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Nissan could offer plug-in hybrids by 2016

Nissan is recharging the idea of a production plug-in hybrid model. The Japanese automaker may start making a plug-in hybrid by as soon as late 2015, with deliveries to start in time for the 2016 model year, Green Car Reports says, citing an interview with company executive Andy Palmer. Those comments go against what Nissan said during the North American Auto Show in January. Palmer didn't specify what class of vehicle the plug-in hybrid would be, but he said battery-electric vehicles are best suited for cars 3,850 pounds or lighter, according to Green Car Reports. That would imply that the plug-in hybrid powertrain may be used for a mid-sized sedan or a crossover vehicle. Either way, a Nissan PHEV may pair the Nissan Leaf's 108-horsepower electric motor with a gas engine. Whether Palmer's projected timeframe was more of a ballpark estimate is anyone's guess, as the company hasn't made official plans for a 2016 model-year plug-in hybrid, Nissan spokesman Tim Gallagher wrote in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen. Either way, feel free to join us in the comments below. Nissan is coming off its best-ever sale month for the Leaf, which has moved about 115,000 units around the world. Domestic sales of the Leaf in May rose 46 percent from a year earlier to a monthly record 3,117 vehicles. Through the first five months of the year, Leaf sales increased 36 percent, to 10,389 units.

Nissan prices replacement Leaf battery at $5,500

The battery pack is the single most expensive component in a plug-in vehicle and, until now, figuring out the cost to replace one has been a bit of a mystery. Last year, Nissan tried a $100/month price for a new battery in its popular Leaf, but was loudly criticized for that attempt. Today, Nissan is changing gears with a big announcement regarding the price of a new pack for your Nissan Leaf: $5,500 to buy. With an asterisk. Nissan's Brian Brockman, writing at My Nissan Leaf, announced that Nissan Leaf replacement batteries are now available to purchase at certified Leaf dealers in the US at a suggested retail price of $5,499. These packs are the ones found in 2015 Leaf models, which are similar to the ones the Leaf has always had, just with a different, better battery chemistry. To buy a new pack, you need to give Nissan your original battery pack (which Nissan says will be recycled and has a value of $1,000) and the $5,500 "does not include tax, installation fees or an installation kit required for 2011 and 2012 vehicles." That kit costs around $225. A $100/month financing program will still be available (details will be made available later) but now it will have an end date and the driver will own the pack at the end of the payment process. All replacement packs will have the same eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty as the battery in a new Leaf. You can read Brockman's full statement below or over on My Nissan Leaf. Ever since the Leaf entered the market in late 2010, Nissan has been dealing with degrading battery issue, both as a real thing (in warm climates like Arizona) and as a worry in the mind of potential customers. Now that we know how much it'll cost to get a new pack, we can calculate that the overall cost for a new 24-kWh pack is now officially $6,500. That means the price to a customer is less than $270-per-kWh. That's quite low compared to some early estimates, right on target with others and a very big deal for EV shoppers and drivers out there. Hi all: I'm happy to be back to provide a long-awaited update on the Nissan LEAF battery replacement plan. Last year, I posted preliminary details of the program that we'd created based on early survey data, and it led to spirited discussion (and very vocal criticism). So we went back to the drawing board with your comments and the ongoing guidance of the LEAF Advisory Board.

Carlos Ghosn freed from jail after four months

TOKYO — Wearing a mask, cap and what looked like a construction worker's outfit, the former chairman of Nissan Motor Co., Carlos Ghosn, left a Tokyo detention center Wednesday after posting 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) bail. Although his face was obscured as he left the facility, Ghosn's identity was apparent as he smiled after arriving at a building in downtown Tokyo, having removed his jacket, mask and hat. There was a scramble by media to follow Ghosn after he boarded a small Suzuki van, topped with a ladder, and traveled from the Tokyo Detention Center toward downtown. Motorcycles trailed the van in formation as it passed through city streets to one of the defense lawyer's offices. Ghosn later left in another car, which was mobbed by media. Ghosn, the former head of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors alliance was arrested on Nov. 19. He is charged with falsifying financial reports and with breach of trust. The Tokyo District Court confirmed the 1 billion yen ($8.9 million) bail was posted earlier in the day, after a judge rejected an appeal from prosecutors requesting his continued detention. That cleared the way for Ghosn to leave the facility after spending nearly four months since his arrest. Before his release, Ghosn, who turns 65 on Saturday, issued a statement reasserting his innocence. "I am innocent and totally committed to vigorously defending myself in a fair trial against these meritless and unsubstantiated accusations," he said. A date for his trial has not yet been set. Suspects in Japan often are detained for months, especially those who insist on their innocence, like Ghosn. Some legal experts, including Junichiro Hironaka, one of his lawyers, have criticized the system as "hostage justice," saying the long detentions tend to encourage false confessions. Ghosn's lawyer in France, Jean-Yves Le Borgne, said the lawyers in Japan will be leading the defense but he was in touch with them. "He is catching his breath and settling in," Le Borgne said of Ghosn. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said a presumption of innocence for Ghosn was crucial, while noting the importance to France of the alliance between Nissan and French automaker Renault SA. "It is a good thing that Carlos Ghosn can defend himself freely and serenely, and his release will permit Carlos Ghosn to defend himself freely and serenely," he said. The French government owns about 15 percent of Renault SA, making it an influential voice in the future of the alliance.