#Japan

Nissan‘s oddball Juke crossover is beating sales projecting in Japan by 300%, moving 1300 units in its first week. The turbocharged Juke is certainly unique looking, and its compact proportions and relatively low price should help make it an attractive proposition in a land where novelty and quirkiness are highly sought after traits in an automobile.

The future is nearly here. Better Place, a company devoted to developing rapid battery swap systems, will have its first station on-line by May 2010. According to Green Car Advisor, the first Tokyo station will serve Nihon Kotsu, one of the city’s largest taxi firms.

“These taxis average about 300 kilometers [186 miles] a day each, so that’s three battery exchanges for each taxi each day,” said Better Place spokeswoman Julie Mullins. “It will be a 24/7 test of the system.”

This news is significant, as Better Place has agreements to supply infrastructure to a number of countries and regions around the world, including Ontario, Canada; Denmark; Australia; Hawaii; Northern California; Japan, and Israel. Denmark and Israel will be the first countries with a full Better Place battery swap network, in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

“But,” you say, “there aren’t any vehicles on-sale that support such a technology.”

You’d be right, although the Renault Fluence ZE pictured above will be the first vehicle to support the Better Place system. Since Renault and Nissan are essentially the same company, expect to see the first vehicles in North America to support battery swapping to come from Nissan. Unfortunately, the upcoming ( on-sale in August) Leaf all-electric car does not support battery swapping.

See a demo of the Better Place system after the jump:

Finally some good news for Toyota. At least, for the time being.

Japanese auto manufacturers consider Korea’s Hyundai to be their biggest threat, according to a report by The Associated Press.

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:

With the launch of Nissan’s new zero-emissions website dedicated to the upcoming launch of the automaker’s new electric vehicle comes a sneak peek at the revolutionary EV. 

Nissan has just announced the release of the Skyline Crossover in Japan, but it’s not what you might expect. Yes, it’s all-wheel drive, but noticeably absent are two turbochargers strapped to the vehicle’s V6 engine. That is because this is actually a Japanese version of the Infiniti EX.

The month of April marked an important milestone for both Honda Motor Co. and hybrid cars. Last month the new Insight achieved the status of being Japan’s most popular vehicle with more units sold than any other model – marking the first time a hybrid has ever been the monthly sales leader.

In April, 10,481 Honda Insights were registered for road use in Japan.

The runner-up was another Honda, the sub-compact Fit with 9,443 vehicles sold, marking the first time Honda has ever held the top two positions. The Fit has been a continuing success for Honda, holding the top monthly sales for the previous four months, as well as the top sales for the past calendar year and past fiscal year.

Official release after the jump: