350 Z Convertible, 6 Speed on 2040-cars

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Nissan working on unspecified improvements to Carwings in Leaf EV

Fly a little higher, Carwings. Nissan has been using the communication system as a way for drivers of the battery-electric Leaf to do things like use a smartphone start the charging process remotely, check the charging status or find nearby charging stations. The service was one of the tools Nissan was offering to newbie drivers of the first US mass-produced electric vehicle to better familiarize themselves with ideas like recharging your car from miles away. Now, three-plus years into the model's lifetime, Nissan is looking to get more out of Carwings, Wards Auto says, citing Nissan North America executive Robyn Williams. Specifically, Nissan is hoping Carwings will eventually be able to communicate information about the battery's health, or lack thereof (i.e. degradation) to the driver. That issue was made clear a couple of years ago when Leaf drivers in hot-weather locales such as Arizona said their batteries were losing capacity at a faster rate than advertised. Nissan North America spokesman Brian Brockman, in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen, would only say that the automaker "is always working to determine ways to offer more value to customers via telematics systems like Carwings," but declined to be more specific about any particular technological advancements. Nissan debuted Carwings in late 2010, and, among other things, the concept was novel because it let Leaf drivers compare driving efficiency with other Leaf drivers (think of it as a real silent hypermiling contest). The feature had been used as a telecommunications system on a number of Nissan models in Japan for years before being introduced on the Leaf.

Here are your 2016 North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year finalists [w/polls]

The 2016 Detroit Auto Show will kick off with the announcement of the annual North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year awards, and the three finalists in each category have just been revealed. Following this announcement, the jury – which includes Autoblog editor-in-chief Mike Austin – will re-evaluate each candidate before casting a final vote for the winner. This year's finalists are: Car of the Year Chevrolet Malibu Honda Civic Mazda MX-5 Miata Truck/Utility of the Year Honda Pilot Nissan Titan XD Volvo XC90 The 23rd annual awards will be announced on the morning of Monday, January 11. For now, we want to know where you stand. Let us know which vehicles you think should win, by voting in the polls below. Chevrolet Honda Mazda Nissan Volvo north american car of the year NACTOY

Chevy City Express headed for dealers

With competition coming from the Ford Transit Connect, it's high time Chevrolet got in on the compact hauling action and took the fight to its cross-town rival... and it's doing so with a little help from Nissan. The Chevy City Express, a badge-engineered Nissan NV200, is now arriving at dealers, giving Bowtie fans a counter to Dearborn's compact van.
"Our existing customers will love getting behind the wheel of the City Express when it's at their Chevrolet dealership," Ed Peper, GM's vice president of fleet and commercial vehicles said in a statement. "But we're most looking forward to giving potential new customers the opportunity to experience one of many Chevrolet commercial vehicles that best fit their needs."
Prices for the 2015 City Express start at $22,950. Scroll down for the official announcement from Chevrolet.