2023 Nissan Pathfinder Platinum on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Nissan Rogue Detour uses Google Maps to go create virtual test drive from your doorstep

The best way to evaluate a new car before you buy it is to test drive it. All of the specs and reviews in the world cannot communicate how a car suits you as well as a few minutes behind the wheel. Interesting, then, that according to Nissan, the average buyer spends twice as much time researching new cars online than they do at dealers. To market its new 2014 Rogue, Nissan has launched an online marketing experience aimed at bridging that gap. Called The Detour, it combines Google Street View and Google Maps to give you a custom-tailored virtual test drive. The neat, uniquely interactive part about Detour is that it allows you to specify a starting and ending location. Thus, you can use the microsite to 'show' the Rogue on your commute, or your favorite stretch of tarmac. To spice things up, Nissan has added some digital effects and set the experience to a song by British rapper M.I.A. Detour seems to work better on shorter journeys, because it snips out some portions of the route in order to keep the experience from running too long. If you're going to try it out, we suggest using a crosstown journey rather than going cross country. Scroll down to get all of the details on the Rogue's latest marketing campaign, or click here to try it out for yourself. Nissan Takes 2014 Rogue Shoppers on Cinematic "Detour" with New Google Maps-Based Virtual Test Drive Feb. 4, 2014 – New Online Campaign Shows How Nissan Rogue Makes Every Drive More Exciting – NASHVILLE – Nissan today launched "The Detour," an exciting virtual driving adventure in support of the ongoing rollout of the all-new 2014 Nissan Rogue compact SUV. Available now at nissanusa.com/the-detour, The Detour utilizes Google® Street View, Google® Maps and Google® Satellite API – along with Hollywood-style digital effects and a soundtrack from recording artist M.I.A. – to create a custom test drive experience starting from anywhere around the world. "Recent studies show that new car buyers today spend nearly twice as much time researching their purchases online than at dealerships – more clicking than kicking the tires, so to speak. So why not bring the two together with an informative and enjoyable test drive in buyers' own neighborhoods?" said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Nissan Marketing Communications & Media, Nissan North America, Inc.

Carlos Ghosn's detention extended over fresh allegations

TOKYO — A Japanese court on Friday approved the detention of former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn through April 14 after his latest arrest over financial misconduct allegations, a move that has raised questions among legal experts. The former star executive was taken into custody Thursday over fresh allegations that $5 million sent by a Nissan Motor Co. subsidiary and meant for an Oman dealership was diverted to a company effectively controlled by Ghosn. Ghosn spent nearly four months in detention and was just released last month after meeting stringent bail conditions while he awaits trial over earlier allegations that he under-stated his compensation in financial documents, had Nissan shoulder his personal investment losses and made dubious payments to a Saudi businessman. The Tokyo District Court on Friday approved the initial 10-day detention request from prosecutors, who can seek another 10-day extension before needing to file charges against Ghosn, release him or accuse him of fresh misconduct that needs investigating. Stringing out a suspect's arrest for the full 20 days and then raising fresh accusations is common in Japan, where it is known as a "rearrest." Critics say it allows suspects to be grilled by the authorities, resulting in some signing confessions to crimes they never committed. But it is rare for a suspect to receive bail and then be taken back into custody. Ghosn, 65, was first arrested Nov. 19 and released March 6 on 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) bail, after two previous rearrests. He says he is innocent of all allegations. Prosecutors argue the latest allegations are different from the previous ones, but his legal team says they are part of the same scenario of alleged wrongdoing. In demanding the latest detention, prosecutors argued Ghosn may tamper with evidence related to the fresh allegations. Prosecutors had earlier fought against bail for Ghosn, a citizen of France, Brazil and Lebanon, arguing he was a flight risk. Ghosn's lawyer Junichiro Hironaka pointed out prosecutors have already raided Ghosn's property and taken everything, leaving little to tamper with.

Nissan pulling Facebook ads over hate speech concerns

The system for advertising on Facebook allows companies to target specific demographics with ads that follow people based on their personal information, but as some companies have been finding out lately, this could lead to their ads showing up on questionable pages. According to Automotive News and The New York Times, Nissan has joined a growing list of companies that has pulled its advertising until the social media giant can guarantee that the ads won't appear on offensive pages.
This issue came about as a result of a group calling for Facebook to ban gender-based hate speech that went unchecked on some fan pages. Apparently, some of these offensive pages even showed images of women being abused. We won't post the names of the offensive pages, but you can find some of them listed on the NYT article, though it looks like most of the pages have since been removed. As for Nissan, AN says that the only ads it had at the time were for Nissan UK, and there is no telling how this issue will affect Facebook advertising in the future.