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Nissan testing experimental dealer with no desks or offices

Nissan thinks it has found a better way to sell cars, and it involves stripping showrooms of everything but the cars and sales team. The brand calls the experiment the Nissan New Retail Concept, and it might get tested in the US in a few years.
The concept is relatively simple. Showrooms ditch offices, reception counters, cubicles and desks. Instead salespeople walk around inside and outside the dealer with mobile devices to assist customers and even complete sales. Associates are trained to take immediate responsibility for each visitor they encounter. For example, if owners comes inside with a problem with their vehicle, the employee escorts them to the service department and introduces them.
A dealer in London has been testing the new layout for the last nine months, and so far it reports better customer satisfaction, loyalty and most importantly higher sales. Nissan next plans to launch test stores in Moscow and Stuttgart. Then it will broaden out to more of Western Europe and finally will be tested in the Japan, the US and the Middle East, according to Automotive News.

Nissan Leaf battery cells put through torture test, live to charge again

One minor chink in the armor of the Tesla Model S is that a small number have caught fire, once their battery packs were penetrated. Nissan Leaf drivers, however, might just be able to weather such an event without an ensuing CarBQ. Our evidence for such a claim? A video that has surfaced of cells from a Leaf pack undergoing a battery of torture tests (pun somewhat-ashamedly intended). Shared by folks at the Hybrid Auto Center in Las Vegas – who offer for sale, among other things, used Leaf lithium battery modules – the footage shows salvaged cells being brutally assaulted with a screwdriver, and later, a propane torch. Granted, these tests are not the same thing as flinging a piece of metal into a working pack at 70 miles per hour, but they do claim to show that a puncture does not always equal a fire. Oh, and don't try this at home. When pierced through by the flat head tool, there is no explosion or eruption of flame. Instead, a rather modest wisp of smoke shyly emerges as the electrolyte next to the shorted area of the fully-charged foil pouch reacts with the influx of oxygen. Again and again, the blade descends, until the cell is riddled with holes. No fire. Amazingly, when connected with a voltmeter afterward there are still plenty of signs of life, and when it is charged and discharged (off-camera), it reportedly suffers only a slight loss of charge capacity. The video goes on to show another cell attacked with open flame with similar results. While the demonstration is, perhaps, somewhat crude, the message it sends is loud and clear: lithium batteries can be safe and rather robust, despite some freak accidents. Scroll below to watch the short presentation for yourself. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Nissan's current Rogue renamed Rogue Select, will live alongside next gen

Despite the fact that an all-new generation of its Rogue crossover goes on sale in November, Nissan will continue to sell the current model alongside its replacement. The existing C-platform-based Rogue, which will be renamed Rogue Select, will start at less than $20,000 when it goes on sale in January 2014. At present, a base 2013 Rogue S prices out slightly higher, from $20,310, but we wouldn't be surprised to see the 2014 Rogue Select come to market with more standard equipment and simplified trim options. It will continue to be built in Kyushu, Japan.
According to Nissan, the unusual move is "to satisfy demand for the popular compact sports utility vehicle, currently second-highest seller in Nissan's lineup, as well as provide customers an additional choice in the segment." It's hard to hard to argue with the numbers: Nissan cites 2012 calendar-year sales of 142,349 Rogue units in the US, with 2013 sales increasing 16 percent through August despite the vehicle's age.
The strategy may also give Nissan the chance to ask for more money for the second-generation model (which is based on a new Common Module Family platform shared with partner Renault) while keeping it clear of residual-value-damaging fleet sales. The new Rogue looks to be both larger and more luxurious, with an available third-row seat, and it should be more economical to produce, as it will be built in Nissan's Smyrna, TN plant.