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Nissan giving away Leaf-shaped air fresheners that smell like the future

We had to check our calendar to make sure it didn't read April 1, but since it's not April Fool's Day, we have to assume that Nissan of Europe really has created a special air freshener scent to give away this Christmas. To create this original fragrance, Nissan looked to Dr. George Dodd, a master perfumer and aroma academy scientist who looks a tiny bit like Santa Claus (we seriously aren't making this stuff up).
Like a mad scientist, Dr. Dodd went to work blending chemicals and fragrances to design a smell that matches the Leaf's Earth-friendly, zero-emission attitude. Once the "scent of the future" is transformed into the lovely Santa-driving, Leaf-shaped air freshener you see above, Nissan of Europe will be giving one to its employees, Leaf customers and "select electric car fans." Sadly, EV - and scent - enthusiasts here in the US will be stuck with the tried-and-true pine tree air freshener.
We don't want to ruin exactly what Dodd finally came up with for the "scent of the future," but you can find out for yourselves in the video and press release posted below.

Tesla leads and Infiniti bleeds in Consumer Reports' satisfaction survey

According to Consumer Reports, Tesla owners are more likely to rave about their vehicles than any other brand. And we're not surprised — Tesla has performed very well in past customer satisfaction surveys, despite the fact that the electric cars themselves tend to have more problems than most other automobiles. Second place went to Lincoln, which interestingly had a higher cumulative score than Tesla in individual category measurements like comfort and storage space. Ram, a truck-only brand, rounded out the top three. The consumer-focused magazine bases its owner satisfaction score on responses to a very simple question: Would you buy this exact car again? The higher percentage of owners who answer "definitely yes" to that question, the higher the satisfaction score. Further breakdowns are scored for other parts of the ownership experience, which is why brands that rank poorly in Consumer Reports' own reliability charts — like Tesla and Lincoln, for example — can still earn top marks for satisfaction. The lowest-ranked brands for satisfaction are Cadillac, Nissan and Infiniti. Interestingly, Cadillac performed better than average in Driving and Comfort and middle-of-the-road in the In-Car Electronics and Cabin Storage, but like most other brands, scored poorly in Value. In fact, only Subaru, Mazda and Volkswagen scored better than average in Value. Nissan and especially Infiniti earned comparatively low marks across the board to go along with the bottom-of-the-barrel satisfaction score. Here's the full list of automakers from Consumer Reports' satisfaction survey, ranked in order from best to worst: Tesla Lincoln Ram Chrysler Subaru Hyundai Porsche Dodge Mazda Toyota Kia Mini BMW Ford Audi Honda Volvo Volkswagen Lexus Jeep GMC Chevrolet Mercedes-Benz Buick Cadillac Nissan Infiniti It's worth diving into the individual category scores in addition to the official finishing order for a full look at the results. For instance, despite the fact that automakers like Lincoln and Ford use similar infotainment systems, their In-Car Electronics scores don't quite match up. Also, some automakers have full lineups with multiple cars, trucks and SUVs while others offer just a couple of nameplates. Head on over to Consumer Reports for all the details. Looking for a reliable car, truck or SUV? Check out the top 10 vehicles that owners keep the longest.

Nissan details Craigslist 1996 Maxima restoration

"Luxury Defined," in the most ironic sense the galaxy has ever known, is now "Luxury Restored," in the real and incredible sense. Last September, Luke Aker made ads to sell his 1996 Nissan Maxima GLE, the YouTube version being a mix truth, bombast, a British accent and a ratchet strap. The ad tickled Nissan such that it bought the car from Akes and made a donation to a charity of his choice. Then they consulted with the citizens of the Internet to decide what to do with it, the final vote being a complete restoration and display at the company's Nashville HQ.
Friends, Netizens, countrymen, the job is done. Nicknamed "Old Glory," comparing the old car with the new is like reading one of those shelter dog rescue stories where the loving family nurses an impossibly cute pup back to health with handheld nursing sessions, baby bottles of warm milk and whispered lullabies. Only Nissan probably didn't sing to the Maxima.
The Maxima is now on display, and we hope they've hung the ratchet strap with it. You can see Aker's new video on the transformation above, plus another video and press release below detailing the Maxima's journey back to New Glory.