2006 Nissan 350z Grand Touring Convertible 2-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Nissan already planning for EV sales once incentives run out

The way Nissan looks at it, no good deed goes unpunished. The Japanese automaker will likely be the first to see federal incentives for its electric vehicles disappear. And the company may already be trying to work out some wiggle room with the powers that be. The issue is that the Nissan Leaf is the most popular electric-vehicle in the US, moving more than 77,000 vehicles since the model's late-2010 debut. Sales have likely been helped by the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs (along with additional state incentives), but that perk starts to disappear for Nissan once the automaker has sold a cumulative 200,000 EVs. Even though that's likely a few years off, Nissan North America executive Pierre Loing told Wards Auto that the company is talking with the feds to see if there is "room for negotiations." In the meantime, Nissan is trying to further cut battery-production costs in order to both reduce the price on the Leaf and lengthen its single-charge range. Nissan notably shaved $6,400 off of the Leaf's sticker price in early 2013, and that seems to have worked wonders. Leaf sales more than doubled that year to 22,610 units and jumped another 34 percent last year to 30,200 units. Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 13 Photos News Source: Wards Auto Government/Legal Green Nissan Electric legislation

Nine cars we wish were convertibles

The snow has melted, the sun is shining, and the days are getting longer. At the Autoblog Detroit office we feel like our winter hibernation is finally over. And with warmer temperatures come visions of opening up a convertible roof and cruising. You know, just turn up the bass and let the Alpine blast. There are plenty of droptops on sale in the US, and more on the way (like the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata). That said, we always want more. More! More! More! In that spirit, we cooked up a list of nine cars aren't currently sold as convertible, but ought to be. Check out our picks, below. Summer's just around the corner. Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S In some parallel universe, this car actually happened. Toyota showed us a FT 86 Convertible concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013, and we immediately started licking our chops over the thought of a rear-wheel-drive convertible based on the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S twins. These days, the MX-5 Miata is our only option for affordable roadster fun. A competitor to the Mazda seems like a no-brainer to us, especially since we have naught but good to say about the BRZ/FR-S as-is. Unfortunately in our present timeline, this car is as likely for production as a BRZ STI. Which is to say, not very. Dang. Lexus RC F Unlike the FR-S, a convertible from Toyota's luxury division might actually see the light of day. The current IS convertible is about to be phased out, and the Lexus LF-C2 concept from the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show is really a thinly veiled look at a possible RC convertible. A droptop RC would be plenty good, but let's reach for the starts. What we really want is to run topless in an RC F, complete with that powerful, loud, 5.0-liter V8 engine. Lexus says the RC F is a true competitor to the BMW M4. If that's true, it only makes sense for Lexus to mimic the Germans and offer its performance coupe in a folding hardtop form. Maybach Landaulet Maybach is bach back, recast as an upper crust trim level for Mercedes-Benz. The Mercedes-Maybach S600 is seriously awesome, and more luxurious than a trip to the spa. But why not go a step into the truly ridiculous levels of extravagence and bring back that open-top Landaulet? We think your local princess will love this idea, and with better S-Class bones underneath, Jeeves will have a pretty enjoyable ship to steer, too. Besides, with that slick new Mercedes design language, a Landaulet redux wouldn't be nearly as hideous as the old model, pictured here.

Nissan recalls Rogue, Pathfinder, Infiniti QX60 for seat issue

Nissan and Infiniti are recalling their 2023 Rogue, Pathfinder and QX60 SUVs and CUVs to address a potential defect in their seat frame welds that can allow the frames to fail in the event of a collision. The number of vehicles that potentially shipped with weak welds is rather small — just over 12,000 — but the issue could nonetheless lead to injury if a failure occurs during a collision.  "The driverÂ’s powered seat may not be fully secured to the seat frame on certain Nissan Rogue, Pathfinder, and INFINTI QX60 vehicles," Nissan's report to NHTSA said. "As a result of this issue, the seat frame welds may detach from the rear inboard seat bracket. If this condition occurs, it may increase the risk of injury to the occupant in the event of a crash. In addition, the seat frame assembly may not meet certain FMVSS 207 and FMVSS 210 requirements because of this condition," Nissan said.  Nissan says there's no easy way for customers to detect the issue ahead of time, and that its seats need to be inspected by a service tech to see whether it is properly secured. Dealers will be instructed to check the driverÂ’s seat rail clearance to the inboard seat bracket, and if necessary, the dealer will remove and replace the affected driverÂ’s seat cushion frame, NIssan said. The entire procedure should take less than two hours.  Owners of affected vehicles should look for notices to be delivered no later than June.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Recalls Infiniti Nissan Crossover SUV Luxury