2007 Nissan Grand Touring on 2040-cars

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A realistic approach to fixing Mitsubishi

There are going to be a lot of words written about what Nissan needs to do with Mitsubishi in the coming months and years in the interest of turning the brand around. After Nissan's purchase of a controlling stake in the diamond star brand, there's been more interest in Mitsubishi thanks to the potential of platform sharing and plenty of cash from Nissan-Renault to get the juices flowing again. But, while some have been doing their best to advocate for the return of the 3000GT, Evolution, and even the Starion - Many of these posts forget the reality of the market we live in today. As much as we like to look back fondly at the sports coupes of the '90s, a byproduct of the insane cash flows all the Japanese manufacturers had at the time, the reality of today puts a much greater emphasis on what is most-boring; Crossover SUVs, alongside mid-size and compact sedans. We do need to ask a fundamental question, how much Mitsubishi is enough to be able to continue to call the cars Mitsubishis? Aside from slight product revisions and reconfigurations, Mitsubishi (at least in North America) has been largely dependent on the same GS platform and 4B1 engines that date back to their long-time partnership with Chrysler (and Hyundai) in the mid '00s. Admittedly, the chassis and engines have served the company well, underpinning a wide variety of vehicles sold around the world, and seeing quite a few revisions to at least attempt to keep products competitive. But, the GS chassis is old, heavy, and severely out of date - and when matched to the underpowered 4B1 series engines - make for largely uncompetitive offerings in the market. While something like the Outlander Sport is indeed interesting compared to a Honda CR-V, it is by no means the smart choice in the segment. So, going forward, unless Mitsubishi has had a skunkworks of sorts developing their chassis and engine replacements over the past few years, what exactly are they planning to do for their bread-and-butter models? I think the straightforward answer is without a doubt the Nissan North America parts bin. With so many of their models selling well, and for the most part, are reasonably well-reviewed, it would be quite simple to adapt the chassis and powertrain to Mitsubishi's liking to create a high-volume alternative to what is currently available now.

Nissan Leaf, e-NV200 get orange treatment for Ultraman Ginga S

The automobile-as-crime-fighting-teammate concept dates back at least to the 1960s Batman television series, gained further currency during the 1980s with Knight Rider and was referenced in the recent Kia ads featuring Los Angeles Clippers basketball star Blake Griffin and Jack McBrayer of 30 Rock fame. Now, Nissan has put a bright, colorful spin on the idea by tricking out both a Leaf electric vehicle and an e-NV200 electric van for the Japanese television show Ultraman Ginga S. A far cry from the aforementioned muscle cars (the Leaf powertrain delivers just 107 horsepower), the vehicles still cut dashing figures by featuring a lot of orange, a bunch of geegaws, a body kit and cannons. Yes, cannons. They were shown off at the Tokyo Toy Show. The Ultraman Ginga series debuted on Japanese television just last year, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). Nissan started making the real-world e-NV200 electric van in Spain in May. No plans have been announced for US sales, though the Japanese automaker will export the van to its home country. There's an explanatory video and Nissan's press release about the Ultraman Ginga vehicles below, but we apologize in advance, as you will need to be able to read Japanese for the PR. The video has been helpfully translated. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. ???????????????????????????? --??????????2014????????????e-NV200???????????-- ?????????(??:????????? ??:???? ???)???????????????(??:?????? ??:?? ??)??????????????????????? ???????????????100%???????????*1???6?9??????100%????????e-NV200?????????????2????????????????TV?????????????????S*2(???????????)???????? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????11?5??????????????????10????????????e-NV200???????????????????????????Leaf to Home??????????????????????????????????????????? ???7?15???????????????????S??????????????????????????????????Web?????????????????????????? ???6?12???6?15????4?????????????????????????????2014???????????????e-NV200????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (*6?12??13????????????????????????????) ????????S????????????????????????> ??: 6?12?(?)11:30~ ??: ???????? ?4??? No.4-1???????

Tokyo court rejects Carlos Ghosn's bail request

TOKYO — A Tokyo court rejected former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn's latest request for bail on Tuesday, more than two months after his arrest. A statement from the Tokyo District Court announcing its decision gave no explanation for prolonging a detention of the 64-year-old executive, which has drawn international scrutiny of Japan's justice system. Ghosn had promised to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, give up his passport and pay for security guards approved by prosecutors in his latest attempt to gain release from a Tokyo detention center. His family said they will appeal. Ghosn has been in custody since Nov. 19. He had a bail hearing Monday. A Tokyo court rejected an earlier request for bail last week. Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades, has been charged with falsifying financial reports in underreporting his compensation from Nissan over eight years, and with breach of trust, centering on allegations Ghosn had Nissan temporarily shoulder his personal investment losses and pay a Saudi businessman. Ghosn has said he is innocent, explaining that the alleged compensation was never decided, Nissan didn't suffer losses and the payment was for legitimate services. His wife, Carole Ghosn, appealed for his release through Human Rights Watch earlier this month, saying Ghosn's treatment has been harsh and unfair. Her views echo widespread criticism of Japan's criminal justice system both inside and outside Japan. Suspects who insist they are innocent get held longer. Suspects are held in a cell and routinely grilled daily by investigators without a lawyer present, although lawyers are allowed to visit. Ghosn's lawyer Motonari Ohtsuru has acknowledged Ghosn's release may not come until the trial, which may be six months away. A date for the trial has not been set. Nissan officials say an internal investigation has found that Ghosn had schemes to hide his income and that he used company money and assets for personal gain. A special committee Nissan set up after Ghosn's arrest to strengthen governance held its first meeting Sunday. Seiichiro Nishioka, a former judge and co-chair, told reporters after the meeting that Ghosn had shown questionable ethics, and too much power within the company had been focused in one person. The committee's findings are due by late March. Ghosn's pay was long a sticking point in Japan, where executives generally get paid far less than their American and other Western counterparts.