Auto blog

Nissan GT-R Nismo 'Ring time makes it track's 'fastest volume production car' [w/video]

Performance cars are fun to drive and all, but at the end of the day ,owners drop big bucks on what are often ridiculously unpractical vehicles for the bragging rights. And when it comes to ultimate bragging rights, few get more publicized than lap times for everyone's favorite stretch of German pavement, the Nürburgring. Enter the 2015 Nissan GT-R Nismo.
After rumors about a 7:08 lap time appeared yesterday, Nissan confirmed has confirmed the news today with video footage of the run, which took place on September 30. The official lap time is just seven minutes and 8.679 seconds, putting the GT-R Nismo about 11 seconds off the pace of the Porsche 918 Spyder - some six seconds quicker than the far costlier Lexus LFA. Some admitted - but hard-to-spot - missteps by Nissan driver Michael Krumm would indicate that the car actually left some time on the table.
With this time, Nissan claims that the 595-horsepower GT-R Nismo is the "fastest volume production car" around the track. The definition of "volume" could surely be contested here, though, considering the small numbers in which the GT-R is sold. While we don't have global GT-R sales figures, this year has only seen 1,063 units sold through October, and there were close to 1,300 sold in all of 2011 and about 1,200 in 2012. While this loosely defined claim will only add to the Nürburgring lap time squabbling, it is no less impressive. Check out the record run for yourself in the video below, which is accompanied by an official press release.

It won't be long now before Nissan Leaf finally overtakes Chevy Volt

The two best-selling plug-in vehicles ever are the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. When the two vehicles launched in late 2010, the plug-in hybrid Volt quickly outpaced the all-electric Leaf and, despite lots of ups and downs since then, continues to hold on to a cumulative sales lead. This will change in 2015. Cumulatively, from November 2010 through November 2014, the Volt sold 71,867 units while the Leaf trails with 69,220. That's a difference of just 2,647. Based on current trends (with the Leaf selling around 2,500-2,700 a month and the Volt at 1,500-1,700) we expect the Leaf to take over either in January or, more likely, February when the Leaf takes over as the most popular plug-in car in America. Perhaps even March, depending on how low the numbers are for January and February, which are always slow sales months in the US. Of course, once it takes the crown, the Leaf can't expect to easily hold on for long. A new Volt is coming in the second half of 2015, likely beating a new Leaf to market. The question is, then, how well the Chevy sells with all of its new bells and whistles. Do you think the Volt will be the comeback kid once the 2016 model becomes available? Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 55 Photos Green Chevrolet Nissan AutoblogGreen Exclusive Electric Hybrid ev sales hybrid sales

RC car drift video brings Fast and Furious style in 1:10 scale

Taking a cue from Lexus' 2015 Super Bowl ad Let's Play, Falken Tire is proving that RC cars can drift just as well, if not better, than their full-size counterparts. However, to make things four times as exciting, this clip eschews a single hopped-up model hanging its tail out in favor of a quartet of them sliding around together. Starring 1:10 RC versions of popular drift machines like the Nissan S15 Silvia, Mazda FD-chassis RX-7 and Initial D star Toyota Corolla AE86, these cars also get a suite of blinking LEDs to lend some extra color to all of the tire spinning. Plus, the use of well-positioned cameras and a scale model environment almost makes this group look like they're at work in the real world. News Source: Falken Tire via YouTube Motorsports Toys/Games Mazda Nissan Toyota Racing Vehicles Videos drifting drift rc car mazda rx-7 nissan silvia toyota ae86