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Renault-Nissan has sold more EVs than its next two competitors combined

Nissan may not be doing so hot with sales of its Leaf electric vehicle in the US this year, but the Japanese automaker and its France-based partner Renault still remain the gold standard of electric-vehicle sellers. Thanks to numbers crunched by the good people over at EV Sales, we learn that the Renault-Nissan Alliance has moved more than 265,000 electric vehicles around the world. That accounts for more than a quarter of all the EVs sold worldwide and is more than Mitsubishi's 11 percent share and General Motors' 10 percent share combined. Nissan and Renault surpassed the quarter-million electric-vehicle mark in June. There are shifts afoot, though. Renault-Nissan's global EV market share is only 18 percent this year, and the Alliance is losing share to companies like Volkswagen, BYD, and, to a lesser extent, BMW. That shift can be seen in this year's US sales numbers, where the Nissan Leaf has pretty much plunged down. In fact, with VW and BMW broadening their inventory of plug-in models, Germany can claim the third-place spot in the list of countries with the most "electric" automakers, after China and Japan. The US is trailing, even if many people associate electric cars with California's Tesla. On that note, both Ford and General Motors have lost electric-vehicle market share this year, while Mitsubishi has essentially tread water. GM's numbers (and Nissan's, for that matter) need some context because Americans have been holding off on purchasing a first-gen Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in while the automaker readies a new and improved version. All told, Japanese companies have produced the most plug-in vehicles, accounting for 39 percent of the world's market so far, while the US is responsible for about one in four electric vehicles ever made. Sales '15 % Total Sales % Renault-Nissan 44,003 18 265,205 27 VW (VAG) 28,480 12 42,743 4 BYD 25,592 11 51,338 5 Tesla 24,867 10 83,587 9 Mitsubishi 24.117 10 108,883 11 BMW 15,469 6 31,822 3 Ford 11,548 5 65,696 7 GM 11,617 4 100,818 10 Featured Gallery 2015 Nissan Leaf View 12 Photos News Source: EV Sales Green Nissan Renault Electric ev sales renault-nissan

Half of Chinese car buyers won't shop Japanese over hard feelings

The hard feelings between China and Japan is no real secret. Besides modern-day disputes, the two countries have had a long-running enmity that dates back to well before the atrocities of World War II. All things considered, then, it shouldn't be a shock that half of Chinese car buyers wouldn't consider a Japanese car. This survey, conducted by Bernstein Research, found that 51 percent of 40,000 Chinese consumers wouldn't even consider a Japanese car – which, again, isn't really surprising, when you consider stories like this. According to Bernstein, the most troubling thing is the location of these sentiments – smaller, growing cities where the population is going to need sets of wheels. We imagine it wouldn't be as big of an issue in traffic-clogged Shanghai or Beijing, but these small cities are going to become a major focus for automakers. "Nationalistic feelings are an impediment. [Japanese] premium brands will struggle," analyst Max Warburton wrote in a research note, according to The Wall Street Journal. Things will improve for Japanese makes, although China will remain a challenge, with Warburton writing, "the one thing that comes out most clearly is that most Chinese really want a German car. While we expect Japanese brands to continue to recover market share this year, ultimately the market will belong to the Germans." There are a few other insights from the study. According to WSJ, Japanese brands are viewed better than Korean brands, and they're seen as more comfortable than the offerings from Germany or the US, despite the fact that everyone in China apparently wants a German car. This is a tough position for the Japanese makes to be in, as there's really not a lot they can do to win favor with Chinese buyers. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, particularly as the importance of the PRC continues to increase year after year. News Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req.Image Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP / Getty Images Honda Mazda Nissan Toyota Car Buying

Apple iTunes Radio picks Nissan as first automotive launch partner

With the launch of iOS 7 last week, those who carry around a certain fruit-branded cellphone got access to a new technology called iTunes Radio. Apple's delayed entry into a market currently dominated by service such as Spotify and Pandora, iTunes Radio allows users to create their own stations or to choose from a number of featured stations. From there, listeners can fine tune their results to deliver more popular songs or newer, deeper tracks. Each song is linked back to the iTunes store, allowing users to easily buy songs they fall in love with.
Now, Nissan has teamed with Apple as the exclusive launch partner for iTunes Radio. This partnership means you'll be seeing some Nissan-specific content when you're surfing through iTunes Radio, with some subtler stuff in the form of material and some not-so-subtle approaches, like Nissan's use of iAd, a system that allows developers to directly insert advertisements into apps. The focus at first will be on the upcoming Rogue, the redesigned Versa Note and the Leaf EV.
Nissan's vice president of marketing in North America, Jon Brancheau, explained the team up, saying, "We see iTunes Radio as an integral part of our new vehicle launches and 'big moments,' riding the wave of interest and usage of this exciting new service to maximize exposure of Nissan's new models." Take a look below for the rundown from Nissan.