2010 Nissan 370z Nismo Coupe 2-door 3.7l Black And Beautiful! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ghosn shares 'truth about Autonomous Drive cars'

Drive our cars. No, wait, don't drive our cars. Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn is delivering a message about autonomous driving that's less mixed than it sounds on the surface. As part of his public dialogue from LinkedIn's "Influencer" series, Ghosn said in a company announcement that "hands-free" driving is part of the Japanese automaker's "near-term technology." In fact, cars that can self-drive in heavy, stop-and-go traffic, may be ready for the market by late 2016. That should please texters everywhere. 2018 may be the year cars with lane-changing, hazard-avoiding capabilities will see the light of day, while by 2020, Nissan may feature a "complete package" of autonomous-driving features, Ghosn writes. As for the proverbial driver-less car? That's at least a decade out but ultimately likely, according to Ghosn. Nissan said early last year that some autonomous versions of its vehicles may be available in the US by the end of the decade, and that it was in talks with California regulators about the idea of self-driving cars on the state's roads. Nissan has worked with institutions such as MIT, Stanford and Oxford at developing autonomous-drive concepts, and has tested self-driving versions of the Leaf electric vehicles in Japan. Check out excerpts of the Ghosn "interview" below. The truth about Autonomous Drive cars, by Carlos Ghosn The following is the latest from Carlos Ghosn's LinkedIn Influencer series. Read all of Mr. Ghosn's LinkedIn Influencer articles here. There has been a lot of talk in the media recently about "Autonomous Drive" technology and a potential future of driverless cars. No doubt, Autonomous Drive technology will change how we approach driving. I expect it to result a significant transformation in transportation. But all the talk has left many drivers a bit confused. After years of promoting "eyes on the road, hands on the wheel," the auto industry is now talking about reading your email or a book while you drive – and the prospect of maybe not even needing a driver. So it's a good time to address the questions that arise whenever this subject comes up: Q: What is Autonomous Drive? A: Autonomous Drive combines the technology of robotics, artificial intelligence, sensors and car-to-car connectivity. It is a range of technologies that will be added to our cars over the next several years.

Tesla poaches Renault-Nissan communications boss Sproule

Need another sign that Tesla is growing into a force to be reckoned with? Bloomberg reports it has just snagged high-profile communications boss Simon Sproule from Renault-Nissan to become the EV maker's vice president of communications and marketing.
Sproule is an industry veteran, having spent 20 years at Nissan (where he grew to become CEO Carlos Ghosn's right-hand man). In addition, he logged stints at Ford, Jaguar (when it was still a Blue Oval-owned brand) and Microsoft. Despite all that experience, Sproule is still young, at just 45 years of age, as Bloomberg points out, yet he's held positions in the US, Japan and France over the years.
This is all good news for Tesla, which is in need of a strong spokesman outside of company CEO Elon Musk. It's been battling with the state of New Jersey and its governor, Chris Christie, over direct sales in the Garden State.

Worldwide, Nissan Leaf has outsold next two competitors combined

Nissan may not be meeting some of the more optimistic prognostications with sales of its Leaf electric vehicle, but it's certainly kicking the competition's butt. EV Sales is tracking global sales of plug-in vehicle models and estimates that Nissan has sold almost 172,000 units of the Leaf worldwide. That's more than the two next-best-selling plug-ins combined. Globally, EV Sales estimates, the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in has moved about 88,000 units, while Toyota has sold about 71,000 of its Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles worldwide. Fourth-place Tesla Model S is close behind at about 66,000 units. Among automakers, Nissan is also by far the lead dog, but Mitsubishi has leapfrogged Chevrolet among plug-in vehicle makers, as the Outlander Plug-in Hybrid continues to sell well. Impressively, the relatively new BMW i3 has moved almost 23,000 units since its debut in Germany last year. As for Nissan, company chief Carlos Ghosn said at the New York Auto Show earlier this month that the company could sell as many as 50,000 units a year of the Leaf in the US, provided that charging infrastructure throughout the country improves. Earlier this year, cumulative US Leaf sales moved past 75,000 units since its late-2010 launch. Related Videos: Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 55 Photos News Source: EV Sales Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric volt