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Nissan's autonomous cars could drive in US first, maybe by 2020

Future shock could be just six short years away, and coming first to the US. Nissan says it might start making autonomous versions of its cars available in the US by 2020, before the tech hits the road in other countries. The Japanese automaker is in extensive discussions with regulators from California, the best-selling state for the Leaf battery-electric vehicle, for allowing self-driving vehicles to be on its roads, Hybrid Cars says, citing a conversation with Nissan executive Andy Christensen at the recent Detroit Auto Show. Many decisions need to be made between now and then, given the hurdles related to issues such as regulations, liability, safety and technology - and Christensen said the first wave of self-driving vehicles would be able to do their thing only on the highway. The vehicle of choice is most likely to be the Leaf because it's completely battery operated, making the conversion to autonomy that much easier. Last summer, Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn first promised production autonomous cars by 2020. The automaker has teamed up with MIT, Stanford, Oxford and others to extensively test its "Autonomous Drive" concepts since then. Late last year, Nissan tested a self-driving Leaf on Japanese public roads. Nissan is not alone promoting autonomous driving as a way to increase safety, fuel economy and traffic flow, just some of the reasons why the idea may be the wave of the nearer-than-we-thought-future. For example, the company says 93 percent of accidents are caused by driver error.

Nissan NV200 Mobility Taxi adds a dose of accessibility to the new-look cab

Nissan has been making hay with its NV200 light commercial vehicle in New York. We've known since last year that the van will see service as a taxi in the Big Apple, and more recently, we learned that a variant will be kicking around to rescue ailing Gibson guitars. At its press conference this year, Nissan continued the onslaught with a wheelchair-accessible version of its NV200 Taxi.
The automaker has teamed with BraunAbility - a company that styles itself as the world's largest maker of wheelchair-accessible vans - to create this NV200 Mobility Taxi. The cab features a fold-flat ramp for rearward wheelchair accessibility, as well as a restraint system to keep said chair snugly in place at speed.
In addition to showing off the Mobility Taxi, Nissan announced at its press conference that it will be making both hybrid and fully electric versions of the NV200 Taxi available, as well. Scroll down for the Nissan press release, or take some time with our extensive live and stock image galleries of the NV200 Mobility Taxi.

2016 Nissan Titan further teased ahead of Detroit debut

Nissan is less than a week away from finally unveiling the 2016 Titan at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show on January 12 after months of teasing. Unfortunately, the latest video in Nissan's Truckumentary series about the Titan's engineering comes off a bit dull. It mostly focuses on the trucks American heritage rather than on its capabilities. However, the clip does drop a few hints about the 5.0-liter Cummins diesel V8. The company not only wants to keep fuel economy high but also focus on giving drivers a deep well of power that's ready at any time. The engine is rumored to offer over 300 horsepower and about 550 pound-feet of torque. The best part of this video's release is the accompanying gallery (below) showing the test truck from practically every angle. It's still covered in camouflage, but the front grille appears much more upright compared to previous spy shots. A final interesting tidbit comes in the text at the very end of the clip where Nissan reveals the Titan isn't expected to go on sale until late 2015.