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Nissan Sway displays the future of the compact hatch [w/videos]

Nissan is giving a glimpse at its future compact hatchback design with the Sway Concept at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. The little, egg-shaped hatchback cribs styling elements from earlier show cars from the brand and mixes them together into an attractive five-door. Though, the company makes no mention of the model's powertrain. The Sway's most eye-arresting feature is its arching hood that leads to a deep, V-shaped grille similar to the Lannia Concept. The design element is flanked on both sides by boomerang-shaped LED headlights, and there's a splash of color from the orange accents under the air intakes. To draw the eye from front to rear, a crease flows over the fenders and then sweeps all the way back to the taillights. Nissan's floating roof motif also makes an appearance here, although it's not quite as obvious as on larger vehicles. As is common on show cars, the Sway has suicide doors with no B-pillar to let attendees in Switzerland have a good look inside. The interior appears to be an airy place to take a drive with a panoramic glass roof, and a windshield that rises up over the front occupants' heads. The driver gets a simple instrument cluster that's dominated by just two gauges, but there's a tablet at the center of the dashboard to provide extra info. According to Nissan, the whole point of the Sway's design is to take compact hatchback styling in a bolder direction. The first video below shows off even more angles, and the second has some of the brand's designers going in depth about the car's shape. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Nissan rethinks the compact hatchback: Introducing the Sway Concept Bold design theme showcases new design language Edgy exterior matched by elegantly simple interior Created to bring fresh, high-end thinking to compact hatchback segment GENEVA – Innovative design and product planning gave birth to the Qashqai and Juke, two of the biggest automotive success stories in recent years. Now the company has applied the same radical thinking to one of the most important sectors of the market: the compact hatchback. Unveiled at the Geneva Show, the Sway is a glimpse at how a future generation of compact Nissan models might look if the company's striking new design language was applied to a European hatchback.

Nissan quietly, quickly installing more CHAdeMO stations

Nissan Leaf electric-vehicle sales continue to grow. And the number of US fast-charging stations that the Leaf can use are growing, well, faster. As it should be. Nissan has made good on its early-2013 vow to help ensure that the number of CHAdeMO stations in the US tripled by mid-2014, with Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Dallas emerging as the most prevalent US markets, Green Car Reports says. In fact, the number of such stations, which can charge a Leaf to 80-percent battery capacity in about a half hour, has jumped to 633 from about 160 as of January 2013. About 180 are at Nissan dealerships, and that number should continue to surge since Nissan plans to aggressively add fast-charging stations through next March. Nissan spokesman Brian Brockman, in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen, confirmed those numbers and added that companies such as NRG, through its eVgo program, are also adding fast chargers throughout the country. The continued increase is good news for drivers of the Mitsubishi i (okay, we admit, there are not that many of them out there) and future drivers of the Kia Soul EV, as both of the models are CHAdeMO-compatible. Granted, the US has nothing on Europe, where the number of CHAdeMO stations has jumped to more than 1,000 from about 600 stations early last year. Nissan expects the continent to have about 1,800 fast-charging stations by year end. Still, the number of US CHAdeMO stations dwarfs the number of Tesla Motors' Supercharger stations, which total about 100.

Nissan to pull out of venture fund with Renault in cost-cutting drive, insiders say

TOKYO — Nissan is likely to pull out from a venture capital fund it runs with alliance partners Renault and Mitsubishi Motors, as part of the Japanese automaker's drive to cut costs and conserve cash, two sources said. Nissan will formally take a decision on whether to leave the fund, Alliance Ventures, by the end of this month, the two Nissan insiders told Reuters, declining to be identified because the information has not been made public. The likely move comes after Nissan's junior partner, Mitsubishi Motors Corp, told an alliance meeting last week that it would no longer continue to inject money into the fund, one of the sources said. The decision to leave the Amsterdam-based fund was all but a done deal, the other source said, adding: "Of course we're out. The house is on fire." A Nissan spokeswoman said it was speculation and declined to comment. A Mitsubishi spokesman said no decision had been made. The move comes as Nissan — which has seen its earnings slump — is now facing a downturn in China, its biggest market, due to the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. China sales plunged 80% last month. It also highlights the extent of the automaker's cost-cutting under new CEO Makoto Uchida, who is under pressure for a quick turnaround. Alliance Ventures is aimed at finding "learning opportunities" for the alliance through investing in startups, and is supposed get up to $200 million (153.3 million pounds) a year from the three alliance partners, although it never achieves that full amount, the first source said. It was set up under former alliance head Carlos Ghosn, whose dramatic arrest in Japan culminated in an escape to his childhood home of Lebanon in December. Ghosn faces multiple charges in Japan, including of under-reporting earnings and misappropriation of company funds, all of which he denies. According to its website, the fund was set up with a $200 million initial investment and aims for up to $1 billion by 2023. Portfolio companies include WeRide, a Chinese robo-taxi startup and Tekion Corp, a cloud-based retail platform for cars. "It wasn't established by Ghosn as a way to make money. It was for those learning opportunities we get from investing in smart startups," the first source said. "But given the tough financial situation we are facing, we are looking at investment return." Reporting by Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by David Dolan/Louise Heavens/Susan Fenton.