2013 Nissan Altima S on 2040-cars

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Renault-Nissan goes for closer cooperation, outsells VW and Toyota

PARIS — Renault-Nissan plans to double cost savings to nearly $12 billion by 2022, partly through closer cooperation with Mitsubishi, but left key questions about the automakers' alliance unresolved. Chairman Carlos Ghosn has pledged to step up the pace of integration after Nissan took a controlling stake in Mitsubishi last year. The 18-year-old Renault-Nissan pairing has only recently begun rolling out cars on common architectures. Combined sales volumes are expected to rise to 14 million vehicles by 2022 from 10.5 million expected this year, with revenue advancing by a third to $240 billion, the alliance said at a news conference in Paris on Friday. However, any investors impatient for a new capital or management structure to speed integration and prepare Ghosn's succession were likely to be disappointed. There was "no answer from Ghosn on the possibility of a merger by 2022," Jeffries analyst Philippe Houchois noted.12 NEW ALL-ELECTRICS Ghosn has been seeking a new second-in-command, sources told Reuters in June. But such plans are linked to thornier questions about the balance of power between the two main carmakers and the French government's outsize clout as Renault's biggest shareholder, supported by double voting rights. Twelve new pure-electric models will be on the road by 2022 as Renault-Nissan seeks to defend the head-start it gained with the current generation of battery cars, spearheaded by the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe, as more competitors join the fray. With 5.27 million cars and vans delivered in the first half of the year, Renault-Nissan now claims the mantle of the world's biggest carmaker, ahead of Volkswagen and Toyota, even though Renault has never consolidated the sales of its 43.4 percent-owned Japanese affiliate into its own. Under existing plans, the alliance is seeking to increase synergies — from cutting costs and boosting revenue — to 5.5 billion euros next year from 5 billion recorded in 2016. SHARED PLATFORMS A fourth common vehicle platform will be shared across the alliance by 2022, the companies said on Friday, underpinning a future generation of electric cars which, together with hybrids, are expected to account for 30 percent of group sales. Renault-Nissan will aim to deliver more electric vehicles and also make greater use of shared technology and manufacturing processes.

Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan Leaf's UK milestone, SF's renewable diesel

San Francisco's municipal fleet will use renewable diesel, according to Mayor Edwin M. Lee. Switching to the greener fuel will reduce the fleet's greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 percent. "By changing our fleet's fuel from petroleum to renewable diesel, we're taking action that is good for the global climate, and at the same time promotes environmental justice in our community by leading to cleaner, healthier air for some of our most vulnerable neighborhoods," Lee says. While renewable diesel is more expensive than the petroleum-based product, with government incentives, it could end up saving the city money. Read more from Biodiesel Magazine. Nissan has sold its 10,000th Leaf in the UK. As of July 6, Nissan has tallied 10,161 Leaf sales since its 2011 launch in the UK. More than half of those were sold in the last 12 months. Nissan sold 2,964 Leaf EVs in the first half of this year, an increase of 69.4 percent over last year. "The UK's electric vehicle market is growing at an extraordinary pace," says Nissan's James Wright, "and while it may be too early to talk about tipping points, today's achievement certainly indicates we're well on our way." The Nissan Leaf is the best selling battery electric vehicle in the UK. Read more from EV Meerkat. ClipperCreek has added a new 40-amp EV charger to its lineup. Called the HCS-50, the 240-volt level 2 charger is designed to serve both residential and commercial markets. "The HCS-50's rugged design and ample 25 foot charging cable make it a perfect solution for fleet and commercial applications," says ClipperCreek Sales Manager Will Barrett. "As battery range increases, the vehicle's ability to accept power is increasing, too, and the HCS-50 offers users extra power to get their vehicles charged up and back on the road fast." The HCS-50 charging station is priced at $835. Read more in the press release below. ClipperCreek Announces Availability of HCS-50 Electric Vehicle Charging Station Top selling EVSE manufacturer releases high-powered 40 amp EV charging station AUBURN, Calif., July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ClipperCreek has added the HCS-50 electric vehicle charging station to their product line. The HCS-50 is a powerful and rugged 40 amp station paired with a highly durable rubber overmolded cable and vehicle connector. Offering power, reliability and value, this 240 volt, level 2 electric vehicle charging station, rated for both indoor and outdoor use, is priced at $835.

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.