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Recharge Wrap-up: Formula E's other events, continued record EV sales

Formula E wants fans to know that it is more than just a race. During each ePrix weekend, the electric race series hosts a variety of events. For each race, Formula E sets up an eVillage where fans can meet drivers and get autographs, learn about electric vehicles, spectate Formula E's School Series races, enjoy live music and dance performances, play games, eat food and take part in numerous other activities that don't make their way into the television broadcast. Or course, though, the race is always the main event. See more in the video above. Electric vehicles enjoyed a fourth straight month of record sales in February. Despite low oil prices, customers bought an estimated 7,881 EVs last month, up 13 percent from a year before. 52 percent of those sales were battery electric vehicles, while the rest were plug-in hybrids. BMW i3 sales dropped 77 percent over a year ago, selling 248 cars. The Tesla Model S and Chevrolet Volt sold the most, while the Ford Fusion Energi outsold the Nissan Leaf for the first time. The Audi A3 E-Tron sold 248 units (same as the BMW i3) despite low inventory. Read more at Inside EVs. Renault more than doubled its EV sales in January compared to a year before. Sales were up 104 percent, at 1,886 units (1,977 if you include the Twizy). This January marked higher EV sales for Renault than the three previous years. The biggest selling Renault EV, which also happened to be Europe's best selling EV, was the Renault Zoe, up 105 percent at 1,416 units sold. Read more at Inside EVs. Nissan's "No Charge to Charge" promotion has expanded to Orlando, Florida. This is the 27th market in the US to offer free charging to Nissan Leaf customers. Buyers and lessees get two years of free charging with an EZ-Charge card, which works with AeroVironment, Blink, ChargePoint, Greenlots and NRG eVgo charging networks. "Significantly lower operating costs and a fun-to-drive nature make owning the all-electric Leaf a cost-effective and convenient choice for Orlando residents," says Nissan EV Sales & Marketing Director Andrew Speaker. Read more in the press release below. Nissan's "No Charge to Charge" program increases to 27 cities in the U.S. with the addition of Orlando Free public, electric vehicle charging now offered to new Nissan LEAF buyers in the Orlando metro area ORLANDO – Nissan's "No Charge to Charge" promotion has officially arrived to the Sunshine State.

These are your top 10 worst-selling vehicles of 2012

Despite 2012 being the best year of auto sales this country has seen since 2007, not every vehicle got an equally large share of the sales pie. Some barely got a sliver, as evidenced by this year's list of the top 10 worst-selling vehicles of 2012. We've dug through sales data from every automaker to come up with this year's list and, like last year, we've set some parameters to ensure it includes legitimately bad-selling vehicles. The first parameter is a starting MSRP under $100,000, which automatically excludes what's parked in most one-percenters' garages. We're also excluding vehicles cancelled in 2012, even if they garnered sales through the end of the year while dealerships sold off remaining inventory. This includes models like the Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mercedes-Benz R-Class and last year's worst-seller, the Acura RL. Next, vehicles are considered as they are reported by the automaker, which means that, while sales of the Murano CrossCabriolet were probably low enough to make the list, because Nissan reports only one number for all Murano sales, it was excluded. Cadillac, however, reports sales of the Escalade EXT separately from the Escalade, hence its repeat appearance. Finally, there was the question of whether or not eligibility should be given to Suzuki vehicles, as the brand announced in November that it would end sales in the US as soon as its current inventory ran out. We decided Suzuki vehicles should be included as the brand was offering 2013 models at the time of the announcement, and as far as we can tell, inventory levels remained high enough to satisfy demand through the end of the year. Without further ado, below are the top 10 worst-selling vehicles of 2012. Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles of 2012 10. Volvo C30 MSRP: $25,500 Units Sold: 2,827 Last Year: – 9. BMW Z4 MSRP: $47,350 Units Sold: 2,751 Last Year: – 8. Audi TT MSRP: $39,545 Units Sold: 2,226 Last Year: – 7. Subaru Tribeca MSRP: $32,595 Units Sold: 2,075 Last Year: 10 6. Suzuki Equator MSRP: $19,449 Units Sold: 1,966 Last Year: 7 5. Cadillac Escalade EXT MSRP: $63,060 Units Sold: 1,934 Last Year: 6 4. Nissan GT-R MSRP: $96,820 Units Sold: 1,188 Last Year: – 3. Acura ZDX MSRP: $50,920 Units Sold: 775 Last Year: 4 2. Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback MSRP: $18,495 Units Sold: 702 Last Year: 3 1. Mitsubishi i-MiEV MSRP: $29,125 Units Sold: 588 Last Year: – Want a little more "worst-selling" data? Check out our list of the top 10 worst-selling vehicles of 2011.

Nissan Canada kills Cube, is US next?

Canadians, say goodbye to the quirky Nissan Cube. In fact, it's too late; it's already gone. The question now becomes whether the boxy model gets the axe in the US as well.
Nissan didn't exactly publicize the Cube's Canadian retirement. An Autos.ca reader noticed that the vehicle was no longer listed on the automaker's official site in the Great White North. He tweeted the company about it and was told, "Yes, the Nissan Cube has been discontinued in Canada."
The news certainly makes you wonder what the future for the model is in the US. The Cube isn't exactly a hot seller here, either. According to Nissan's last sales results, it sold just 356 units in April, down 23.9 percent from a year ago, and 1,604 vehicles from January to April, down 33.7 percent. Annual sales were as high as 23,000 units in 2010, but they started dipping as early as 2011.