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Recharge Wrap-up: Saleen renames its Tesla, Nissan announces "No Charge To Charge" in Atlanta

Saleen has renamed its Tesla Model S the Saleen ST and has added a version the P85D to its modified lineup. Formerly called the Saleen FourSixteen, referencing the car's 416 horsepower, the ST stands for "Saleen Tesla." While the ST receives no increase in output, modifications include aerodynamic, suspension and brake tuning, as well as some aggressive looks to go along with it. Customers can also opt for Saleen drive ratios, making the 691-horsepower, dual-motor version accelerate from 0-60 in less than three seconds. The Saleen ST380 starts at $132,000, with the ST691 starting at $164,600. Read more at Motor Authority or in the press release below. After one month of operation in Brooklyn, Car2go has over 13,000 members in its new locale. Users in what is now the carsharing service's fastest-growing market have already logged 55,000 miles for the Brooklyn fleet, with the average trip taking 22.45 minutes. The most popular destinations for Brooklyn users are The Barclays Center, Prospect Park and Williamsburg. Car2go has also announced its Mobile Access feature, which allows users to begin their trips with the mobile app as an alternative to using the member card. Read more in the press release below. Nissan has announced its "No Charge To Charge" program for Atlanta. That means customers who buy or lease a Nissan Leaf at Atlanta dealerships will receive free charging at more than 12 fast-charging stations in the Atlanta area. Nissan is extending the program to customers who got their Leaf beginning November 1, 2014. Nissan offers "No Charge To Charge" in 12 other markets, with at least 12 more planned for the US. Read more in the press release below. Tesla has named Ricardo Reyes as its communications chief. Reyes led Tesla's communications department until 2012, when he left the company to work from Square. Returning to Tesla, Reyes will oversee Tesla's online presence and public relations. After looking for someone like Reyes to fill the position, Tesla CEO Elon Musk eventually was able to bring the man himself back to the company. Read more at Businessweek. Saleen Expands Electric Performance Vehicle Lineup Saleen delivers the 1st Saleen Tesla model, and provides additional drivetrain options. Saleen Automotive Inc. (OTCQB: SLNN) Corona, CA – (November 20, 2014) Saleen Automotive has begun deliveries of the Model S based Saleen FOURSIXTEEN, which comes only a short time after the successful new product launch in Pebble Beach, CA.

Mercedes and Infiniti confirm joint production in Mexico [w/video]

It's official, folks: After initial reports last week indicated that Mercedes-Benz was preparing to begin assembly at the Nissan plant in Aguascalientes, Mexico, the two parent companies have announced just that. Only instead of using the existing Nissan plant at the site (in operation since 1992), Daimler and the Renault-Nissan Alliance have announced a joint venture to build a new one alongside it.
The latest stage in the growing French-German-Japanese collaboration is part of a new collaboration that will see Infiniti and Mercedes jointly develop and build a line of compact premium vehicles, with the first Infiniti models set to roll off the assembly line in 2017 and the first Benzes to follow a year later. Neither party announced exactly which models that would encompass, but Mercedes already has a robust line of small vehicles (including the A-Class, B-Class, CLA and GLA), and Infiniti has long been toying with the idea of slotting in something smaller below the Q50.
The billion-euro project, split evenly between the two industrial giants, is set to create 5,700 new jobs in Mexico. In addition to the Aguascalientes project, Infiniti and Mercedes are also undertaking joint production of four-cylinder engines (initially for the C-Class and Q50) in Decherd, Tennessee, from which they will be exported around the world. By the time the new factory in Mexico reaches full capacity in 2021, it will have the capability to produce 300,000 vehicles annually. That's on top of the 850,000 vehicles the existing facility is capable of handling.

Massive Airbag Recall Affects Seven Automakers

The recall of faulty airbag inflators supplied by Takata has exploded today to grow to seven automakers. In most cases, only models in certain high-humidity regions were affected because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found in its investigation that moisture played a role in determining whether there would be a problem. However, some companies opted for national campaigns. The exact number of affected models for these campaigns isn't yet known at this time. BMW is recalling an undisclosed number of 325i, 325Xi, 330i and 330Xi models from the 2001 through 2005 model years and the 2001-2006 model year versions of the 325Ci and 330Ci for the driver side and passenger side inflators. Only vehicles currently registered in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands are covered under this recall. Neither Chrysler's filing with NHTSA nor its press release list the specific models affected, but a company spokesperson told Autoblog that at this time it only covers the driver and passenger side inflators for the 2006 Dodge Charger in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands In most cases, only models in certain high-humidity regions were affected because the NHTSA found that moisture played a roll in determining if there would be a problem. Ford is recalling an estimated 58,669 cars that include the 2005-2006 model years of the Ford GT for the driver and passenger inflators, the 2007-2007 model years of the Mustang for the driver side and 2004 Ranger for the passenger side. It covers vehicles originally sold or currently registered in, wait for it... Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the US Virgin Islands. Honda is issuing three separate recalls regarding the problem. First, the company is recalling the 2002-2003 model years Civic, CR-V and Odyssey and the 2003 model year of the Accord, Element, Pilot and Acura MDX to replace the passenger's side inflator. This covers all models nationwide. Second, Honda is repairing the passenger's side airbag inflator in the 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Element, Pilot, the 2003-2004 model year versions of the Odyssey, the 2003-2005 model year Acura MDX and 2005 Acura RL. However, only for vehicles located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Owners will be notified in July. Finally, Honda is separately replacing some models' driver's side inflators.