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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #305 LIVE featuring Matt Edmonds of the Tire Rack!

We record Episode #305 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we'll be joined by Matt Edmonds of podcast sponsor The Tire Rack, so drop us your questions and comments via the Q&A module below, especially if they have to do with tires and wheels! Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven't already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #305
2014 Chevrolet Silverado

Watch Nissan's autonomous Leaf in action

Getting its semi-autonomous Leaf legalized in Japan was just the first step. Now, Nissan is giving demonstrations of what its fully autonomous car is capable of at this year's Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC) show - Japan's equivalent to America's Consumer Electronics Show. To show off the possibilities of its technologies, Nissan had an oval track set up at the show giving rides in an autonomous Leaf to the media. Even Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and Toyota CEO Akio Toyodo caught a ride.
Nissan has since released a couple videos of its CEATEC demos, with one designed to look like a news report. In this video, you can watch the car go around the track and navigate intersections and road hazards. The second video shows Ghosn riding in the car, and he hints that Nissan's goal of having an autonomous vehicle in production by 2020 might be more of a worst-case scenario. Watch both videos and read through Nissan's official press release below.

Nissan reveals radical BladeGlider concept for Tokyo debut

Radical reinvention of the automobile doesn't happen very often. There's a reason they refer to it as "reinventing the wheel", after all. But that's what a team of racecar designers did with the original DeltaWing concept in 2010. Originally proposed as an IndyCar racer, the project was subsequently redesigned for Le Mans. That's when Nissan got on board, supported the project for a few races, then took the design in its own direction with the ZEOD RC. And now it's taking it to the road... via the auto show.
What we have here is the BladeGlider concept, a proposal for a delta-shaped electric sportscar which Nissan will present at the Tokyo Motor Show in a couple of weeks. Designed to focus on driving pleasure, the BladeGlider is about as radical as they come. Like the DeltaWing and ZEOD RC, it's got a narrow front track and wide rear to minimize drag and optimize stability, packing a 1+2 seating arrangement to put the driver front and center like in a McLaren F1, with upward-swinging doors and underbody aerodynamics to keep it glued to the road. In-wheel motors (of unspecified output) provide the power, a lightweight lithium-ion battery (not to mention the carbon-fiber bodywork) keeps it all fearther-like, and weight distribution is heavily biased towards the rear at 30:70.
A radical concept, to be sure, but here's the kicker: Nissan wants to build it. As you can see from the press release below, the BladeGlider "is both a proposal for the future direction of Nissan electric vehicle (EV) development and an exploratory prototype for an upcoming production vehicle". While it would undoubtedly take some time to develop, much less certify for road, seeing one of these - or even better, driving one - on our favorite stretches of tarmac strikes us as a prospect worth waiting for.