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Nissan's Kelly examined at Japanese hospital after securing bail

TOKYO — Nissan director Greg Kelly was being examined in a hospital on Wednesday, a source said, a day after he was released on bail from a Tokyo jail where his former boss Carlos Ghosn is still being detained. Kelly, an American who was released late on Christmas Day after more than a month in detention, has been charged with conspiring to under-report Ghosn's income. He posted bail of 70 million yen ($640,000). Their Nov. 19 arrests jolted the global car industry and has strained Nissan's alliance with French car maker Renault SA. Nissan's board last month fired Ghosn as chairman and Kelly as representative director, although both men technically still remain board members who can only be removed by shareholders. Kelly suffers from spinal stenosis, causing numbness, tingling and shooting pain in his extremities, according to a video message last week from his wife, Dee Kelly, appealing for his release. The condition compresses or pinches the spinal cord. Those symptoms worsened during his five weeks in the Tokyo Detention Center, his wife said, citing Kelly's lawyer. Kelly was scheduled to have surgery on Dec. 7 in Nashville, Tennessee, but flew to Japan last month after being told that he was needed in person at a board meeting, Dee Kelly said in the video. Kelly was arrested soon after his arrival. Under the conditions of his bail, Kelly is barred from traveling overseas and his residence must be restricted to a designated place, the Tokyo District Court said. Lawyers say that travel exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis. Kelly walked out of the detention center around 10:45 pm (1345 GMT) Thursday night wearing a light-colored jacket and was whisked away in a black taxi. Japanese media showed footage of Kelly entering a hospital around midnight. After his release from detention, Kelly issued a statement through his lawyer saying he had not falsified any documents and looked forward to restoring his honor in court. "I believe my innocence will be revealed in the trial," he said. Kelly also said in the statement he wanted to see a doctor immediately and get the appropriate treatment or operation originally scheduled for early December. The office of his lawyer, Yoichi Kitamura, did not respond to requests for comment. Ghosn was re-arrested on Friday based on suspicions that around October 2008 he shifted personal trades to Nissan to make it responsible for 1.85 billion yen ($16.6 million) in appraisal losses, prosecutors said.

Nissan Leaf sells 1,553 in April, Volt climbs to 905

After three months in the 500 and 600 range, sales of the Chevy Volt climbed to 905 in April. That's up for the year so far – likely due to increasing discounts – but still down 41.5 percent from April 2014. As we've been saying every time the Volt turns in less-than-exciting monthly sales numbers, we suspect a large number of potential Volt buyers are waiting for the next-gen model to arrive in the second half of 2015. While the price for that car has not yet been announced, the updated tech specs show that it will probably be worth the wait for drivers who want the latest and greatest. Over on the Nissan Leaf side of things, April sales were 1,553 units this year. That's the second-best month of the year but down from the 2,088 units sold last April. After the Leaf finally climbed to the top of the cumulative best sellers list for plug-in vehicles last month, the difference between these two leaders is now 1,824 in favor of the Leaf. Nissan says that sales were influenced by the launch of its No Charge To Charge promotion in Indianapolis and Fresno, CA. This deal gives new Leaf buyers and lessees two years of no-cost quick charging in these markets. No Charge To Charge is not available in 15 US markets for (San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta) and will expand to 10 more by the middle of this year. As we do every month, our full wrap-up of US green car sales is coming soon. For now, enjoy discussing these sales figures in the Comments below.

2014 Nissan Versa Note

The original Austin Mini was not designed as a fun-to-drive, sporty small car. Its go-kart-like handling and general chuckability were an unintended byproduct of essential aspects of its design. Its four wheels were pushed to the absolute corners of the car to maximize interior space, and its front-wheel-drive layout and transversely mounted engine were in contrast to the rear-wheel-drive, longitudinal layouts of the day.
The result was a highly economical car with space for four and some luggage that just happened to be an absolute hoot to drive. Nissan has followed a similar path in the design of its Versa Note, which strives to provide the maximum amount of space and efficiency in a minimal footprint. On this front, it's successful.
First, we must salute Nissan for departing from the styling of the malformed kidney bean it calls the Versa Sedan. The Versa Note is a fashionably conservative design that neither offends nor excites. The front fascia is arguably its most conservative point, with high-mounted headlights and a sharper, cleaner version of Nissan's familial grille. The tail, with its funky I-don't-know-what-shape-I-am taillights contributes most of the car's flair. The large, spacious greenhouse, particularly up front, keeps passengers from feeling hemmed-in while letting in plenty of light.