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Chinese-designed Nissan Lannia Concept debuts in Beijing

Nissan showed off a stylish new concept car to the assembled crowds of media at the Beijing Motor Show. The Lannia Concept is... well, it's not that easy to describe. It's kind of a sedan, only it looks a bit like a fastback from the rear. But for a twist, it has an ever-so-small rear deck. Regardless of how we'd classify it, it's a seriously sharp piece of styling, thanks to its unique shape and flowing character lines.
If the Lannia's styling appears familiar, it's because we've sort of seen it before. There's more than a little bit of inspiration from the Friend-Me Concept. The Lannia's overall shape is similar to the Friend-Me, while both the front and rear clips look decidedly more production ready. Considering this evolution, we shouldn't rule out a production Lannia in the next few years. And if Nissan's product boss, Andy Palmer is any indication, the new model might not be limited to China.
"It was designed by Chinese, built by Chinese for the Chinese people, and ultimately, for the world," Palmer said in a statement. If Nissan can keep this sharp styling, this could prove a compelling buy in a number of markets.

Mercedes was set to sell version of Nissan Titan, now Infiniti might instead

Mercedes-Benz Titan. Mercedes-Benz Frontier. Mercedes-Benz pickup truck. None of these things roll off the tongue particularly well. We'd like to think that's the reason Daimler opted to kill the idea of rebadged Titan and Frontier pickups from corporate ally Nissan. In reality, the execution before the Frankfurt Motor Show was due to more complicated issues.
Yes, Mercedes, byword for German luxury, style and quality, would have slapped a three-pointed star on a pair of Japanese pickup trucks that have failed to resonate with consumers in the world's largest truck market. That slapping of badges isn't much of an exaggeration, at least on the outside. According to the report from Road & Track, the truck's front clip would have been tweaked, but beyond that, the sheetmetal would have been unchanged. The interior would have received a more thorough going-over by the team at Mercedes, while the suspension and noise, vibration and harshness tuning would have also received significant attention.
The trucks would have ended up being sold through the light-commercial branch of Mercedes-Benz - the same folks that will happily sell you a Sprinter van - had the deal gone through. Issues arose, though, first with the engines. Mercedes wanted a wider range of powertrains to allow it to tune models for specific markets, while Nissan said it couldn't engineer the wide variety of engines that MB wanted to drop under the hood. For the smaller truck, meanwhile, MB was interested in a hybrid or plug-in variant, according to R&T, although this was also shot down by Nissan.

Nissan starts building e-NV200 in Spain [w/video]

It doesn't look all that much like a Nissan Leaf, but the new e-NV200 that started production in Barcelona, Spain today shares its powertrain and lithium-ion battery with the world's most popular electric vehicle. The production version of the electric cargo van was unveiled late last year and today's manufacturing start is right on time with the company's previously announced timeline. The first exports will take place in June. The e-NV200 is Nissan's second all-electric vehicle, and the company says that powertrain line-up is "expanding." The vehicle itself will be available in a number of configurations in Europe: a light commercial van, a passenger vehicle and and electric taxi. Nissan has said in the past it is working on installing a fast-charging network of CHAdeMO stations in Barcelona, where the e-NV200 will be used as a cab. The e-NV200 will also be used as an electric taxi in Amsterdam. The zero-tailpipe-emission van is also being tested in Washington, DC with FedEx, but there is no confirmation that it will ever be commercially available in the US. There are a few more details, and a video, on the e-NV200 production start below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. NISSAN'S SECOND 100% ELECTRIC VEHICLE, THE e-NV200, STARTS GLOBAL PRODUCTION IN BARCELONA 05/05/14 Nissan e-NV200 is the second model in Nissan's expanding range of electric vehicles Barcelona plant starts production of Nissan's first electric van as part of ˆ431 million investment New electric van provides a zero-emission solution for urban cargo delivery and taxi companies Barcelona is the only Nissan plant to produce the e-NV200, which will be exported globally e-NV200 shares drivetrain technology with the world's best-selling electric vehicle - the Nissan LEAF BARCELONA – Nissan has started the production of its second all-electric vehicle, the e-NV200, which will soon be available in Europe as both a passenger vehicle and light commercial van. The ceremony was attended by Spanish Ministry of Industry, Jose Manuel Soria, Catalan President, Artur Mas; and the Mayor of Barcelona, Xavier Trias, who were welcomed by Nissan's Chief Planning Officer, Andy Palmer. The Nissan plant in Barcelona will be the global production site for this ground breaking zero-emission vehicle, which will be available as a light commercial van, passenger vehicle and electric taxi in the European market.