; new technologies will help make cars even safer Car group hires new executive to oversee connectivity and connected car services globally SUNNYVALE, Calif. – The Renault-Nissan Alliance will launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive technology in the next four years. The global car group confirmed today that it will launch a range of vehicles with autonomous capabilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and China through 2020. The technology will be installed on mainstream, mass-market cars at affordable prices. In addition, Renault-Nissan will launch a suite of new connectivity applications that will make it easier for people to stay connected to work, entertainment and social networks.

Nissan-Renault mule teases mysterious subcompact

There's always something intriguing about a mystery, especially of the automotive kind, and that's exactly what we have here. Our spies recently spotted this Nissan-Renault test mule on the road in Southern Europe. But what, exactly, are they testing? From the front end, it's clear this mule started life as a Nissan Versa Note, but check it out in profile to see the cut down rear doors. They're significantly shorter than on the production car, and the wheelbase isn't as long here, either. The tacked on fender flares suggest a wider track than stock, too. Making things even more complicated is the bizarre cladding this subcompact hatch is wearing. The odd tumors on the hood and blistered side panels indicate that the automaker is trying to keep the design underneath a secret. Given Renault and Nissan's tight relationship, it also isn't clear which company is testing this model. While the body comes from the Note, this one is wearing French license plates. According to our spies, the vehicle was also spotted leaving a Renault testing location. There are some possibilities, though. Renault already has the new Twingo out, and the next-gen Megane has an imminent release. The French brand could now be at work on a future Clio. Alternatively, Nissan is reportedly using the Sway concept as inspiration for the upcoming Micra, and we could be getting a preview here. Give us your best guess in Comments. Related Video: