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At long last, Infiniti plans a production EV

After years of false starts, it appears that Nissan's Infiniti division will finally launch a production electric car in 2019 and debut it as a concept in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Details at this point are scant, but Infiniti Executive Design Director Alfonsa Albaisa told Autocar the EV would be an all-new electric-only vehicle based on a new platform. Citing the company's grand prix-inspired Prototype 9 racecar concept that was shown a few weeks ago at Pebble Beach, Albaisa said consumers would see "parts of the car in a different context" on the concept EV. The Prototype 9's all-electric powertrain was developed by parent company Nissan's Advanced Powertrain Department. The last we saw of any electric offering from Infiniti was way back in 2012 with the LE Concept sedan, which was supposed to show up in dealerships two years later. Those plans were initially postponed in 2013 and then again in 2015 amid doubts over EV sales projections and larger concerns over boosting overall Infiniti sales. The LE had a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack paired with a 100 kilowatt electric motor delivering 134 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. Related Video: Featured Gallery Infiniti Prototype 9 at Pebble Beach View 26 Photos Related Gallery Infiniti LE Concept: New York 2012 Green Infiniti Concept Cars Electric Pebble Beach

Tesla leads and Infiniti bleeds in Consumer Reports' satisfaction survey

According to Consumer Reports, Tesla owners are more likely to rave about their vehicles than any other brand. And we're not surprised — Tesla has performed very well in past customer satisfaction surveys, despite the fact that the electric cars themselves tend to have more problems than most other automobiles. Second place went to Lincoln, which interestingly had a higher cumulative score than Tesla in individual category measurements like comfort and storage space. Ram, a truck-only brand, rounded out the top three. The consumer-focused magazine bases its owner satisfaction score on responses to a very simple question: Would you buy this exact car again? The higher percentage of owners who answer "definitely yes" to that question, the higher the satisfaction score. Further breakdowns are scored for other parts of the ownership experience, which is why brands that rank poorly in Consumer Reports' own reliability charts — like Tesla and Lincoln, for example — can still earn top marks for satisfaction. The lowest-ranked brands for satisfaction are Cadillac, Nissan and Infiniti. Interestingly, Cadillac performed better than average in Driving and Comfort and middle-of-the-road in the In-Car Electronics and Cabin Storage, but like most other brands, scored poorly in Value. In fact, only Subaru, Mazda and Volkswagen scored better than average in Value. Nissan and especially Infiniti earned comparatively low marks across the board to go along with the bottom-of-the-barrel satisfaction score. Here's the full list of automakers from Consumer Reports' satisfaction survey, ranked in order from best to worst: Tesla Lincoln Ram Chrysler Subaru Hyundai Porsche Dodge Mazda Toyota Kia Mini BMW Ford Audi Honda Volvo Volkswagen Lexus Jeep GMC Chevrolet Mercedes-Benz Buick Cadillac Nissan Infiniti It's worth diving into the individual category scores in addition to the official finishing order for a full look at the results. For instance, despite the fact that automakers like Lincoln and Ford use similar infotainment systems, their In-Car Electronics scores don't quite match up. Also, some automakers have full lineups with multiple cars, trucks and SUVs while others offer just a couple of nameplates. Head on over to Consumer Reports for all the details. Looking for a reliable car, truck or SUV? Check out the top 10 vehicles that owners keep the longest.

What happens to Renault-Nissan after Ghosn is gone?

Carlos Ghosn is a very, very busy man. Like, really busy. As in, he heads up three automakers (and their subsidiaries), running facilities in 68 countries and selling vehicles in 170 different markets across the globe. He flies over 300,000 miles per year and works 15 to 16 hours a day, just to manage an alliance between the Japanese and French that's responsible for an expected $140 billion in sales this year alone. The Chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Ghosn has managed a number of remarkable feats during his time at both automakers, but there are some that are questioning how much longer the 60-year-old exec can handle the punishing nature of his responsibilities. According to Fortune, six months ago Ghosn signed a four-year contract to continue running Renault, while his tenure at Nissan will continue until at least 2017. Beyond that, though, the future is rather murky, and it's made worse by the high-level turnover that Renault-Nissan has experienced over the past few years, losing execs like Carlos Tavares, Johan de Nysschen and Andy Palmer. Fortune has an excellent, and lengthy, feature on Ghosn, his responsibilities and the danger posed to Renault-Nissan by his departure. If you're at all curious about what the exec has done for the two automakers, how this alliance has worked when so many other industry partnerships have failed and just what a post-Ghosn future may hold, head over and have a look. News Source: FortuneImage Credit: Lee Jin-man / AP Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Read This Infiniti Nissan Renault datsun dacia lada readthis