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Kaz and Shiro talk Gran Turismo 7 details, Titan Nismo and more in AMA

One of the greatest innovations to come about thanks to the gigantic popularity of Reddit is the Ask Me Anything (AMA) question and answer format. The AMA becomes especially worthwhile, of course, when the person(s) answering the questions have detailed information or insight on products we love.
So, in the case of the recent AMA session with Gran Turismo creator and mastermind Kazunori Yamauchi (above), and his buddy and Nissan chief designer Shiro Nakamura (right), it was basically must-read stuff.
The pair really lived up to our expectations, too, with Kaz offering a lot of useful information about the future of the Gran Turismo franchise (especially the upcoming GT7 for Playstation 4), and Shiro promising to bring some interesting new ideas back to his colleagues at Nissan.

Nissan's 'No Charge to Charge' is what incentives look like in the EV age [UPDATE]

Nissan knows that offering free charging can increase Leaf sales, so it only makes sense for them to expand the "No Charge to Charge" program. And that's exactly what happened yesterday. As previewed during the New York Auto Show, No Charge To Charge gives new Leaf buyers free charging at participating public charging stations – which is pretty much any public station – for two years. That's the kind of thing that simplifies the EV buying process, which can move units, Brendan Jones, director of Nissan EV sales and infrastructure, told AutoblogGreen. "There is an expectation that we'll get a sales increase out of this," Jones said. "All the dealer has to say is that we have one card that accesses all chargers and we have a promotion where you can get free charging. The more complexity we reduce, the more sales we get." "The more complexity we reduce, the more sales we get." – Nissan's Brendan Jones That all-access angle is important for the broader EV market, Jones said, calling the program, "The first valid step towards interoperability." Jones said there will be more surprise announcements soon. "The infrastructure companies really came together to support Nissan on this," he said, but added that, "What's good for the industry and EVs in general is good for Nissan." "Leaf customers are not shy about their ability to provide constructive criticism," Jones said, " and interoperability has always been a big concern." Now that many of the early adopters drive an EV, the next target audience are the people who are telling EV companies to "Make this easy for me and I will adopt," Jones said. "[Interoperability] is a necessity for the industry now. We know the experience is great once they drive it. This just takes away a barrier, that confusion at the dealership." And, in some areas in the US, No Charge To Charge is now live. There are 2,600 public stations (200 of them fast chargers) in the initial 10 markets, Nissan says. Those include: San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle, Portland (OR), Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and Washington, DC. Nissan hasn't announced where the next 15 markets will be, but we know that they will likely be wherever the Leaf is selling well and there are a fair number of DC fast chargers. As we reported in April, each charging session in the No Charge To Charge program is limited to 30 minutes if you're plugged into a CHAdeMO fast charge station and to an hour at a Level 2 station.

Nissan recalling 2012-14 Frontier pickups over fire risk

Nissan is recalling its Frontier pickup over fire concerns, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration bulletin. A total of 13,535 vehicles are being recalled, all from the 2012 to 2014 model years, built between November 28, 2012 and December 27, 2013.
The NHTSA report states that "in the affected vehicles, a circuit breaker may have been installed incorrectly causing the main wire harness connected to the circuit breaker to face outward, potentially contacting a metal bolt located on the A-pillar." If this happens, it's possible that "the bolt may wear though the wire harness covering, resulting in an electrical short," NHTSA states. In the event of an electric short, a fire may occur.
The official recall will begin in March, where Nissan dealers will inspect the circuit breaker for the correct orientation, and if necessary, repair the vehicles, free of charge. Scroll down for the full NHTSA bulletin.