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Nissan expands US EV test market for e-NV200 to Portland

Of course, it's going to be Portland. Oregon's largest city, known for its green-friendly vibe and policies, will be where Nissan will next test of its all-electric e-NV200 cargo van. And we hope those vans have cup holders for the inevitable java. The Japanese automaker is working with local utility company Portland General Electric (PGE) on a six-week trial program. Nissan and PGE will record data to better measure how the concept of battery-powered driving works within the local services network. The location makes sense, as Portland is one of the five best-selling US cities when it comes to sales of the Nissan Leaf, which shares its powertrain with the e-NV200. Nissan kicked off its "No Charge to Charge" free-charging program for new Leaf owners in April. Nissan, which had already been testing the e-NV200 with FedEx in Germany, Japan and Singapore as of late last year, said at the Washington Auto Show in January that it would start testing the electric van in the Washington, DC, area. Nissan said at the time that it helped install about 570 fast-charging CHAdeMO chargers throughout the US since last year, including 200 in December alone. Check out Nissan's press release about the Portland project below. LEADING EV MARKET PORTLAND BECOMES TEST BED FOR NISSAN E-NV200 ELECTRIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLE PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland, already a top breeding ground for electric vehicle (EV) sales, is now the proving ground for Nissan's prototype electric commercial vehicle – the Nissan e-NV200. Nissan is working in collaboration with Portland General Electric (PGE) on a six-week trial to help determine the viability of an electric commercial vehicle in the U.S market. PGE has assigned the e-NV200 into its fleet of vehicles with an underground crew, replacing a larger, diesel-powered van. "Oregon has been a top five market for Nissan LEAF sales in the U.S. due to proactive policies at the state level to encourage EV adoption, as well as robust charging infrastructure championed by the state and others like PGE," said Toby Perry, Nissan's director of EV Marketing in the U.S. "If we determine that e-NV200 fits into the U.S. commercial vehicle market, we expect that Portland would be a leading driver for sales as well." This year, Nissan is deploying two e-NV200 prototypes with companies such as PGE and FedEx in top U.S EV markets including California, Georgia, Oregon and Washington, D.C.

Nissan testing experimental dealer with no desks or offices

Nissan thinks it has found a better way to sell cars, and it involves stripping showrooms of everything but the cars and sales team. The brand calls the experiment the Nissan New Retail Concept, and it might get tested in the US in a few years.
The concept is relatively simple. Showrooms ditch offices, reception counters, cubicles and desks. Instead salespeople walk around inside and outside the dealer with mobile devices to assist customers and even complete sales. Associates are trained to take immediate responsibility for each visitor they encounter. For example, if owners comes inside with a problem with their vehicle, the employee escorts them to the service department and introduces them.
A dealer in London has been testing the new layout for the last nine months, and so far it reports better customer satisfaction, loyalty and most importantly higher sales. Nissan next plans to launch test stores in Moscow and Stuttgart. Then it will broaden out to more of Western Europe and finally will be tested in the Japan, the US and the Middle East, according to Automotive News.

Nissan leaning on JATCO to remedy CVT problems

Nissan's decision to fit continuously variable transmissions across even more of its new models may be coming back to bite the Japanese automaker, as it's been hampered by customer satisfaction issues relating to its XTronic CVTs, which are provided by a supplier called JATCO.
From what we're understanding, the issue largely relates to customers' unfamiliarity with the non-traditional shift nature of a CVT. Dealers have reported complaints and service visits from owners over the belt-driven automatics (did these people not test drive the cars before they bought them and notice that they don't shift conventionally?).
The company, which Nissan owns 75 percent of, has come under fire from none other than Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who's spoken about JATCO and its troubles rather openly. "Every time you launch a new CVT you always have some risks," Ghosn said in an interview with Automotive News. "So we now have a process by which, before we launch any new CVT, [JATCO] come before the Nissan executive committee to explain all the measures they have taken to make sure there are no surprises."