2013 Nissan Juke S on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Carlos Ghosn appears in court: 'I am wrongly accused'

TOKYO — Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn told a Tokyo court on Tuesday that he was innocent, defending his honor in his first public appearance since he was arrested on Nov. 19 and charged with false financial reporting. "Your honor, I am innocent of the accusations against me," Ghosn told the judge, speaking firmly and calmly as he read from a statement. "I am wrongfully accused." Prosecutors have charged Ghosn, who led a dramatic turnaround at the Japanese automaker over the past two decades, with falsifying financial reports in underreporting his income by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) over five years through 2015. They also say he is suspected of having Nissan temporarily take on his investment losses from the financial crisis. Seen for the first time since his November arrest, Ghosn was wearing a dark suit without a tie, and plastic slippers, and looked thinner and with gray hair. He rebutted the allegations against him point-by-point and said he had the option to leave Nissan but had decided to stay on. "A captain doesn't jump ship during a storm," he told the court in a strong voice. The veteran auto executive, a familiar face at the World Economic Forum and other elite gatherings, was handcuffed and led into the courtroom with a rope around his waist as the hearing began. Officers uncuffed him and seated him on a bench. Presiding judge Yuichi Tada then read out the charges and said Ghosn, a Brazilian-born Frenchman of Lebanese ancestry, was considered a flight risk — he was arrested on his arrival in Tokyo by private jet — and might try to hide evidence. In Japan, suspects are routinely held without bail, often due to fears about evidence tampering. During Tuesday's hearing, Go Kondo, one of Ghosn's lawyers, argued he was not a flight risk. "He's widely known so it's difficult for him to escape. There is no risk that the suspect will destroy evidence," he said. Facing the courtroom, Ghosn spoke proudly of the automaker's — and his own — achievements, such as reviving iconic models like the GT-R and the Z, expanding operations in China, Russia, Brazil and India and pioneering electric cars and autonomous driving. "I have a genuine love and appreciation for Nissan," he said. Ghosn has been held in spartan conditions at a Tokyo detention facility since he was taken into custody. In keeping with Japanese regulations, he has been allowed visits only from his lawyers and consular officials.

Nissan ZEOD RC on track and from behind the wheel

The Nissan ZEOD RC hybrid racecar has had mixed success in its competition life. It was invented to do a completely electric, high-speed lap at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which it was able to do in practice. However, when the big event actually came, the car lasted less than an hour before it had to bow out with transmission issues. Nissan hasn't completely given up on its experiment, though. The experience (and possibly some of the tech) is going to help with the GT-R LM racer next year, and now the ZEOD is getting its chance to see how it handles the Top Gear test track.
Unfortunately, it's not The Stig piloting the ZEOD; instead, the magazine's motoring editor Ollie Marriage is the lucky man for the job. The car's sharp shape seems to be a good metaphor for how it handles because it just seems to dart around the track. Its tiny, turbocharged 1.5-liter engine with 400 horsepower and two electric motors put out a claimed 750 horsepower, and that seems like plenty for the relatively short Top Gear course.
As usual of Top Gear, the cinematography here is fantastic, and a second video shows off a single lap of the course from around the car. It's amazing to watch, especially with its big screen constantly showing the camera view out of the rear. Scroll down to see both.

Nissan's London Black Cab postponed because it can't meet emissions targets

Emissions concerns in London are causing headaches for Nissan, as the company continues its efforts to bring its Black Cab to the city's streets. A proposed ultra-low emissions zone could lead to standards in the city center that are so strict the gas-powered taxi can't meet them, AutoExpress reports. It's unclear just how low the new emissions standards may be, although AE references London's mayor, Boris Johnson, and his drive to make every London taxi emissions-free by 2018 as a particular thorn for the Japanese automaker. It's worth noting that the NV200 taxi is both cleaner and more fuel efficient than London's current fleet of iconic black cabs. That alone makes it seem like reason enough to get the new cabs on the streets. But it's the strictness of the proposed standards and the apparently set-in-stone nature of the NV200's current engineering that is holding up the cab's future. While Nissan offers an emissions-free e-NV200, it would reportedly need to completely reengineer the NV200-based cab to meet the future standards if they're approved. Whether that will happen, though, remains an open question.