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2013 Nissan NV200 hauls itself into McCormick Place

Nissan has already announced that its NV200 will be New York City's Taxi of Tomorrow, but now small businesses can also take advantage of the compact commercial van when it goes on sale this April. Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the Nissan NV200 bound for North America has been stretched by almost eight inches compared to the same van that has been on sale in other global markets since 2009. The 2013 Nissan NV200 will be built in Cuernavaca, Mexico and sold at select Nissan dealerships with a starting price of $19,990 (*excluding the $845 destination charge).
At that price, the NV200 costs thousands less than lead competitors like the Ford Transit Connect and the Ram C/V Tradesman, although it does deliver less cargo volume than both as well. Despite its longer body, the NV200's 122.7 cubic feet of volume comes in just under the 129.6 cu-ft for the Ford and well under the Ram's 155.5 cu-ft cargo capacity. The split rear doors and dual side sliding side doors will give plenty of access to the NV200's cargo area, however, and Nissan says the van is wide enough to accommodate a standard pallet.
The NV200 was designed as much to be a mobile office as it is a hauler, so Nissan made the cabin as such. The passenger seat back can fold down creating a flat space for a laptop, and the center console has been specifically designed for hanging file folders. The base NV200S includes power windows, a two-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system and a 12-volt power outlet, while the NV200 SV (starting at $20,980) adds features such as cruise control, six floor-mounted cargo tie downs, power mirrors and door locks and remote keyless entry. Options include the $950 Technology Package (available on SV only and adds navigation, backup camera and satellite radio), $250 for Bluetooth and $190 for glass added to the rear cargo doors.

Modified Trabant takes on Nissan GT-R in 1/4-mile battle

The little yellow guy in the right lane above with the "Flitzer" license plate looks like a Trabant 601 wagon and it's called a Trabant, but it's got little to do with the impoverished East German runabout that did its part to drive Communist ideals further into the ground. You'd almost be forgiven for not knowing there's a turbocharged 3.0-liter engine up front, until you have look at that rear track... and the wheelie bars in back.
So with a power-to-weight ratio akin to an LS9-powered scooter, it's no surprise that the Trabbi puts a pasting on a slightly tuned, 580-horsepower Nissan GT-R - we don't know what happened with Godzilla's shifting, but it was all over from the hole shot. It's still fun to watch, though, and you can do that in the video below.

Nissan Leaf makes it 19 in a row for record sales; Chevy Volt drops 21 percent

The Nissan Leaf continues its streak of "best month ever" sales with 2,881 EVs sold in September. Compared to the 1,953 sold in September 2013, that represents an increase of 47.5 percent and, as Nissan itself must be tired of saying by now, it marks yet another best month ever, same as last month and now the 19th in a row. Okay, sure, we know, Nissan will tout this run for as long as it can, but we're certainly expecting it each month, so if it ever doesn't happen, it'll be interesting to see how Nissan talks about it. Year-to-date, Leaf sales are up 35.7 percent compared to 2013. In any case, Nissan's director of EV marketing, Toby Perry, sent AutoblogGreen a statement that said, "Nissan Leaf owners have turned into some of our best marketers, and they jump at any opportunity to share their enthusiasm with friends and family. Take National Drive Electric Week – a grassroots celebration of all things EV and the perfect platform for LEAF owners to showcase the benefits of going electric. After celebrating with EV owners in more than 130 cities across the country, we saw a significant increase in Leaf showroom visits with midweek traffic just as heavy as what we see on the weekends." Year-to-date, Leaf sales are up 35.7 percent compared to 2013. Over on the Chevy Volt front, things aren't quite as rosy. After coming off a good August (the best sales month of 2014 by almost 500 units), Volt sales were down to 1,394, a decrease of 21.1 percent compared to September 2013. So far this year, Volt sales are down 13.2 percent year-over-year. It's kind of a stretch, but perhaps people are already waiting for the next-gen Volt, which will be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January, to go on sale? Speaking of things we say every month, our in-depth round-up of US green car sales is in process and will be appearing soon. Until then, please discuss how these two long-standing plug-in champs are doing on the sales floor. Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid PHEV ev sales hybrid sales