2004 Nissan Maxima on 2040-cars

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Nissan does its best Google Glass impression with 3E headgear [w/video]

The jury may still be out on whether it'll be legal to drive with Google Glass on your nose, but that doesn't mean automakers are going to sit around waiting to see which way the wind blows in one jurisdiction or another. Mercedes-Benz, for example, is already working on ways to integrate its infotainment system into Google Glass, but Nissan is taking things a step further by developing its own wearable tech.
The device is called Nissan 3E, and we don't have much information to go on at this point - just a couple of images, a terse press release and the highly stylized (and rather painful-looking) video below. The Japanese automaker lists internet connectivity and communication as the primary features. But we'd have to assume that, if an automaker is developing it, the device would have some relevance to, you know... driving.
The possibilities are endless, extending from turn-by-turn directions and track information to vehicle metrics and intuitive control of the car's auxiliary controls. We'll have to wait until we get to Tokyo to find out more, but between this and the smartwatch concept it revealed in Frankfurt, Nissan seems to be on a bit of a gadget streak lately.

French investigators will question Carlos Ghosn in Lebanon

BEIRUT — A team of French investigators will come to Beirut next month to participate in interrogating former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, a Lebanese justice ministry official said Saturday. The official gave no specific date or details of what information the investigators would seek from Ghosn. Former auto executive Ghosn, who is a Lebanese, Brazilian and French national, fled Japan in a dramatic escape that drew headlines last year, arriving in Lebanon on Dec. 30, 2019. In addition to his trial in Japan, the 66-year-old businessman is facing a number of legal challenges in France, including tax evasion and alleged money laundering, fraud and misuse of company assets while at the helm of the Renault-Nissan alliance. The Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the French investigators would be working alongside their Lebanese counterparts. Information about investigations is secret under French law, and French judicial officials did not respond to requests for comment Saturday on the report. After leading the Japanese automaker Nissan for two decades, Ghosn was arrested in Japan in November 2018 on charges of breach of trust, misusing company assets for personal gains and violating securities laws by not fully disclosing his compensation. He denied wrongdoing and fled Japan while out on bail awaiting trial. He is unlikely to be extradited from Lebanon, where he has been since last year. At least two Ghosn-related investigations were opened in France. One focused on suspicious transactions between Renault and a distributor in Oman, as well as suspected payments for private trips and events paid by Renault-NissanÂ’s Netherlands-based holding company RNBV. Another investigation focused on suspected misuse of company funds for a party for Ghosn at Versailles. The French inquiry aims to determine who is at fault for a string of alleged financial violations between 2009 and 2020. That includes “suspicious financial flows” between Renault and the SBA car dealership in Oman. This aspect of the inquiry is targeting several million euros of travel and other costs paid by the Netherlands-based Renault-Nissan holding RNBV but suspected to have been for GhosnÂ’s personal use. GhosnÂ’s French lawyers have said the payments to SBA were “justified bonuses” for having boosted car sales in the Persian Gulf and denied allegations that the funds benefited Ghosn or his family personally.

2015 Nissan Murano configurator is lux'd and loaded

We just got done driving the all-new, 2015 Nissan Murano and while you'll have to wait just a few more hours for our complete driving impressions, you can at least get online and build your very own example of Nissan's latest CUV, thanks to the company's new configurator. While Nissan has already published the Murano's starting price, this is our first glimpse at the full pricing details. As we said, prices start at $29,650, not counting an $885 destination charge. From there, things, um, increase. Moving from the base S to the mid-level SV will require an extra $3,060, and adds navigation with the NissanConnect telematics system, a power driver's seat, LED running lights, remote start and a USB port for backseat passengers. An additional $4,330 moves you up to the Murano SL, adding heated leather seats, a Bose stereo, AroundView monitoring, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a power liftgate and blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert. At the top of the range sits the Platinum, starting at $39,000 ($2,050 more than the SL). It includes 20-inch wheels, LED headlights, climate-controlled front seats, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. Regardless of trim, Nissan customers will get about with the help of a 3.5-liter V6 that's been mated up to an Xtronic continuously variable transmission. Adding the optional all-wheel-drive system will bump up the CUV's price an additional $1,600. Head over to the configurator and build your own ideal Murano.