2002 Nissan Maxima Se, 6 Speed Manual on 2040-cars

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Watch some vintage F1 cars blast up a Japanese mountain road

It's a rare treat to see classic Formula One cars racing anywhere, but watching them on a Japanese mountain road is absolutely sublime. The folks behind Motorhead from Japan took over the toll road's twisting stretch of tarmac to turn this impossible dream into a reality. The unusual opportunity of a closed mountain road would be a waste for only two vehicles, and there were plenty of drivers in amazing machines that wanted to blast up the hill. After the vintage F1 cars got their turn, some drifters in a Nissan GT-R and a Toyota GT86 added some tire smoke to the misty mountain air. A couple more GT-R racecars and some modern sports cars eventually joined them. Before the rain hit, this team had quite a party going on. This video features amazing camera work, but the music unfortunately drowns out the chance to hear these amazing racecars. If watching this leaves you wanting more, Motorhead released a video last year of another group of impressive performance vehicles on the mountain road.

Nissan sells 100,000 Leaf EVs worldwide

Nissan sold 22,610 Leaf electric vehicles in the US last year, but the bigger story (literally) is how the company is selling the EV around the world. After selling the 99,999th Leaf to a woman in Virginia, Nissan sold the 100,000th Leaf to a man named Brett Garner in the UK. For the record, it took Nissan just about three years and one month to reach that mark, since the first Leafs were sold in December 2010. On a global scale, Nissan says the Leaf has a 45 percent market share among all the electric vehicles available. The car is available in 35 countries, but the bulk - as of the end of December, 42,122 units - have been sold in the US. That 99,999th Leaf was sold to Amy Eichenberger, a project manager overseeing major capital investments for the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (pictured below). Garner owns a dental practice in Fareham. You can read their gushing quotes about their new EVs in the Nissan press releases below. If you add in all of the electric vehicles that Nissan and partner Renault have sold (90,000 as of March, the last time official numbers were available), then the 100,000 was topped a while ago. Of course, electric vehicles remain a small portion of Nissan's global sales. In fiscal 2012, Nissan sold 4.9 million vehicles around the world. Still, 100,000 Leafs out of 4.9 million cars is far better than zero. Nissan LEAF global sales reach 100,000 units Nissan LEAF is best-selling EV in history with 45% market share The 100,000th customer is a British dentist After revolutionizing passenger vehicle segment Nissan is electrifying LCVs with the e-NV200 YOKOHAMA, Japan (January 20, 2014) – The 100,000th all-electric Nissan LEAF is being bought by a customer in the United Kingdom. The Nissan LEAF, the world's first mass-produced zero emissions vehicle, remains the best-selling EV in history with a 45% market share. Since its launch in December 2010 Nissan has seen the pace of sales increase consistently and 2013 was a record year. The LEAF is now available to customers in 35 countries on four continents. In Norway, the Nissan LEAF topped sales charts, out-selling conventional gasoline powered vehicles in October 2013. The 100,000th Nissan LEAF customer is Dr. Brett Garner, the owner of a dental practice in Fareham in the UK. "I have chosen my Nissan LEAF because I am very interested in its running costs," Dr. Garner said. "The cost of ownership such as maintenance, insurance and charging also convinced my wife.

2014 Nissan Maxima gets new Limited Edition model, pricing

With a new Maxima expected to debut next year for the 2015 model year, Nissan is only making small changes to its big sedan for 2014. Buyers looking to get behind the wheel of Nissan's "4-Door Sports Car" will be happy to know that the base price for the 2014 Maxima carries over from 2013 starting at $31,000 (*excluding the $810 destination charge).
Aside from two new colors, the only change to the base Maxima S is the addition of a new option group. Sounding very similar to the Sport Package available on the SV, the $750 Limited Edition Package adds smoked Xenon headlights, dark-accented 18-inch wheels, a rear spoiler and fog lights. Stepping up to the SV trim level, the Maxima now comes standard with a rearview camera, Xenon headlights and a seven-inch screen, but its price has also been increased by $850, so it starts at $34,090. Scroll down for more info on the 2014 Maxima.