2012 Nissan Maxima S Sedan 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Infiniti readying small crossover for China, is it Juke based?

The small crossover is the superstar segment of the global automotive industry at the moment. With the love that Nissan has for the form with vehicles like the Juke and the Rogue, it should come as no surprise that Infiniti is going to hop into the market as well. However, its luxury CUV is likely going to remain exclusive to China for the time being.
The first hint of the Chinese Infiniti crossover leaked as dark silhouette looking a lot like the Juke, during a brand press conference said to be held in Beijing. It suggested that the model would use the Nissan platform but incorporate unique styling.
Leftlane News speculated that it could be among the company's debuts at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show, but that appears not to be the case. Infiniti spokesperson Kyle Bazemore has confirmed to Autoblog that a "small premium crossover" is under development for China. However, "Details of the vehicle will be announced at a later date. It will not debut at Beijing Motor Show," he said. Also, don't get too excited about the prospects of driving an Infiniti small CUV, because Bazemore says the company has no plans to offer this model elsewhere.

Nissan promising autonomous car production by 2020

Nissan will bring the autonomous car to consumers by the end of this decade. The announcement was made by CEO Carlos Ghosn at the company's US headquarters in Irvine, CA. Nissan has already begun construction of a dedicated proving ground for the self-driving cars in Japan, with completion targeted for the end of 2014.
Teaming with MIT, Stanford, Oxford and others, Nissan has already outfitted Leaf EVs with the Autonomous Drive (Nissan's brand name for the tech), a suite of new technologies developed from the brand's existing Safety Shield technology. The current iteration of Autonomous Drive uses the Around-View Monitoring system and laser scanners to analyze the environment, while artificial intelligence systems have been installed to help navigate and operate in a changing environment.
While it's easy to say that Nissan will bring the technology to market within the next six or seven years, it's more difficult to say at what price Autonomous Drive will be available. Most remarkable about all of this is Nissan's claim that self-driving cars will be both commercially viable and available at "realistic prices for consumers." It's expecting Autonomous Drive to be available across its range within two vehicle generations.

Nissan's Ultimate Smart BBQ e-NV200 is crowd-funded fun in Japan

When the weather starts warming up, expect the grills to start heating up. A Japanese company is trying to get a jump on the higher temperatures with a crowdfunding campaign for a Nissan e-NV200 with a full kitchenette and many more bizarre features hidden inside. The company calls it the Ultimate Smart BBQ Vehicle. More than just a rather bizarre video, a crowdfunding site is hosting a project to actually hold parties around Japan with this Nissan. The goal is to raise 1 million yen (about $8,500 at current rates), and it has about 180,000 yen ($1,500), as of this writing. A pledge of at least 30,000 yen ($250) gets you and a friend invited to one of these events. However, if you really need the Ultimate Smart BBQ Vehicle, then 25 million yen ($208,500) buys it outright. This van is designed to be an emissions-free party machine. Sliding out of the rear is a 1,500-watt electric grill complete with a rotisserie, and there's even a sink for washing dishes. A full disposal system even helps with cleanup afterwards. Beyond just a place to do some outdoor cooking, this e-NV200 is outfitted with practically everything necessary to host some festivities. An ultrasonic mosquito barrier should keep the bugs away, and a water mister also helps keep guests cool. When it starts getting dark, there's a smartphone-linked screen on the side to display pictures or movies, and the setup even doubles as a karaoke machine. Likely the weirdest feature, though, is a deployable drone that can take pictures of your shindig. Our Japanese language skills are limited to counting from one to ten and asking what time it is in Tokyo right now, so it's hard to really suss out all the details. But from a Q&A at the bottom of the page (translated by our friends at Google Translate), it appears you have to be a Japanese resident to donate. And the site doesn't take American Express. If anyone knows how to read Japanese and wants to tell us more, please comment below. Because now we're hungry and want some yakitori.