The Nissan Leaf Nismo RC will perform two demonstrations, Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon at the Le Mans Vers Le Futur, in celebration of the 79th anniversary of the event (June 11-12).

It will be interesting to see how electronic vehicles like the Nismo RC shape the world of motorsports while attaining zero-emissions.

Check out the video after the jump!

Continue Reading…

Nissan has had a successful year with the Nissan Juke, Cube, Leaf and Infiniti M37/56  on the list of 2011 top safety picks. Today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2011 Nissan Juke a “Top Safety Pick” rating. The Juke earned this award by earning a “good” rating in front, rear and side impact protection, coupled with electronic stability control as well as good roof strength.

“Nissan’s commitment to safety and innovation is reflected in the Nissan Juke receiving the Top Safety Pick from IIHS,” said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Nissan North America, Inc. “The Nissan Juke has a unique combination of motorsports-inspired design and unexpected levels of technology and safety features– all with a starting MSRP under $19,000.”

All 2011 Juke models come equipped with the Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage, dual-threshold front air bags as well as seat belt and occupant classification sensors. There are also roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front and rear outboard occupant head protection. There are also seat mounted driver and front passendger side-impact supplemental air bags and front-seat Active Head Restraints. Other standard equipment includes LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system, Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) and Traction Control System (TCS).

Check out our review of the Nissan Juke, and JukeForums.com for more info.

We’re well aware that the last Nissan you ever thought would see the track as a full-blown race car would be the all-electric Leaf, but you have to admit, the Nismo RC Leaf is one bad-ass looking piece of electric machinery. Even though Nissan has built their racing heritage on their 350Z/370Z and GT-R platform, there’s no doubting automotive manufacturers wish to push the limits in proving that hybrid and all-electric technology are viable forms of real world performance.

Nissan is no exception, teaming up with Nismo to see what the Leaf can potentially do as a race chassis while still powered by the same electric drivetrain we’re seeing on the streets now. The Nismo RC Leaf features a full carbon fiber body and three-door layout, streamlining the aerodynamics while making it a sleek-looking race car. And with any other race car out there, this Leaf receives a full widebody treatment while the drivetrain was relocated in order to improve weight balance.

The Leaf took to Sodegaura Forest Raceway for some shakedown testing and we’re loving how it looks out on the track. It’ll be interesting to see how EVs can shape the world of motorsports with zero-emissions and all.

Check out the video after the break.

[Source: Autoblog]

Continue Reading…

Nissan‘s Leaf electric car has been in such high demand that the company is struggling to build them fast enough. It’s stopped taking new orders just to fulfill its current demand.

Out of 27,000 total orders so far from the United States, Japan, and Europe, it has only completed 10,000. The remaining 17,000 will be pushed back to the next fiscal year in April—enough time for the Oppama, Japan plant to reach its maximum capacity. It will be able to build 50,000 Leafs by then, and would be able to take 33,000 more orders from those clamoring to ride the lightning.

Nissan wants to get their international factories going to fulfill demand, which could see the electric car built in England as well as Tennessee. One possibility could be to open new assembly lines earlier than scheduled, but Nissan is also planning a new factory that can churn out lithium-ion battery packs, which won’t be ready if they do so.

[Source: Automotive News via Carscoop]

Glass’s Guide, car valuation experts from the UK have studied the long-term ownership costs of EVs, such as the forthcoming Nissan Leaf (shown, above.) The news isn’t looking good. Glass’s reports that after 5 years of ownership, EVs will retain only about 10 percent of their value, as opposed to the 25 percent residual value of a comparable gasoline or diesel powered car.

The primary source of this massive depreciation comes from the expected shelf life of 8 years for the battery packs, which can cost up to $15,000 to replace.

Nissan, and European counterpart Renault, have both expressed the possibility of leasing options for EVs, solving the problem of residual value (on the customer’s end, at least.) Renault leases battery packs to owners for about $150 per month, and if you remove the huge battery pack replacement number from the equation, EVs could be the best performing cars on the road in terms of residual value.

