Berlin City Nissan of Portland

By Associated Press
Tuesday, July 6, 2010

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Nissan is readying a new hybrid system for its Infiniti luxury model, set to go on sale later this year, while revamping technology for regular gas engines to send a green message.

Nissan Motor Co. is a leader among global automakers in zero-emission electric cars, with its Leaf being rolled out in a few months time.

But its engineers said Tuesday that green offerings for conventional cars are in the works because vehicles with gasoline engines still make up the bulk of Nissan's models.

Among them are idling stop, which turns off the engine when the vehicle comes to a temporary stop such as at a traffic light, and a unique way of injecting fuel into the engine to boost mileage.

The main attraction of the presentation at global headquarters was the hybrid technology for the Infiniti, sold as Fuga in Japan, which comes with two clutches, allowing the vehicle to coast along as an electric vehicle longer than if it came with one clutch.

The Infiniti M35 Hybrid would be Nissan's first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid.

Yokohama-based Nissan, allied with Renault SA of France, declined to disclose the mileage for the hybrid but said it will be comparable to a compact, which would translate to about double the mileage for a sedan.

Nissan did not give a price but promised it would be reasonable, saying the two-clutch hybrid system is relatively cheaper and simpler compared to rival hybrids, partly because it requires only one motor instead of two as in Toyota Motor Corp.'s hybrid system.

European rivals are working on hybrid technology similar to Nissan's.

Corporate Vice President Shuichi Nishimura told reporters the automaker is also making engines lighter and reducing friction in moving parts.

All that will be packed in the remodeled March subcompact, also known as the Micra, rolling out later this month in Japan, he said.

But whether a technology will be offered elsewhere will depend on demands for each region, officials said.

Features like idling stop - which other Japanese offer including Mazda Motor Corp. - are good for stop-and-go traffic common in Japan and Europe, but not for the U.S., they said.

In Japan, 20 models, or slightly more than a third of Nissan products, are categorized as green, said Takao Katagiri, senior vice president.

"We want our customers to recognize Nissan as having a wide range of progressive ecological cars," he said.

BOSTON (Feb. 9, 2010) - The Renault-Nissan Alliance today announced that Nissan is entering into an agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to advance zero-emission mobility throughout the state by promoting the development of an electric-vehicle charging network and policies to support widespread adoptions of electric cars. The announcement was made at the Museum of Science in Boston, a stop on the Nissan LEAF Zero Emission Tour, and helps pave the way for the 2010 introduction of Nissan LEAF, the industry's first all-electric, zero-emission car designed for the mass market.

"The Renault-Nissan Alliance has committed to becoming a global leader in zero emissions," said Carlos Tavares, Chairman, Nissan Americas. "Zero-emission mobility is the ultimate solution for addressing questions of climate change and energy independence. We applaud the State of Massachusetts for leading the way for the reduction of greenhouse gases. We are looking forward to bringing the Nissan LEAF, the only mass-marketed all-electric zero-emission car at an affordable price, to Massachusetts."

As part of the agreement, Nissan and the State of Massachusetts will develop plans to promote a charging infrastructure for electric cars that encourages home and workplace charging, as well as a public charging infrastructure. The partners will work to coordinate the establishment of policies and help streamline charging infrastructure deployment. Nissan also has agreed to make available a supply of electric vehicles statewide.

The agreement is part of the Commonwealth's broad initiative to encourage development and deployment of electric-vehicle technology, consistent with its leading commitment to greenhouse-gas emission reductions.

"Electric-vehicle technology is a significant way to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and expand our clean energy economy," said Energy and Environment Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles. "We look forward to the day when it's just as routine - or more so - to plug in the car for recharging as it is to fill up the gas tank."

Nissan, along with alliance partner Renault, is the only automaker committed to making all-electric vehicles available to the mass market on a global scale.  Nissan LEAF, a five-passenger all-electric car, will be available for private and fleet customers. It is being launched in the U.S., Japan and Europe in late 2010. 

Nissan has spearheaded a holistic approach to zero-emission mobility by working with states, municipalities, utility companies and other partners, to prepare markets and infrastructure. Nissan has formed more than a dozen partnerships in the United States, in areas including State of Tennessee, the State of Oregon, Sonoma County, San Diego and San Francisco in California, Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz., Washington D.C., Seattle, with the City of Orlando and Orlando Utilities Commission, with Progress Energy in Raleigh, N.C., and with the City of Houston and Houston-based Reliant Energy. Nissan also is working with AeroVironment for the supply and installation of home charging stations, creating a one-stop shop for the Nissan LEAF and its charging equipment.

Through the 24-city Nissan LEAF Zero-Emission Tour, which stopped in Massachusetts today, Nissan has been showcasing the electric vehicle and battery technology as well as the company's zero-emission mobility objectives.

