Category: Nissan

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Toyota Nissan Honda & Mitsubishi co-operate to promote plug-in cars

Four of Japan's leading carmakers, including Toyota, today announced a plan to expand sales of next-generation green vehicles by co-operating on the development of electric charging stations.

Toyota, along with Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi, said there is a critical need to develop an infrastructure in Japan for vehicles that can be charged from a power point, such as plug-in hybrids and electric cars.

The carmakers said they will work with the Japanese Government to more than double the number of charging outlets to at least 4,000 quick chargers and 8,000 regular chargers.

They said an expanded charging network would maximise the electric-only driving performance and combined fuel economy of plug-in hybrids.

It would also enable motorists to extend the driving range of electric vehicles, which do not produce any tailpipe emissions.

Normal chargers would be installed in commercial facilities such as large shopping malls or highway service areas where motorists typically stopped for long periods.

Quick chargers would be installed for shorter-duration stops such as highway parking areas, convenience stores and fuel stations.

The carmakers will temporarily bear part of the installation and maintenance costs that are not covered by government subsidies of 100.5 billion yen ($1.1 billion) announced for 2013-14.

Their co-operation is based on an understanding that the charging infrastructure has public value and enhancing it should be done quickly during the limited period the subsidies are available.

The collaboration extends to car owners being able to use the same credit card for payment at all charging stations.

The Japanese government would like to see sales of these next-generation cars accounting for 15-20 per cent of new-car sales in 2020.

The four carmakers are committed to developing a more user-friendly charging infrastructure and to contributing to a society making maximum use of electric-powered vehicles.

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Electric cars enjoyed one of the best months of sales to-date

Sales of electric cars are really starting to gain traction. Just in the month of June of this year, almost 9,000 plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in the U.S. This adds to more than 110,000 plug-in electric vehicles that have been sold in that country in the last two and a half years, the Electrification Coalition reports.

Tesla has been one of the biggest winners of the growing tide of electric cars, and managed to capture 8.4 percent of the luxury market in the first six months of 2013. Sales of Tesla cars have beaten virtually all of their competitors, including the Mercedes-Benz S-class, the Audi A8, and the BMW 7 series. Those are impressive statistics indeed, and not something we could have predicted even just a couple years ago.

The Nissan Leaf has also had a great deal of success, capturing 3.3 percent of the subcompact market. The Electrification Coalition has also pointed out that electric cars have not only the awards from various automotive publications, but have also enjoyed some of the highest customer-satisfaction ratings of any passenger cars. In addition, the Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt continue to receive high marks from major consumer-ratings publications.

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Renault-Nissan Sells its 100,000th Plug-In Electric Car

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold its 100,000th zero-emission car.

Electric cars from Renault and Nissan have driven approximately 841 million zero-emission kilometers — enough to circle the earth more than 20,000 times. Together, they represent 53 million liters of oil saved and 124 million kg of CO2 that have not been emitted.

“The age of the mainstream zero-emission vehicle is here,” said Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn. “We expect demand to keep growing as the charging infrastructure develops – and we remain 100% committed to zero-emission technology for the long term.”

Renault-Nissan has sold more zero-emission cars than all other major automakers combined.

The very first EV from the Alliance is a Nissan LEAF owned by engineer Olivier Chalouhi in California’s Silicon Valley. He bought the LEAF when it debuted in December 2010.

The 100,000th customer was American graduate student Allison Howard, who became an owner of Nissan LEAF earlier this month and drives the car to Kennesaw State University in Atlanta, Georgia.

“It just drives perfectly. It’s so cool. I love it!” said Howard.

“The fact that it’s all electric and I don’t have to spend money on gas as a college student, that’s great,” she added.

Nissan LEAF best-selling EV ever

More than 71,000 people worldwide have bought Nissan LEAF, the world’s best-selling electric vehicle. LEAF makes up more than half of all global sales of pure electric cars.

Nissan LEAF won the 2011 World Car of the Year, European Car of the Year 2011 and Car of the Year Japan 2011-2012 awards.

More than 80% of LEAF buyers globally exchange cars from other automakers, making the LEAF one of the industry’s most innovative “conquest vehicles.” The majority of customers say the LEAF, which consumes no petroleum whatsoever, has replaced their conventional car for daily use.

The top markets for Nissan LEAF are the United States with about 30,000 units, Japan with 28,000 units and Europe with 12,000 units.

In the United States, the LEAF is among the top 10 vehicles sold in San Francisco, Seattle and Honolulu.

In Norway, the LEAF is one of the top 10 vehicles sold. The car is Nissan’s best-selling model in Norway, where more than 4,600 people have bought LEAFs since 2011. EVs in Norway are exempt from value added tax (VAT) and road tolls, and they have access to bus lanes and free parking.

Renault – Europe’s leader with full range of electric vehicles

Renault has sold about 30,000 electric vehicles since its first model, Kangoo Z.E., went on sale in late 2011. Kangoo Z.E. was voted International Van of the Year 2012.

Renault leads the electric vehicle market in Europe with a 61% share, including Twizy. Renault’s top markets in Europe are France, Germany and Italy.

In addition to the Kangoo Z.E., Renault also offers Fluence Z.E. sedan; the two-seat commuter vehicle Twizy; and the subcompact ZOE, launched earlier this year.

Twizy is Renault’s best-selling model with about 11,000 units sold since it went on sale in early 2012.

Renault ZOE has a range of 210 km (NEDC). The car retails from 13,700 euros in France after the government’s 7,000-euro incentive, excluding the battery. Renault began selling the ZOE in March throughout Europe and has sold about 5,000 units.

