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Carlos Ghosn returns as president of ACEA

The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (abbreviated ACEA in French) is an industry group representing all the biggest automakers in Europe, representing their common interests on the world stage. And as such it needs a leader, figurehead and mouthpiece to serve as its president, and for the second time the association's board of directors has chosen Carlos Ghosn.
Now if you're recognizing Ghosn as the CEO of Nissan and wondering what that has to do with European cars, it's not because Nissan manufactures much in Europe. In fact, it only operates has a handful of locations in Europe: one in the UK, one in Barcelona and one in St Petersburg. But you'd be wise to recall that Ghosn also serves as CEO of Renault, one of the biggest players in European automobile manufacturing. He also sits on the boards at Russian automaker AvtoVAZ (of which Renault owns 25 percent) and of his native Brazil's Banco Itaú, not to mention the advisory councils of a handful of universities - two of them from his ancestral hometown of Beirut. He previously served as president of ACEA in 2009, and was re-elected to replace outgoing PSA chairman Philippe Varin.
Alongside Renault, ACEA membership includes BMW, Daimler, Fiat, Jaguar Land Rover, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Volkswagen and Volvo, along with the European divisions of Ford, General Motors, Hyundai and Toyota, as well as a handful of truck manufacturers.

Meet Sparky, Nissan's Leaf-based, Frontier-bedded EV parts hauler [w/video]

For many enthusiasts, the concept of the ute - a car with a pickup bed - is somehow irresistibly appealing. On paper, it promises the marriage of a truck's utility and a car's superior driving dynamics, and for that reason alone, we'd love to see more of them. Yet while other parts of the world get them in good numbers, North America doesn't ever see them - at least not for long. Based on what we've seen of late, though, that's not due to a lack of motivation on the part of engineers.
BMW wowed us several years ago with an M3 ute, and earlier this year, some interns converted a Mini Paceman into the pickup-bodied Paceman Adventure. Loathe to let their rivals in Munich and Oxford have all the fun, Nissan has built its very own car-based pickup. Meet Sparky, the world's first Leaf Frontier.
Like the M3, this all-electric ute is used as a parts hauler for Nissan's engineering teams at its sprawling Stanfield, AZ tech center and proving grounds.

48-MPG Nissan X-Trail Hybrid comes to Japan

Next month, Nissan will start selling a hybrid version of its X-Trail compact crossover in Japan. While the Japanese automaker is touting all the bells and whistles like "Intelligent Parking Assist," the model really makes its mark in fuel economy figures. The marquee number is 20.6 kilometers per liter, or about 48 miles per gallon. This is using the more lenient Japanese driving cycle, but it's still something to be proud of. The model also delivers more torque than that typically generated by a 2.5-liter engine while cutting nitrogen oxide emissions by 75 percent relative to the standard gas-powered version. In fact, the X-Trail Hybrid will generate tax exemptions because of its high fuel economy. The model's price in Japan will range from about $23,300 for the base two-wheel-drive version to about $27,000 for the top-of-the-line all-wheel-drive version. The Nissan X-Trail Hybrid goes on sale in Japan May 13. We'd first reported on the X-Trail when it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013, noting at the time that the car's styling was identical to that of the Nissan Rogue. Take a look at Nissan's press release for the X-Trail is available below. Nissan Releases New X-TRAIL HYBRID YOKOHAMA, Japan (April 7, 2015) - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the launch of the new Nissan X-Trail Hybrid, which goes on sale on May 13, 2015 at Nissan dealers throughout Japan. The current generation X-Trail has garnered good reviews from customers for its excellent driving performance, realized by features such as its ALL MODE 4X4-i system and advanced chassis control technologies that have been adopted as world-firsts – as well as a variety of safety features such as Emergency Brake and Around View Monitor with Intelligent Parking Assist. Equipped with the 2.0-liter MR20DD hybrid engine that enables both driving and environmental performance, the new X-Trail Hybrid delivers a comfortable driving experience with its powerful acceleration and remarkable quietness, which eclipse those of typical 2.5-liter gasoline engines. In addition, all the grades achieve tax exemptions. In addition, the new X-Trail Hybrid will have Forward Emergency Braking as standard equipment, expanding its safety technology features. Nissan is planning to introduce Forward Emergency Braking as standard on major models in Japan, by the end of autumn 2015.