2012 Nissan Gt-r Black Edition Coupe 2-door 3.8l on 2040-cars

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NHTSA investigating Bosch Power Xpress 240V EV chargers for fire risk

*UPDATED with Bosch's comment. Let's stamp out the flames of suspicion right up front. A new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation, while involving a 2013 Nissan Leaf and some smoke, is not about another EV fire. Not directly, anyway. "Nissan has determined by pictures that the car was not to blame for the incident" – NHTSA complaint This time, the subject of the NHTSA's lens is the Bosch Power Xpress 240V charging unit. NHTSA wants to know if an overheating charging cord caused smoke (NHTSA says there was no actual fire) in a Leaf owner's garage last fall. NHTSA says it will investigate, "to evaluate the scope, frequency, and consequence of the alleged defect." Up to 50 of the charging units could be involved, and NHTSA decided to act based on a single customer complaint that was filed in August 2013. The investigation opened April 15, so it will likely be a while before we know any more concrete details. For now, you can read the official details of the investigation and the original complaint - which says, "Nissan has determined by pictures that the car was not to blame for the incident. They are blaming the charging station for the failure. They have denied any warranty coverage. The burden of the bill has been placed with the customer" – below. Nissan's senior manager of corporate communications, Brian Brockman, sent AutoblogGreen a statement that says Nissan will work with NHTSA and Bosch and points out that, "This inquiry is focused on the electric vehicle charger and is directed at the charger supplier, Bosch." Requests for comment from Bosch were not returned, but we will update this post when we hear back. Bosch spokesperson Cheryl Kilborn told AutoblogGreen that, "Bosch is reviewing the filing and will work cooperatively with NHTSA as we seek to identify the root cause." INVESTIGATION Subject : Bosch EV charging cord overheating Date Investigation Opened: APR 15, 2014 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: PE14011 Component(s): ELECTRICAL SYSTEM All Products Associated with this Investigation close Equipment Brand NamePart No.

2015 Nissan Murano is the Sport Sedan Concept of crossovers [w/video]

The edgy new Nissan Murano has just been officially unveiled at today's New York Auto Show following its online debut earlier this week. Wearing sheetmetal clearly inspired by the Japanese brand's creatively named Sport Sedan Concept, the third-generation Murano continues the tradition of offering dramatic styling and surprisingly premium interiors.
With headlights and a grille that look lifted from the Detroit Auto Show concept, the Murano arguably has more design presence than it's ever had before, thanks to its sharply styled headlights and in-your-face grille. The profile is highlighted by an aggressive kink in the beltline behind the C-pillar, while the rear of the crossover sports a smallish rear window and strongly styled C-shaped taillights.
The redesigned interior isn't quite as dramatic a departure as the exterior, with a layout reminiscent of the larger Pathfinder. The material quality, though, looks to be significantly improved for 2015. There are also no shortage of optional, upmarket interior items, like heated and cooled front seats, a heated rear bench and an upsized panoramic sunroof.

With Nissan dragging it down, Renault predicts a worsening year

PARIS — Renault warned revenue may decline this year, scrapping a previous goal, after first-half profit was hit by weakening car demand and an earnings collapse at alliance partner Nissan in the wake of the Carlos Ghosn scandal. Net income slumped by more than half to 970 million euros ($1.08 billion) in January-June as revenue fell 6.4% to 28.05 billion, the French carmaker said on Friday. Operating profit also dropped 13.6% to 1.65 billion euros. "Given the degradation in demand, the group now expects 2019 revenues to be close to last year's," Renault said — abandoning an earlier pledge to increase revenue before currency effects. A broad-based auto sales downturn has rattled the sector, prompting profit warnings and compounding challenges for Renault and Nissan as they struggle to turn the page on the Ghosn era. Their former alliance boss is now awaiting trial in Japan on financial misconduct charges he denies. Renault's bottom line was hit by an 826 million-euro drop in earnings from its 43.4%-owned partner. Nissan is cutting 12,500 jobs globally after an earnings collapse that it is keen to blame on Ghosn's leadership. But Renault's own performance - reflected in an operating margin that declined to 5.9% from 6.4% the year before - compares less favorably with domestic rival PSA Group. The Peugeot maker bucked the downturn with a record 8.7% profit margin unveiled on Wednesday. Alliance tensions flared after Ghosn's November arrest, worsened when Renault tried in vain to merge with Nissan then Fiat Chrysler, and may be affecting operational performance, investors fear. Citi analyst Raghav Gupta-Chaudhary flagged a lower-than-usual 258 million euros in joint purchasing savings for Renault. "We thought this would be weak in light of the well-documented difficulties with the alliance," he said. Renault blamed falling sales in France, as well as Turkey and Argentina, for a 7.7% revenue drop at its core automotive business, whose profit margin slid to 4% from 4.5%. Operating free cash flow also suffered, coming in at a negative 716 million euros as investment jumped by 742 million euros to 2.91 billion. Renault, which is counting on model launches including a new Clio mini to boost performance in the second half of 2019, nonetheless reiterated pledges to deliver positive full-year cash flow and a margin close to 6%. Renault shares were down 0.5% at 52.02 euros as of 0800 GMT in Paris, after initially falling as much as 2.7%.