2009 Nissan Gt-r Premium Coupe 2-door 3.8l on 2040-cars

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Nissan Leaf sets another monthly sales record, Chevy Volt remains steady

Here we go again. Another month in the books and another month of record sales by the Nissan Leaf in the US. For October, the world's best-selling pure EV sold 2,589 units, which is 29.3 percent more than October 2013. That makes it 20 times in a row that Nissan can say that last month sales were better than the same month a year before. All told, Nissan has sold 24,411 Leafs in the US this year, a new record, reflecting an overall Leaf sales rate that is up 35 percent, year-to-date. Nissan isn't stopping, either. A new TV ad, one that, "encourages consumers to kick gas" by saving money on fuel will start airing today in major markets, according to Toby Perry, director of Nissan's EV marketing. You can watch it below. As for the Chevy Volt, things remained steady last month in the face of a new model that's coming in the second half of 2015. Chevy sold 1,439 Volts last month, which is about the same as September (1,394) but down 28.8 percent from the October 2013 despite GM having its best overall US October sales this year since 2007. So far, 2014 Volt year-to-date sales are down 14.9 percent through the end of October compared to 2013. And that wraps up the flash report on monthly sales for these two long-standing plug-in vehicles in the US market. As always, we'll have our in-depth write-up of US green car sales available soon. For now, we await your comments, below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Car technology I'm thankful and unthankful for

The past few years have seen a surge of tech features in new vehicles — everything from cloud-based content to semi-autonomous driving. While some of it makes the driving experience better, not all tech is useful or well thought out. Automakers who are adept at drivetrains, ride quality and in-cabin comforts often fail at infotainment interfaces and connectivity. From testing dozens of vehicles each year and in the spirit of gratitude, here are three car tech features I'm thankful — and a trio I could live without. Thanks Connected search: This seems like a no-brainer since everyone already has it on their smartphones, but not all automakers include it in the dashboard and as part of their nav systems. The best ones, such as Toyota Entune, leverage a driver's connected device to search for a range of services and don't charge a subscription or require a separate data plan for the car. I also like how systems like Chrysler Uconnect use Yelp or other apps to find everything from coffee to gas stations and allow searching via voice recognition. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: It took two of the largest tech companies to get in-dash infotainment right. While they have their disadvantages (you're forced to use Apple Maps with CarPlay, for example), the two smartphone-integration platforms make it easier and safer to use their respective native apps for phoning, messaging, music and more behind the wheel by transferring a familiar UI to the dashboard — with no subscription required. Heated seats and steering wheels: I really appreciate these simple but pleasant features come wintertime. It's easy to get spoiled by bun-warmers on frosty mornings and using a heated steering wheel to warm the cold hands. I recently tested a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 Coupe that also had heated armrest that added to a cozy luxury experience. Bonus points for brands like Buick that allow setting seat heaters to turn on when the engine is remotely started. No thanks Automaker infotainment systems: Automakers have probably poured millions into creating their own infotainment systems, with the result largely being frustration on the part of most car owners. And Apple CarPlay and Android Auto coming along to make them obsolete. While some automaker systems, such as Toyota Entune and FCA's Uconnect, are easy and intuitive to use, it seems that high-end systems (I'm looking at you BMW iDrive and Mercedes-Benz COMAND) are the most difficult.

Is Nissan's Le Mans LMP1 racer really going to be front engined?

Since debuting the Nissan GT-R LM Nismo under a sheet earlier this year, Nissan has kept a very tight wrap on details about the racer. The company simply promised that the model would be on the starting grid for the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, the automaker had an aggressive attitude about the new program and said that the vehicle would "win in a very different way." The brand also hinted the final result wouldn't look like its competitors. This rendering suggests just how divergent the GT-R LM might be. Posted by Jalopnik, the rendering was supposedly based on the descriptions of people who have actually seen the racer. They described a car with a very long nose, and a rear that was potentially narrower than the front. From those details the pictures of a reverse Deltawing is almost conceivable. Judging by the original teaser image, this description actually sounds somewhat plausible too. The draping of the sheet in that photo could suggest some empty space at the back. According to this rumor, underneath that long snout could be an even bigger revelation – the engine. These days putting the powerplant ahead of the driver in a top-class endurance racer – even if it's behind the front axle for a mid-engine layout – is almost unheard of. Nissan trying it would certainly fall under a different way of winning. Though, such a thing was done by Panoz in the 2000s. Nissan is clear about keeping the racecar and road version at least somewhat related, especially technologically. Jalopnik speculates that the engine could be a gasoline-fueled twin-turbocharged V6 powering the rear wheels and a hybrid spinning the front and rear with a total system output of 1,000 horsepower or more. That figure is right on the money for modern LMP1 cars since the 2014-championship winning Toyota TS040 packs about 986 hp total. In the past few years, Nissan has failed to finish Le Mans with both the Deltawing that it sponsored and the ZEOD RC project. If these rumors prove true, then even getting the GT-R LM to see the checkered flag could be quite an accomplishment no matter where it finishes. Rumor has it that Nissan might show at least a glimpse of the vehicle during the company's Super Bowl ad this year. Related Gallery 2015 Nissan GT-R LM Nismo Announcement View 16 Photos News Source: JalopnikImage Credit: Jason Torchinsky via Jalopnik Design/Style Motorsports Nissan Racing Vehicles rendering nissan gt-r lm nismo nissan gt-r lm