[Source: Autocar]

According to Nissan/Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn the company has now sold all of the 13,000 Leaf models allocated for the U.S. market. “We think there is a big future for this car. I can already tell you that the production for 2010 is already sold out,” said Ghosn today during a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club.

In the first 72 hours that the leaf was on sale, Nissan collected 6,635 pre-orders for the reasonably priced Leaf electric vehicle. Pricing for the Leaf is set at $32,780, and the car is eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

But buying a Leaf isn’t just a matter of dollars and cents, however, as owners must live in an area where Nissan has worked with local authorities to build an electric-car infrastructure. The regions include: Phoenix-Tucson, Oregon, San Diego, Seattle and Tennessee.

Nissan insists the Leaf is not a test car, but a real production model and seems to be proving doubters wrong, moving ahead with its electric car while competitors like the Chevy have yet to even announce pricing for the Volt.

The Leaf can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge, and can be charged up to 80 percent in just 30 minutes using a special quick charger. Traditional charging takes about 8 hours. Power for the car comes from a lithium-ion battery pack with 80kW/280Nm, (107-hp and 207 ft-lbs of torque).

Deliveries of the first Nissan Leaf electric cars are scheduled for December of this year.

[Source: FreePress]

As Nissan strives to sell the Leaf electric car at an affordable price point, the company is expressing concerns that the current subsidies offered by governments to encourage EV adoption will expire after three years, hurting sales and pushing the cost of electric vehicles back into unattainable territory.

“My assumption is that they won’t be cut off but they might be pared back,” Nissan Vice-President Simon Thomas said. “There’s no obligation for governments to extend those programs beyond the definitive agreement — and in some countries we don’t have a definitive agreement.”

Nissan is struggling to keep the Leaf below 30,000 euros. The car will make its debut in Portugal and the Netherlands this December, because the two countries offer a 5,000 euro credit for electric vehicles.  However, the company said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the cars would turn a profit, likely around the third year of production.

[Source: Business Week]

Nissan has just unveiled a new zero emissions vehicle that is slated to go on sale in Japan, Europe and the United States next year. Called the LEAF, this C-segment (sub-compact) car is powered by an electric motor and lithium-ion battery packs. Nissan says it will be able to drive 100 miles on a single charge. The batteries will be able to be charged up to 80 percent in less than 30 minutes with a special quick charger, or in roughly eight hours through a standard 200V outlet. Nissan says that through extensive research the 100 mile range will be suitable for 70 percent of car buyers.

Output from the lithium-ion battery packs is rated at 80kW/280Nm, (107-hp and 207 ft-lbs of torque), which should make this sub-compact a sporty little car.

Pricing has yet to be released but Nissan aims to give the LEAF an MSRP competitive with well-equipped C-segment cars. That should put it near the $20,000 mark. The car will also qualify for government rebates and tax incentives desigend to help promote the sale of fuel-efficient cars.

“Our car had to be the world’s first, medium-sized, practical EV that motorists could afford and would want to use every day. And that’s what we’ve created. The styling will identify not only Nissan LEAF but also the owner as a participant in the new era of zero-emission mobility,” said the LEAF product boss Masato Inoue.

The first LEAFs will be built at Nissan’s plant in Oppama, Japan with plans to also start production soon at the company’s Smyrna, Tennessee plant. The LEAF is the first of three electric vehicles that Nissan plans to launch in the next few years.

 ”The Nissan LEAF is a tremendous accomplishment – one in with all Nissan employees can take great pride,” said Nissan President Carlos Ghosn. “We have been working tirelessly to make this day a reality – the unveiling of a real-world car that has zero – not simply reduced – emissions. It’s the first step in what is sure to be an exciting journey – for people all over the world, for Nissan and for the industry.”

GALLERY: 2010 Nissan LEAF

Official release after the jump:

Continue Reading…