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Renault-Nissan CEO sees 100,000 electric vehicles sold end-June

French carmaker Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan will have sold a total of 100,000 electric vehicles so far by the end of June, Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of both companies, said on Saturday.

But Ghosn, speaking at a conference in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, also said he did not expect any strong recovery in the troubled European auto sector in the medium term.

"I am preparing Renault to several years of market stability, at best," he said.

Squeezed household budgets and rising unemployment have discouraged consumers in France and other European countries from purchases of big-ticket items, and the car market is nearing a two-decade low after five years of contraction.

Ghosn, who has ploughed a bigger share of his companies' cash into electric car technology than any other mass-market carmaker, said the alliance's investment in hybrid and electric vehicles "is not a bet, it is a certainty."

Renault launched electric car Zoe earlier this year in France, where it has sold more than 3,000 units so far, and began marketing it in other European markets on June 6.

"The Zoe is selling well. Obviously we are always impatient to see higher volumes but we have already sold more than 6,000 units in Europe," Ghosn told reporters on the sidelines of the conference.

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Nissan developing an improved version of the Renault Twizy

Nissan is working on an innovative urban electric vehicle that it says improves on the Twizy produced by alliance partner Renault.

Etienne Henry, Nissan's head of product strategy and planning said the new car will combine the compactness and agility of a motorcycle with the weather protection and protective shell of a conventional car.

"The Twizy is also trying to combine these, but we think there are optimizations possible with this kind of vehicle," said Henry, who declined to say when the car might be added to Nissan's lineup.

Renault sees the Twizy as an alternative to scooters in Europe's crowded cities. The Twizy, which debuted last year, is powered by a choice of two electric motors, a 4kW/5-hp version with its top speed capped at 45kph that can be driven in most countries in Europe without a driver's license and a version with a top speed of 80kph. It has maximum driving range of 100 km.

In 2008, Nissan showed the narrow, two-seat Land Glider concept that leaned into corners like a motorcycle but still came with the security of four wheels and an enclosed cabin. In a statement at the time, Nissan said it "should not be regarded as a mere design study."

"That was a very interesting concept with very challenging and meaningful technology," said Henry, who declined to say whether any of the Land Glider's features would make it into its future EV.

Henry, who previously was product manager for the first-generation Qashqai compact crossover, said the new EV would successfully mix the motorcycle and car genres in the same way the Qashqai blended the strengths of a compact hatchback with the styling of an SUV.

One aim of the new EV is to help address congestion in fast-growing cities. "It's clear we need to offer an efficiency in terms of compactness, of space usage. Probably this will have an answer to this question," he said.

At this year's Geneva auto show, Toyota showed an electric urban mobility concept with the same capability to lean into corners as the Nissan Land Glider. The three-wheel i-Road is scheduled for limited production and will join the lineup of EVs in Toyota's car-sharing program in the French city of Grenoble next year.

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Plug-In EVs report strong June sales month in US

Electric vehicles had their strongest month in June this year as major automakers cut prices and added hefty incentives to boost sales.

General Motors reported sales jumped by 53 percent to 2,698 in June, up over the 1,760 in June 2012 after it offered incentives worth as much as $5,000 off 2012 models and $4,000 off 2013 models. For the first half of 2013, sales are up 11.8 percent.

Nissan said sales of its all-electric Leaf were up 315 percent over June 2012 to 2,225, for its second-best ever month. Nissan has now sold 9,849 in the first half of 2013, more than the 9,819 it sold in all of 2012. In January, Nissan said it was cutting the price of the entry-level Leaf 18 percent to $28,800 for the 2013 model as it launched U.S. production.

Honda had its best-ever month in June with 208 Fit EVs sold, after selling 83 in the first five months of the year. Honda announced in May that it has cut the monthly lease payment on its Fit EV from $389 to $259 and also is cutting the payment for those who already had leased the vehicle. Honda sold just 93 last year.

Honda started sales in July 2012 of the Fit EV and said it plans to sell just 1,100 over two years, citing capacity constraints. The company has 200 dealers selling the Fit EV and said it plans steadier availability. Honda spokeswoman Jessica Fini said after the lease price was cut, “basically everything on the ground sold,” but she emphasized that the company still has inventory to sell.

GM plans to keep the same incentives in place for at least another month. GM is offering $5,000 off the 2012, and $4,000 off the 2013, and a $269 lease for 36 months with $2,399 due at signing. More than 40 percent of Volts are sold in California, followed by Michigan in second.

Malcho said GM has increased its incentives to stay competitive in the electric vehicle market. The company also wants to clear out some inventory before it begins building 2014 Volts later this summer.

In January, Ford Motor Co. dropped the price of the lease for a Focus EV from about $350 a month to $285, plus $930 due at signing. Ford reduced the base price of the EV Focus by $2,000 to $37,995. But Ford EV sales have remained very modest. Ford sold 157 Focus EVs in May to 723 for the first five months of the year. By contrast Ford has sold 8,177 hybrids in the first five months of the year.

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Nissan announce Battery Replacement Program for Leaf.

Nissan have announced plans to offer a battery replacement program for U.S. LEAF customers who wish to replace their original equipment, lithium-ion battery pack. The program, which will begin...

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Nissan Enhances Battery Warranty for Existing LEAF Owners

Nissan has announced today that it will be taking the positive step of retrospectively expanding the warranty of the over 10,000 European owners who purchased the original Nissan LEAF since its...

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Nissan LEAF Charges through 10,000 European Sales Milestone

Today, Sylvie Lailler became the 10,000th Nissan LEAF customer in Europe, further cementing the ground-breaking zero emission car's status as the best-selling electric vehicle of all time. Mrs....

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