2005 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 Off Road Edition Se 3rd Row No Accidents 7 Passenger on 2040-cars

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Renault and Nissan in talks that could reshape autos alliance

PARIS/TOKYO – Renault and Nissan said on Monday they were in talks about the future of their alliance, including the Japanese automaker considering investing in a new electric vehicle venture by its French partner. The talks, which could prompt the biggest reset in the alliance since the 2018 arrest of longtime executive Carlos Ghosn, have included consideration of Renault selling some of its Nissan stake, two people with knowledge of them said. Negotiations are expected to continue ahead of a Renault investor presentation in early November, when the French carmaker is expected to give an update on its new EV unit, which is code-named "Ampere." Renault owns about 43% of Nissan, which in turn has a 15% stake in its long-term partner. The French state also has a 15% holding in Renault. Shares in Renault rose by as much as 6% in early trading, making the stock the best performer on France's benchmark CAC-40 equity index. They were up 3.54% by 1105 GMT. Renault and Nissan said in a joint statement that they were "engaged in trustful discussions around several initiatives" including a potential Nissan investment in the EV venture and what they called "structural improvements" in their alliance. Renault CEO Luca De Meo, who was in Japan over the weekend, and Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida have been central to talks about reshaping its terms, a person familiar with the talks said. A group of Nissan executives, including Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta, have also been involved in developing discussions in recent months, the person said. Renault is looking to win Nissan as an investor in its new EV venture, which it is setting up alongside a separate combustion engine unit, essentially splitting out the higher-growth and investment-hungry portion of its auto business. In exchange for investing in the EV venture, Nissan is looking to Renault to reduce its stake in the Japanese automaker, a person familiar with the talks said. The French dominance of the alliance has long been a point of contention for Nissan, which wants Renault to cut its stake to 15% to draw level with its own holding in Renault, the source familiar with the matter told Reuters. For Nissan, the talks could represent a chance to reset a structure that many executives at the Japanese firm have seen as unbalanced, given the way vehicle development work between the two carmakers has progressed in recent years.

Nissan drives glowing Leaf on Holland's glowing highway

If you thought that applying phosphorescent paint to the Nissan Leaf made it look like something out of Tron already, brother... you don't know the half of it. Or at least you won't have until you see what the car looks like on a glow-in-the-dark highway. A glow-in-the-what-now, you ask? That's right: for about a third of a mile on the N329 in the Netherlands, running through the city of Oss, the highway glows in the dark. Not the whole roadway, of course. That'd be weird. Even for the Dutch. No, the so-called Smart Highway designed by Daan Roosegaarde (whose Dutch heritage is evident by the number of vowels in his name) uses phosphorescent stripes to obviate the need for lighting. They work just like the paint on the Leaf (or for that matter any number of toys we had as kids), absorbing sunlight during the day and emitting it at night... in this case for up to eight hours. The resulting footage and photography, though surely heavily edited, needs to be seen to be believed. That is, assuming you don't already live in a computer where users force you to play in games for their own amusement and Jeff Bridges runs amok. Related Video: BRIGHT FUTURE: NISSAN LEAF IS FIRST GLOW-IN-THE-DARK CAR TO DRIVE GLOWING HIGHWAY · All-electric Nissan LEAF is the first glow-in-the-dark car to drive on the luminous Smart Highway in Oss, Netherlands · Unique highway design saves energy by removing need for street lights · Nissan EV sales increase by 313% across the Netherlands · Watch the film at: https://youtu.be/8Dv3PxDj2ks Nissan has blazed a trail by driving its unique glow-in-the-dark zero-emission LEAF along the world's first glow-in-the-dark motorway in Oss, Netherlands. Nissan recently became the first modern passenger car manufacturer to apply glow-in-the-dark car paint to a car, to showcase how many customers of the world's best-selling electric vehicle are powering their car from solar energy generated at home. Now it has gone one step further, by driving the all-electric Nissan LEAF on the Smart Highway – the first time a phosphorescent car has been driven on the famous stretch of road. And the location of the world's only luminescent highway was fitting, as Nissan has announced an uplift in electric vehicle sales of 313 percent in the Netherlands last year. The innovative Smart Highway project was conceived by designer Daan Roosegaarde to help guide drivers in the dark, while saving energy that might otherwise be used in street lighting.

Nissan Friend-Me Concept is cooler than its name

Here is the Nissan Friend-Me, a swoopy - and let us emphasize that word "swoopy" - sedan-with-a-hatchback developed specifically for Chinese youth in their mid-twenties, the ones born in the '80s mainly bereft of siblings due to China's one-child policy. The exterior is meant to be most imposing at night, when Nissan figures these single children will be getting together with their friends. The sheetmetal looks like it was shaped by waves, and the details like lighting and vent openings could have been penned on Krypton.
The real show is inside, where peers are made equal and can interact with one another via the "oracle stone." The concept is that instead of a driver and three passengers, everyone gets access to the same information and the ability to alter the ambiance of the car - dash readouts are provided for all of the occupants, and anyone can move content from their phones to the in-car screens to be shared throughout. As Nissan says, it's the end of anyone being a "music dictator."
Designed by Nissan Design China for a specific market-within-a-market estimated to contain 240 million potential buyers, Nissan says the wishes of these customers and the ideas in this car could shape automotive offerings for decades to come. So read all about it in the press release below and take some long virtual looks in the galleries of high-res photos.