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Nissan Sentra crash rating improves, now Top Safety Pick [w/video]

After a poor showing in the hands of the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety back in 2013, Nissan is back for another round of crash testing with its 2015 Sentra, and it's walking away with a Top Safety Pick. The compact sedan's small overlap front crash test rating improved from "poor" to "good", owing to internal improvements to the A-pillar, door sill and front structure, IIHS said in a statement. The dummy, in this most recent test, was at a low risk of injuries because of the structural changes. Take a look at video of the Sentra's small overlap crash test, available up top, and the official press release down below. 2015 Nissan Sentra earns TOP SAFETY PICK award ARLINGTON, Va. - The 2015 Nissan Sentra has improved from a poor to good rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's small overlap front crash test, qualifying for the TOP SAFETY PICK award. The small car's front structure, A-pillar and door sill were modified to reduce intrusion in small overlap crashes. In addition, the side curtain airbag was lengthened to protect the driver's head. In the latest test, the driver space was maintained well, with maximum intrusion of less than 5 inches at the lower door hinge pillar. The dummy's movement was well-controlled. The head hit the front airbag and stayed there until rebound, while the side curtain airbag had enough forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. Measures taken from the dummy indicate a low risk of injuries in a crash of this severity. In contrast, the 2013-14 Sentra didn't hold up as well in the test. Intrusion measured as much as 13 inches at the lower hinge pillar. The dummy's head slid off the left side of the frontal airbag, and the side curtain airbag didn't offer adequate coverage. Measures from the dummy indicated that injuries to the left leg would be possible in a crash of this severity. Introduced in 2012, the small overlap test replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or a utility pole. The Sentra's good ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests carry over to the 2015 model year. To qualify for the 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK award, a vehicle must have good ratings in those four tests and a good or acceptable rating in the small overlap test. Related Video:

Mitsubishi to join alliance with Honda and Nissan, Nikkei reports

TOKYO — Japan's Mitsubishi Motors is set to join an alliance between Honda Motor and Nissan Motor, creating a tie-up between automakers with combined sales of more than 8 million vehicles, the Nikkei newspaper said on Sunday. Mitsubishi Motors, which is 34% owned by Nissan, will work with Honda and Nissan to finalize the details of their strategic partnership, Nikkei said, adding the three firms intend to standardize in-vehicle software that controls cars. Mitsubishi Motors declined to comment on the report, while a Nissan spokesperson would only say the report was not based on something either of the companies had announced. Spokespeople for Honda did not respond to a request for comment. The push comes as Nissan, Japan's third biggest automaker, has been steadily losing market share in its two largest markets, the United States and China, which together accounted for half of its global sales in the year to March. On Thursday, the company slashed its annual outlook after heavy discounting in the U.S. almost completely wiped out its first-quarter profit. Nissan and Honda said in March they were considering a strategic partnership to collaborate on producing electric vehicle components and artificial intelligence in automotive software platforms. Mitsubishi Motors is already part of a long-standing alliance with Nissan and France's Renault that the three automakers last year agreed to restructure, aiming for a downsized but more pragmatic and agile partnership. Separate collaboration between Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi Motors could help Japan's automakers cut costs and beef up to battle tough competition in EVs, dominated by companies like China's BYD and Tesla. In China, the world's largest auto market, Japanese brands previously were strong but are now up against domestic automakers that have rapidly increased production and won over consumers with low-priced vehicles loaded with software.

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.