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Ghosn says having Apple in EV business would be good news

Nissan once promised to have commercially viable autonomous vehicles on the road by 2020 and even certified a Leaf to test the technology in Japan. The company has since backpedaled a bit from its original lofty claims, though. During CEO Carlos Ghosn's keynote presentation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the auto exec talked more about the automaker's strategy and directly confronted Apple's rumored entry into the market. "When Apple says they are going to come with an electric car in 2020, that's good news for us," he said in his speech, according to Adweek. Ghosn took the view that any company able to grow the acceptance of EVs would help every automaker in the segment. The Renault-Nissan Alliance has been at the forefront of developing the market and claimed nearly 60 percent of the global market share last year. He was also the latest auto industry heavyweight to voice his opinion on Apple entering the industry. However, in contrast to former General Motors boss Dan Akerson, the Nissan CEO was much more welcoming. Ghosn also used the speech as a chance to clarify Nissan's plans for autonomous vehicles and seemingly pushed the original goal back by about five years. "In 10 years, you'll have cars without the driver. It is here, and it's going to transform the products," he said, according to Adweek. Under Nissan's current timeline, traffic-jam assist and fully automated parking are due in 2016, followed by automatic lane changing in 2018 and the ability to drive through intersections without a driver's control comes in 2020. News Source: AdweekImage Credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba / AFP / Getty Images Green Nissan Renault Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles Electric

Nissan's new GT-R boss says next car will go for more volume

Since its introduction in 2008, the Nissan GT-R has seen a steady increase of power and price almost every year, but the big news for the next-gen supercar might be an increase in production. Automotive News recently spoke with newly appointed GT-R chief engineer Kinishi Tanuma who said Nissan needs "more of a volume car." Nissan has sold a little more than 2,000 GT-Rs in the US since 2012 - 1,188 last year and 952 so far this year.
Of course, a key limiting factor in the GT-R's production is its hand-built engine. Currently, only four people are qualified to build the GT-R's twin-turbo V6, but Tanuma says a fifth is in training. Even if production numbers are raised, Nissan also wants to add more quality and value into the GT-R. There is still no word as to what kind of timeframe Nissan is looking to start pumping out more GT-Rs, but with a new Nismo model rumored to be bringing a two-second 0-60 time, demand is sure to be on the rise.

NHTSA opens investigation into 130k Nissan Versas for breaking springs

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened a preliminary evaluation into a suspension problem that could affect an estimated 130,000 Nissan Versas from 2008-2010. According to the government agency's documentation (here as a PDF), there have been 93 complaints of the front coil springs fracturing while driving in these vehicles. Based on reports so far, it appears to NHTSA that this problem can happen at any speed and without warning. When the spring breaks, the pieces can also puncture a tire or brake line. A preliminary evaluation sets out to investigate "the scope, frequency and safety-related consequence" of the potential problem. According to a portion of a statement from the automaker to Autoblog, "Nissan is cooperating fully to answer the agency's questions regarding this issue in a timely manner." INVESTIGATION Subject : Front Coil Spring Fracture Date Investigation Opened: MAY 13, 2015 Date Investigation Closed: Open NHTSA Action Number: PE15019 Component(s): SUSPENSION All Products Associated with this Investigation Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) NISSAN VERSA 2008-2010 Details Manufacturer: Nissan North America, Inc. SUMMARY: The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 93 complaints (VOQs) alleging incidents of front suspension coil spring fracture in model year (MY) 2008 through 2010 Nissan Versa passenger cars. Preliminary analysis of the complaints indicates that the coil spring failures occur without warning and can happen at any speed. One complaint (VOQ #10663102) reported the passenger-side coil spring fractured while traveling at 65 mph and caused a sudden tire failure by cutting the inner sidewall 360 degrees. Another complaint ( VOQ #10680740) reported the passenger-side coil spring fractured while traveling 40 mph and result in tire puncture and brake line failure. ODI has also received EWR field report information relating to coil spring failures in the subject vehicles. A Preliminary Evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and safety-related consequence of the alleged defect.