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Who knew a 1,200-hp GT-R could be so lovely?

The proliferation of 4K cameras and displays is bringing the world some utterly fantastic automotive videos. If you like seeing Jeff Zwart powering up the Pikes Peak course in high-def glory but wish for some hugely powered Nissan GT-Rs in place of the turbocharged Porsche, then this clip shouldn't be missed. Japanese magazine Motorhead brought together a 1,200-horsepower, HKS-tuned R35 GT1000 and an earlier R32 GT-R Group A racer to send them through a tight, mountain road. The clip uses an augmented reality aesthetic to place little pieces of info about the car, driver, and emotions over the scenes, while the coupes are blasting through the forest. The real highlight here is the cinematography and sound. Turn up your speakers to get an earful of the GT-R's gasoline-fueled heart. The cameras mounted on driver Nobuteru Taniguchi turn the world outside the car into an impressionistic blur of green as the trees smear together at such high speeds. The combination of sight and sound offers a fantastic sense of speed. The only, tiny problem with this clip is that the preamble before the coupes thunder off is just a bit too long. If you need an extra minute in your day, skip straight to 1:15 to get immediately to the action. Although, missing the beginning means not seeing an inky black GT-R driving through the Japanese night. According to Speedhunters, the video is meant to promote the theme for Motorhead's latest issue – Japan Tuned. The magazine apparently comes even more video of the two cars playing on the mountain.

Mercedes considering Mexico for CLA production

Would you buy a Mercedes-Benz if it were made in Mexico? That's what the German outfit is wondering, as it considers localizing production of the its new budget model at a factory operated by Nissan, of which the automaker is a joint-venture partner.
According to a report from Automotive News, moving production of American-spec CLAs from Hungary to Mexico would protect Mercedes from currency fluctuations. "Mexico is the best location for the United States," Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche told AN. The CLA is also expected to become the brand's volume model in the US market, which makes North American production a logical move.
In the event that Mercedes approves the plan, Nissan would expand the capabilities at its Aguascalientes, Mexico plant, allowing production to begin in 2018.

Chevy Volt has worst sales month since August 2011, Nissan Leaf also down

January is traditionally a time when new car shoppers take a break. For the last few years, if we isolate our focus to just the first two major plug-in cars in the US market, we see that the first month of the year was lower – often dramatically lower – than the 11 that followed. So, when you see the Chevy Volt dropped and Nissan Leaf sales figures for January 2015, don't be too surprised. The Volt sold only 542 units last month, that model's lowest since August 2011. That also represents a 41 percent drop from January 2014, and it reinforces the thought that if anyone out there is interested in a new Volt, they're going to be waiting for the new model to drop later this year. While we do expect sales to climb in February and into spring, we won't be surprised if the general Volt trend remains quiet until the second-generation arrives. On the Leaf side of the ledger, January's low sales numbers were still about twice as high as the Volt's – the Leaf sold 1,070 units last month, the lowest since February 2013 – but it did break a streak for the Japanese automaker. Usually, each month represents at least an increase over the same month a year ago, but that wasn't the case this time. In January 2014, Nissan sold 1,252 Leafs. Still, Brendan Jones, Nissan's director of electric vehicle sales and infrastructure, issued an upbeat statement: "We saw a significant increase in demand in December from Nissan Leaf customers looking to take advantage of federal and state incentives at the end of the tax year, which pulled some sales ahead. We're confident that EV sales will continue to rise over time due to increasing emission regulations and other reasons for purchase of EVs such as lower operating costs, reducing dependence on foreign energy sources, environmental concerns and a great driving experience." The numbers will tell us soon enough. News Source: General Motors, Nissan Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid ev sales brendan jones