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Mitsubishi and Renault-Nissan expand partnership, US will get new sedan

Mitsubishi and Renault-Nissan have just inked an alliance that might, hopefully, reverse the ailing fortunes of the Mitsubishi brand in the US market. The big chunk of news is that Mitsubishi will produce two Renualt-based models for sale in the US market, and that they'll be built at the Renault-Samsung factory in Busan, South Korea.
The plans call for a D-segment sedan to be followed by a C-segment offering. Based on the cars built at the Busan factory, that means Mitsubishi will be getting the SM5 and the SM3, a pair of handsome sedans that are based on Renault-Nissan's D and C platforms, respectively. These same platforms underpin a number of US market Nissans (not to mention a number of cars from Renault), namely the Pathfinder, Maxima, Quest and Murano for the D platform and the last-generation Rogue and Sentra for the C platform.
Besides the sedan production, Nissan and Mitsubishi will be expanding their joint-venture company, NMKV, which produces Kei cars for the Japanese market. A new, all-electric offering will be born from the partnership, likely based on a Kei car platform. The partnership between the three brands will also lead to increased sharing of technology, particularly relating to electric cars.

Nissan will run pilot car-sharing program with two-seat concept EVs

Nissan is using a little car to test out possible solutions to a rather big problem. The Japanese automaker will start a car-sharing program this month using its New Mobility Concept two-seat electric vehicles, which is based on the Renault Twizy platform. The cars will be the foundation of a car-sharing network called the Ultra-Compact Mobility Certification System that will take place in Yokohama's Sakonyama Danchi District. Working with housing agency Urban Renaissance, Nissan says the New Mobility Concept vehicles are part of a "method for revitalizing urban and suburban areas." Indeed, instead of the cars being used for government agencies and utility programs, they'll be used by the general public to get around. The program kicks off this month and will run for one year. Other Nissan NMC vehicles were recently put into rental service in the town of Shikano, in the east of Tottori Prefecture, for tourism purposes, at a cost of about $10 an hour plus $12 for a training license. Nissan has been running various mobility programs using the car for the better part of two years. To get an idea how small the vehicles are, their length is about a foot shorter than a Smart ForTwo. We've got Nissan's press release below. Related Video: Nissan to Test Ultra-Compact EV in Yokohama Car Sharing Project - Yokohama's Sakonyama District will start a car-sharing trial run of the Ultra Compact Mobility Certification System using the Nissan New Mobility Concept two-passenger electric vehicle (EV) - YOKOHAMA, Japan (March 23, 2015)-Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. will conduct a local trial run of the Ultra-Compact Mobility Certification System, a car-sharing network for residents of the Sakonyama Danchi District in Yokohama City's Asahi Ward. Nissan will be collaborating with Urban Renaissance (UR), a semipublic housing agency associated with Kanagawa Prefecture's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's (MLIT) Kanto District Transport Bureau, to study the possibilities of using ultra-compact EVs as a method for revitalizing urban and suburban areas. This local test of the car-sharing network will be implemented from late March 2015 until the end of March 2016. The trial will assess the potential of ultra-compact electric vehicles as a catalyst in revitalizing large-scale, urban and suburban commuting methods, and will gauge the value of ultra-compact EVs as short-range modes of transport that can complement public transportation.

Nissan to bring Friend-Me concept to Shanghai

Nissan's got a big ol' show planned for its immersive space at the 2013 Shanghai Motor Show where visitors will see, touch, hear and smell the Nissan world. Sitting among 20 offerings that include the GT-R, Quest, Murano and Teana will be the Friend-Me concept (click image above to enlarge), the first show car created with "key input" by Chinese designers at Nissan Design China in Beijing. Its USP is "Four seats, one mind connectivity" that promotes information sharing among all the occupants.
The Friend-Me has the "vibrant, young" Chinese demographic in mind, our guess being Nissan thinks there's no reason to stop the digital sharing just because you're sitting in a car. We'll find out on April 20 exactly what's being exchanged in the Friend-Me. Until then, there's a press release below with a little more info.