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A journey to our driving future | Autoblog in Japan

TOKYO — We here at Autoblog recently went to Japan to drive cars, ride trains and talk to people about the past and future of mobility. In 1964, Japan hosted the Summer Olympics. To showcase to the world how far they had come since WWII, Japan launched its latest marvel in mobility, the Shinkansen (or as we call it, the Bullet Train). In 2020, Japan is hosting the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and this time the nation is prepared to showcase a huge push toward autonomous cars. Green Editor John Beltz Snyder, Senior Producer Christopher McGraw and Associate Producer Alexander Malburg traveled there to get a sense of the country's transportation ecosystem with the 2020 Games on the horizon, and we filmed the experience along the way. In this series of videos, you'll see us try out car features that aren't yet available in the U.S., talk to an expert at Nissan about electric and autonomous mobility, ride the incredibly fast Shinkansen bullet train between Tokyo and Kyoto, pay homage to Soichiro Honda — and Ayrton Senna — at the Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi, and see some beautiful and historic sites along the way. Here's what we'll be showcasing from our trip to Japan. Check back here as we update the list with links to all the videos: Driving a Subaru WRX equipped with EyeSight with Touring Assist Reviewing the 2018 Nissan Leaf on the roads of Japan Testing ProPilot Park on the Nissan Leaf Talking with Nicholas Thomas, Nissan's director of electric vehicles How to ride the Shinkansen in Japan (We love trains!) Touring the Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi Check out the travelogue video at the top of this page for a taste of what's to come, then join us for a journey to Japan, Autoblog style. Related Video: Auto News Green Honda Nissan Subaru Green Driving Technology Autonomous Vehicles Electric Videos Original Video

Nissan, Renault reveal how they'll reshape alliance to cut costs, regain profit

TOKYO — The auto alliance of Nissan and Renault said Wednesday it will be sharing more vehicle parts, technology and models to save costs as the industry struggles to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Alliance Operating Board Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard said the group, which also includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi, will have each company focusing on geographic regions. “There is no plan for a merger of our companies,” the chairman said. “Our model today is a very distinctive model ... we donÂ’t need a merger to be efficient.” He stressed the alliance needs to adjust to the “unprecedented economic crisis,” to pursue efficiency and competitiveness, not sheer sales volumes. “Now is the time to rebuild,” Senard said, making clear he believed the alliance remained strong. All automakers are suffering from the pandemic, and scaling back or suspending production, but Nissan was reeling before the crisis struck from a scandal involving its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. Yokohama-based Nissan is due to report its annual results on Thursday and has forecast it will slip into its first yearly loss in 11 years. Under the latest so-called leader-follower initiative, Nissan will focus on China, North America and Japan; Renault on Europe, Russia and South America and North Africa, and Mitsubishi on Southeast Asia and Oceania, for the benefit of the entire alliance. Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida said the alliance planned to pursue fiscal strength together. “The synergy is huge,” he said. The number of vehicles sharing the same platform will double by 2024, saving 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion), according to Senard. The shared technology will also include electric cars and autonomous driving, platforms and car bodies, the executives said. Nissan is a leader in electric cars with its Leaf, but such technology will be available to the other alliance members, they said. The companies gave few details of how the revamp would deliver in the short term, as the car industry grapples with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and pressure to develop less polluting vehicles. They said in a joint statement that they aimed to produce nearly half of their vehicles under the new leader-follower approach by 2025 and hoped to cut investment per model in the scheme by up to 40%. The range of vehicles they produce is expected to fall by 20% by 2025 though the firms did not say how many jobs would go as they shift production.

Nissan's Twizy-like New Mobility Concept EV adds modern charm to old town in Japan

While alliance partner Renault gets to give its quirky, side-window free electric vehicle a fun name like Twizy, Nissan has opted for the much-less-interesting New Mobility Concept. To company is promoting the vehicle with a similar, let's-not-get-too-excited-here vibe, saying that it's "perfect even for mom" (not that mom's aren't exciting) and limiting it to carsharing and test program users. In the latest promotion effort, Nissan has brought the NMC to the tourist town of Shikano, in the east of Tottori Prefecture, to be used to get to hot spring excursions and other visits. Renting the vehicle costs roughly the equivalent of $10 an hour ($40 for six) as well as $12 to get a training license. You can see the little car in action in the video above, including some entirely interesting shots of the NMC painted like a cow with a pair of cows. News Source: Nissan Green Nissan Transportation Alternatives Electric renault twizy new mobility concept nissan new mobility concept