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Nissan to build Golf-fighter in Spain

Nissan hasn't had a proper European entry in the ridiculously popular compact hatchback segment since it stopped offering its somewhat staid and uninspiring Almera (above) in 2006. According to Automotive News Europe, the new machine, which will not be called Almera, will be marketed against the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus - two extremely popular models in Europe. Production is slated to begin in July of 2014.
The new compact will be built in Barcelona, Spain, at the factory that currently builds the Pathfinder, Navara pickup and NV200 commercial van. An investment of $178 million will be made to assemble the compact car, and an additional $27 million will go to the plant to create more trucks and transmissions for electric vehicles.
The decision to invest in Spain comes after the automaker successfully renegotiated contracts with local unions. Similar talks are underway in France, where Nissan partner Renault is based, but as of yet no new agreements have been struck. Feel free to browse through the official press release below.

2014 Nissan Leaf price climbs $180 to $28,980*, Ghosn predicts sales doubling

A year ago, Nissan changed the fortunes of its all-electric Leaf in the US market by lopping a serious $6,400 off of the price. The entry-level 2012 Leaf started at $35,200, and the 2013 Leaf S instantly became a much better deal since it started at $28,800. For 2014, the trend is in the opposite direction, but only just. The 2014 Leaf S will start at $28,980. The other two trim levels will start at $32,000 for the SV and $35,020 for the SL. Oh well, we can't get a $6k drop every year, can we? What do you get for your extra $180? Well, as described in July, the 2014 model has the rear camera as standard and there is an available voice command navigation system and text message reader. We've got the full specification breakdown and pricing press release below. We doubt the small extra cost will do much to dent the Leaf's current sales upswing. December 2013 was the EV's best sales month ever, and a grand total of 22,610 units in 2013. That's more EVs than Nissan sold in 2011 and 2012 put together. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said earlier today that he thinks US Leaf sales will double, but didn't say when. "We are now on a trend of 3,000 cars a month in the US, which is about 36,000 cars" a year, Ghosn told Automotive News. "The next step is moving up to 4,000 a month, which is going to be approximately 50,000." The prices listed above do not include Nissan's $850 destination fee, but all Leaf EVs can qualify for the $7,500 federal income tax credit, as well as state and local incentives in some areas. NISSAN ANNOUNCES U.S. PRICING FOR 2014 LEAF™ NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 8, 2014) – Nissan today announced U.S. pricing for the 2014 Nissan LEAF™, which is on sale now at Nissan dealers nationwide. The 100 percent electric LEAF continues to offer outstanding value, with prices comparable to similar gasoline-powered vehicles after applicable tax credits. Sales of the zero emission LEAF in the U.S. and around the world set all-time records in 2013. The 2014 Nissan LEAF is available in three trim levels: LEAF S, SV and SL, along with option packages offering advanced systems such as Around View® Monitor and 7-speaker Bose® audio. Enhancements for 2014 include the addition of the RearView Monitor as standard equipment on all models (previously part of the Charge Package) and one new exterior color – Gun Metallic (seven total available colors).

Total auto recalls already on record pace in 2014

If you've noticed that there have been more recalls than usual this year, you may be on to something. According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US market is on pace to break a record for recalls. In 2013, 22 million cars were recalled. We're only a third of the way through 2014, though, and we've already halved that figure, with 11 million units recalled. That's wild.
Considering the past few months, it shouldn't be a surprise that General Motors is leading the charge, with six million of the 11 million units recalled coming from one of the General's four brands. Between truck recalls, CUV recalls and the ignition switch recall, 2014 hasn't been a great year for GM.
Other recall leaders include Nissan (one million Sentra and Altima sedans), Honda (900,000 Odyssey minivans), Toyota (over one million units in a few recalls), Volkswagen (150,000 Passat sedans), Chrysler (644,000 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs) and most recently, Ford (434,000 units, the bulk of which were early Ford Escape CUVs). So while it's been a bad year for GM so far, its competitors aren't doing too well, either.