Nissan North America

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive design, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO₂ emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling.  More information on the Nissan LEAF and zero-emission mobility can be found at www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car.

Renault-Nissan Alliance

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has begun zero-emission vehicle initiatives in Kanagawa Prefecture and Yokohama in Japan, as well as in Mexico, Israel, Denmark, Portugal, Monaco, the UK, France, Switzerland, Ireland, China and Hong Kong. The Renault-Nissan Alliance, founded in 1999, sold 6,085,058 units in 2009.. The objective of the Alliance is to rank among the world's top three vehicle manufacturers in terms of quality, technology and profitability.

Nissan offers top-quality navigation system for low price

Just a few years ago, I would question the value of any navigation system. The cost didn't justify the benefit. Why would anyone pay a few thousand dollars for a digital map -- especially when you could buy a high-tech, hand-held system for a few hundred dollars or a paper one for 99 cents?

The only benefit to some of those navigation systems the hand-helds didn't offer was a backup camera. And while I like the next gadget, how often would I even use it? I know where I work, where I live and the location of most of the places I go, a nav system seemed extravagant and expensive.

However, navigation systems today offer a slew of features that forced me to re-evaluate their benefits. These systems are much more than mere glowing electronic maps mounted in your dashboard, they are personal assistants with the potential to read your text messages, find the cheapest gasoline and route any vehicle around traffic bottlenecks.

Easy to connect other devices

Now, Nissan Motor Co. will begin offering a navigation system for a few hundred dollars this January on some of its high-volume, low-price cars. Call it Navi for the masses.

During a quick test of the system in a Nissan Sentra, I found it on par with some of the most expensive systems available. The 5-inch touch screen and intuitive instructions meant I could do everything I needed without ever consulting the owner's manual or calling Nissan's public relations department on how to connect the phone or find a specific function.

The system, developed by Bosch and Nissan, mounts directly into the dash and comes complete with a host of features such as Bluetooth connectivity for your phone, USB connections for your personal music device, easy operation of your iPhone, XM satellite and XM Traffic NavTraffic. It's complete, simple and 400 bucks.

This thing changes the equation completely on weighing costs and benefits. When it's priced on par with some of the top-of-the-line hand-held navigation systems, I would much rather have it mounted directly in the dash. Sticking something to my windshield can only lead to it falling off and the annoyance of cords mucking up the clean lines of the dash.

Better yet, the system was easy to connect with my iPhone and tuck away in the center console and jam tunes. Additionally, when you arrive at your destination, you can disconnect a fully charged iPhone and head out. If you choose to leave the device in the car, it is out of the way. Other windshield mounted devices have to be stowed and that takes a few minutes. Today's savvy crook also may know a few things about cars and could still bash out your window if he sees that tell-tale suction cup mark on your windshield -- even if the device is out of sight.

The Bluetooth connection with the phone also works very well. A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to answer and hang up, and connecting the phone to stereo means when the phone rings, you don't have to reach for the volume before answering the call. Actually, the moment the volume drops on the stereo, you know a call is coming your way. Additionally, the system downloads your phone's contact list and call register to make finding the right number on the touch screen very easy.

Perhaps the only serious drawback is the screen's size, which at 5 inches gets very crowded with information.

Best deal around

The color LCD screen can provide mapping views from straight above the point or a three-dimensional view that looks as if you're viewing yourself from an airplane. I prefer this view as it seems to provide better context to the map and where you're headed.

If you have XM satellite, you'll have easy touch-screen access to the multitude of channels ranging from pop music and talk radio to lifestyle shows and crass comedy channels. The XM NavTraffic also will keep you updated on specific problems in your area and, if you ask it to, route you around a troubled, slow-moving area.

This system also will create an Eco-Route, which is a greener way of driving. The system calculates the best route to save fuel and cut CO2 emissions. I don't blame Nissan for adding this feature because a lot of consumers seem to want it, but that doesn't mean it's not silly.

What's not silly is this unit's low price. When it arrives in January, it's a feature customers will certainly enjoy. The only other company with an inexpensive navigation device on its vehicles is Suzuki Motor Co., which offers a Garmin GPS navigation device on the SX4 crossover. That system adds the advantage of portability because the Garmin unit can be pulled out of the Suzuki and taken with the driver; the Nissan unit cannot.

However, Nissan provides one feature Garmin doesn't: The new unit also can be connected to a backup camera.

While the new Nissan navigation system feels like a breakthrough with all of its features and low price, I wonder how long it will last. The advent of smart phones seems to undermine many navigation systems and as soon as someone invents a backup camera app, it will hurt them even more.

But until then, dollar for dollar, the new Nissan system is one of the best deals around.