2014 Nissan Armada Sv on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Nissan NV200 puts on a Bowtie as new Chevy City Express

Your eyes do not deceive you - that is, in fact, a Nissan NV200 work van with Chevrolet badging. General Motors and Nissan today announced a partnership where the Japanese automaker will build Bowtie-badged vans for Chevy dealers to sell throughout the United States and Canada. The new van, called the City Express, is expected to go on sale in the fall of 2014.
"Our fleet customers have asked us for an entry in the commercial small van segment, so this addition to the Chevrolet portfolio will strengthen our position with fleets and our commercial customers," Ed Peper, US vice president of GM fleet and commercial sales, said in a press release.
No details have been released regarding specific changes for the new City Express, though from the images released today, it's clear that the vehicle's front fascia has been reworked, and some super-sexy new wheel covers have been added. If we're honest, the NV200 wasn't all that pretty to begin with, and this, well, isn't any better. Not that looks are of primary concern in the commercial truck business, of course.

Nissan CEO Saikawa admits he was overpaid, in policy violation

TOKYO — Nissan Motor Co was embroiled in another scandal over executive pay on Thursday after Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa admitted to being overpaid in violation of internal procedures under a scheme designed by ousted Chairman Carlos Ghosn. An internal investigation found that Saikawa and other executives had received improper compensation, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, raising doubts about Saikawa's pledge to improve governance in the wake of Ghosn's arrest last year for alleged financial misconduct. Saikawa apologized and vowed to return any improperly paid money as he admitted to Japanese reporters earlier on Thursday that he had wrongly received stock-related compensation under "a scheme of the Ghosn era." "I am deeply sorry for causing concern," Saikawa said, according to Jiji Press. In other comments reported by Kyodo news, Saikawa denied any direct role in the execution of a stock appreciation rights (SAR) scheme and said he thought "proper procedures" had been taken. The improper payments, including tens of millions of yen Saikawa received through the SAR scheme, were disclosed on Wednesday at a meeting of Nissan's audit committee, said the source who declined to be identified because the information is not public. Disciplinary action regarding the issue would be discussed at an upcoming board meeting, the source added. Nissan said in a statement that the findings from its probe including issues related to the share appreciation rights would be submitted to its board on Sept. 9. The company has been trying to strengthen governance, slash costs and boost flagging profitability amid persistent allegations of financial misconduct stemming from Ghosn's 20-year reign at Japan's second-biggest automaker. Ghosn is awaiting trial in Japan over charges including enriching himself at a cost of $5 million to Nissan. Kyodo reported that proceedings could start as early as March. He denies any wrongdoing and says he is the victim of a boardroom coup. Confidence in Saikawa had already been shaken by accusations he was too close to Ghosn, whose arrest in November rocked the global auto industry and exposed tensions in the automaking partnership between Nissan and Renault SA.

Nissan Leaf hits 3,000 sales in July, Chevy Volt climbs over 2,000

It was a good sales month for both the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, with the two 'elder statesman' plug-in vehicles reaching numerical milestones in July. The Leaf sold 3,019 units and the Volt crossed the 2,000 sales level for the first time in 2014, hitting 2,020 sales. With Tesla also announcing it is delivering around 2,500 Model S EVs a month (but that's globally, compared to the US-only numbers for the Volt and Leaf we're talking about here) and Ford's plug-in vehicles selling well, we are certainly in a golden moment for EV sales. The Volt was a bright spot for the Bowtie brand last month. For the Volt, the 2,020 units sold represents a 13 percent increase from July of 2013 even thought year-to-date sales are down 8.7 percent this year compared to last year. Overall, total Chevrolet deliveries for July 2014 were up eight percent compared to 2013, so the Volt was a bright spot for the Bowtie brand last month. On the Leaf front, this is only the second time that the EV has sold more than 3,000 units in a month (the other being in May of this year). The year-over-year increase for the Leaf was 62 percent in July and represents the 17th straight month of record sales, as Nissan is more than happy to report each month. Overall, Leaf sales are up 34.6 percent, year-to-date, and Nissan's director of Leaf sales and infrastructure, Brendan Jones, said in a statement that a free public charging incentive was responsible. "Since we launched the No Charge to Charge promotion in the first 10 markets, we've seen a surge in Leaf sales in those areas. Leaf sales in the northeastern US are also picking up with new tax incentives for Massachusetts and Maryland residents." With No Charge To Charge set to expand to 25 markets over the next year, we expect Leaf sales to continue to grow. We will have our monthly look at all green car sales available soon, so stay tuned. Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric PHEV ev sales