nissan

This odd-looking pod-on-wheels, a concept car from Nissan, will be on display at the 2007 Tokyo auto show. Pivo 2 was designed as an urban car, with excellent maneuverability and an electric drive. The chassis of the car doesn't have a front or back--instead, the pod revolves, letting the driver face whichever direction needs to be front. No more 238-point turns as you try to get out of a cul-de-sac. For parking flexibility, all of the wheels can turn 90 degrees, so the car can parallel park by sliding sideways into a spot. We definitely need one of these … Read more

CHIBA, Japan--Nissan is going to come out with more hybrid cars and completely electric vehicles in a few years.

But it's less excited about ethanol and biodiesel.

Technically speaking, designing an ethanol or biodiesel car is fairly straightforward, said Minoru Shinohara, senior vice president and general manager of the Technology Development Division at Nissan, during a meeting at the Ceatec show here this week.

The problem is the cost of the fuel. Both biodiesel and ethanol cost more than regular gas, when changes in mileage and other factors are calculated.

"The most important thing is availability of fuel,&… Read more

The season opener of Heroes premiered last night along with the Nissan Rogue in a not-so-deft bit of product placement. Scene: exterior, day. An indestructible cheerleader and her adoptive father stroll across a high school parking lot to the family car. Cheerleader suggests, in the manner of teenagers everywhere, how much her life would be improved if she had a car. Adoptive and doting father then indicates that she can have the family car. She screams in pleasure, "Oh daddy, the Rogue!" As well she might, since the car can only be a week old--the Rogue went on sale September 18. … Read more

From the Short Notice Department, Nissan announced pricing for its new Rogue crossover SUV yesterday. The car arrives at dealers and goes on sale today. We saw the Rogue at the Detroit auto show last January, and came away impressed by its interior. The materials and general fit all seemed very good, something we've come to expect from other Nissans we've seen. In proportion and arrangement, the Rogue compares with the Acura RDX.

But the Rogue costs a lot less, starting with the base S trim and two-wheel drive for $19,250. Kick it up to the SL … Read more

It's showtime again in the auto world--that time of the year when manufacturers trot out their latest fleets of new models and wacky concepts. In preparation for the forthcoming Frankfurt auto show, Nissan this week unveiled details of its Mixim electric concept car. According to Nissan, the Mixim (which is unlikely to make it to production) is aimed at young, Web-savvy, digital-age drivers with a penchant for gaming. Check out our photo gallery here.

What would you give to get your hands on the world's first unlocked Apple iPhone? How about three more 8GB iPhones plus a Nissan 350Z? That's the price for which overnight teenage tech celebrity George Hotz, who unlocked the iPhone enabling it to work on any network, has agreed to part with his hacked gadget. According to his blog, Hotz accepted the offer on Saturday from Terry Daidone, the founder of cell-phone refurbishing company Certicell. If only Hotz had held out for a BMW or an Audi, he could have used his new ride to play music from … Read more

A new automated emergency-braking feature will be in U.S. Nissan cars by next year, the company said Tuesday.

The feature works in tandem with the gas pedal to help drivers avoid a crash.

When speed and distance sensors on the car detect an imminent crash, the gas pedal lifts slightly to warn the driver. If the driver eases pressure on the gas pedal in response, the car automatically brakes instead of waiting until the driver slams a foot on the brake pedal, according to a report from the Associated Press.

But the driver still has ultimate control over the … Read more

I should write more here about cars. I certainly talk about cars more than enough with friends and coworkers. I've written for the BMW Car Club of America's Roundel Magazine, but somehow my dream job in automotive journalism never materialized...

Good cars are safe, fast, affordable to purchase, economical to operate, reliable, capacious, comfortable, and attractive.

No, of course you can't get all of those characteristics in one car; each conflicts with one or more of the others. Safe and fast, for example... obviously incompatible, right? Well, no. Not at all. The only thing that makes a … Read more

The likes of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton might soon find themselves restricted to driving Nissans as part of their parole. The Japanese automaker this week announced that it had started testing an in-car Breathalyzer system that disables a car's ignition if it senses that the would-be driver is over the legal limit.

In a press release that looks suspiciously like it was translated by a software program, Nissan says that the system will be installed on "daily-operating vehicles where the drivers will monitor various factors such as functionality and alcohol-detection reliability." According to Edmunds, Nissan intends … Read more