2012 New Nissan Titan 4x4 Sl Call Today on 2040-cars

Auto blog

NHTSA opens investigation into Nissan's handling of airbag recall

In March of 2014, Nissan recalled eight models among its Nissan and Infiniti brands, totaling more than one million vehicles, over faulty occupant classification system software controlling the passenger airbag. The company discovered a variety of factors that would interfere with the system's ability to detect an adult passenger in the shotgun seat, resulting in an illuminated warning on on the dashboard and the passenger airbag not deploying in an accident. Yet 124 complaints submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since the recall allege that the dealer-installed fix hasn't actually fixed the problem; some consumers say the problem persists after multiple trips to the dealer. The Detroit News reports that NHTSA is opening an investigation into the matter to determine whether a new recall is needed. The occupant sensor has been a bugbear for Nissan over the past couple of years; a much smaller recall for the issue in 2013 covered five of the eight vehicles that were recalled in 2014, and that earlier recall also continued to generate complaints after the issue had supposedly been fixed. At the same time, the company learned that in two instances there was another twist, where the dashboard warning wasn't illuminated but the passenger airbag still didn't go off in an accident. Nissan isn't alone, though, with airbag recalls on a steep upswing across the industry even before the Takata debacle.

MotorWeek proves '90s were awesome with Supra, Stealth, RX-7, Corvette, 968, 300ZX comparo

Oh, the heady days of 1993, back when the Clinton Presidency was just getting underway, and it seemed like every hot new rock band was coming out of Seattle. Sports cars in the US had finally shaken off the shackles that slowed them during the '70s and '80s, and you could buy any number of legitimately quick vehicles again. MotorWeek recently went digging into its archives to find this six-model test from 1993 showing off some of the best semi-affordable performance coupes that money could buy at the time, and it's priceless.
Featuring the 1994 model year Toyota Supra in twin-turbo guise and MY 1993 versions of the Porsche 968, Nissan 300ZX TT, Mazda RX-7, Dodge Stealth R/T Turbo and Chevrolet Corvette LT-1, MotorWeek definitely covered all of the bases. One thing that might surprise younger readers is these cars' performance. The video only provides 0-60 acceleration times, but several of these vehicles would still be considered pretty potent today - over 20 years since going on sale. The Supra is especially impressive, hitting 60 miles per hour in just 5 seconds. Even today, that's nothing to sneeze at.
Given their performance potential and still-attractive looks, it's amazing that some of these coupes are old enough to drink now. The progress of interior design and safety equipment in the intervening years is pretty shocking, though. In most of these models, having two airbags is touted as a big deal. Scroll down to watch a Throwback Thursday blast from the past about some of the '90s best sports cars.

Chinese Nissan Leaf goes on sale in September as Venucia e30

The upcoming Chinese version of the Nissan Leaf, the Venucia e30, was not the highlight of the Dongfeng Nissan stand at this year's Beijing Motor Show. That honor goes to the R30, a compact car with "segment-competitive fuel economy" and a starting price of under RMB 50,000 ($8,033 US). But that doesn't mean Dongfeng didn't make some news about the debut of the world's most popular electric vehicle in the world's most populous country. Dongfeng Nissan will start selling the e30 in the Chinese retail market this September. In a world where EV promises are not always worth the paper they're printed on, it's nice to see this target date is actually ahead of schedule. The sales launch follows EV pilot programs that saw 300 of the EVs rack up a total of one million kilometers (621,000 miles) in Guangzhou, Xiangyang and Dalian since December 2013. The e30 might just be the first or many EVs, since Donfeng-Nissan showed off the Viwa Concept EV last year. There are a few more details in the press release below. Dongfeng Nissan Unveils VENUCIA R30 at Auto China 2014 BEIJING, April 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company ("Dongfeng Nissan"), the passenger vehicle business unit of Nissan's joint venture in China, today unveiled R30 at Auto China 2014. R30 is the 4th production model for the company's new VENUCIA brand. The compact R30 delivers segment-competitive fuel economy with the strongest engine in class through a 1.2-liter gasoline engine, features a spacious interior, and offers easy handling for drivers to provide a high quality yet competitively priced car to Chinese consumers. The price of the main grade will be less than RMB 50,000. "Very competitively priced, R30 is the perfect entry car for Chinese consumers," said Ren Yong, Deputy Managing Director of Dongfeng Nissan. "I believe many Chinese consumers will choose R30 as their first car in the continuing motorization of China." Bookings for R30 will start within the next two months. Dongfeng Nissan also announced that e30, Venucia's electric vehicle, will be sold in the retail market starting in September. The company has already commenced EV pilot programs in the cities of Guangzhou, Xiangyang and Dalian, with a total of 300 e30s recording a total mileage of one million km since the programs started in December 2013. Venucia recorded sales of more than 100,000 units in 2013 and is targeting a 50 percent increase in sales this year.