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Ghosn: 'We are getting there' on making Nissan Leaf profitable

After 19 months in a row of record sales in the US, the money picture for the Nissan Leaf is steadily improving. To date (well, until the end of September), Nissan has sold 63,944 Leaf EVs in the US and a total of around 140,000 globally. The company produces the electric vehicle in three countries: Japan, the UK and the US and has sold more standard passenger EVs than any other automaker. Add all that up and you get to an EV that is just about to be profitable. "We are getting into positive, which is good for this technology." – Carlos Ghosn At least, it is according to Carlos Ghosn, the CEO of Renault-Nissan, who spoke to reporters at that Paris Motor Show this week. "We are getting there [to Leaf profitability]," Ghosn told Automotive News. "Are we amortizing and depreciating everything we have spent? No. But if you look at margin of profit – the direct cost of the car and the revenue of the car – we are getting into positive, which is good for this technology." Automakers are notoriously closemouthed when it comes to sharing specifics about the higher cost of alternative vehicle technologies compared to standard ICE vehicles. Still, statements like this – as well as a knowledge about how long it took Toyota to make money from the Prius and overall industry amortization – show that Nissan could well be sitting pretty when it comes to keeping EVs around for the long term. Given some of the other news we've heard recently, it's got to be nice to have some stability.

Court rejects Carlos Ghosn's request to attend Nissan board meeting

TOKYO — A Japanese court has rejected a request by former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, released on bail last week, to attend the Japanese automaker's board meeting on Tuesday. Nissan dismissed Ghosn as chairman after his Nov. 19 arrest, but he remains on the board. The Tokyo District Court said it rejected Ghosn's request on Monday but did not elaborate on the reasons. It had been unclear whether Ghosn could attend the board meeting. The court's approval was needed based on restrictions imposed for his release on bail. The restrictions say he cannot tamper with evidence, and attending the board meeting could be seen as putting pressure on Nissan employees. Prosecutors had been expected to argue against his attendance. They were not available for immediate comment. Ghosn has been charged with falsifying financial reports in underreporting his compensation and breach of trust in making payments to a Saudi businessman and having Nissan shoulder investment losses. He insists he is innocent, saying the compensation was never decided or paid, the payments were for legitimate services and Nissan never suffered the losses. Since his release on March 6 from Tokyo Detention Center on 1 billion yen ($9 million) bail, he has been spotted taking walks in Tokyo with his family, but he has not made any comments. His attempt to exercise what his lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, called his "duty" by attending the board meeting signals one way he may be fighting back. Hironaka has said Ghosn will speak to reporters soon. A date for a news conference has not been announced. Nissan said Monday that Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, Renault Chief Executive Thierry Bollore, Nissan Motor Co. CEO Hiroto Saikawa, and Osamu Masuko, the chairman and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corp., will hold a joint news conference Tuesday after the board meeting. Nissan appears determined to highlight new leadership without Ghosn. It is part of an alliance with Renault SA of France, and more recently with Japan's Mitsubishi Motors, that was largely cobbled together by Ghosn, who led Nissan for two decades. Nissan, which makes the March subcompact, Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury models, has denounced Ghosn for alleged misconduct. A decision at a shareholders' meeting is needed to remove Ghosn from the board. A shareholders' meeting is scheduled for next month.

2014 Nissan Serena offers big flexibility in a tidy package

In America, Nissan attempts to slake our kinschlepping needs with its slow-selling Quest minivan, but in Japan, where consumers seem a lot less reluctant to buy MPVs, there are a lot more models for every size family and budget. Nissan itself offers no fewer than six such minivans, including the popular Serena seen here.
Technically a mid-cycle facelift, this new Serena continues to offer seating for up to eight people with a gas-only or mild hybrid driveline delivering power to either the front or all four wheels. This Tokyo Motor Show reveal takes that familiar package and lends it a freshened look, complete with a revamped front fascia with less chrome frosting, optional LED headlamps, new LED taillamps and new alloy wheel patterns. In addition, the Serena receives new active safety technology, including lane departure warning systems, Around View Monitor with Moving Option Detection, Driver Attention Alert, and so on.
With only a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a continuously variable transmission, you might expect the Serena to be smaller than today's American minivans, and you'd be right - it's roughly the size of a short-wheelbase Gen III Dodge Caravan, making its seating capacity particularly impressive. Said another way, the Serena is likely to stay forbidden fruit, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it in our gallery.