2014 Nissan Pathfinder S on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Semi-autonomous Nissan Leaf certified for road use in Japan [w/video]

In order to meet its goal of having an autonomous car in production by 2020, Nissan is going to have be able to test its technology in real-world driving conditions. For this, the automaker has just received a license plate to legally test its semi-autonomous driver assist systems in Japan, marking the first time such technologies have been tested on that country's roads. Not ironically, the license plate number is 2020.
Though not fully autonomous, this Leaf prototype will test various components of a self-driving car including exiting the highway, the ability to stay in its lane and change lanes when needed, stopping at red lights and overtaking stopped or slow traffic. Nissan is also in the process of building a proving ground in Oppama, Japan dedicated solely to autonomous cars, but the ability to test on public roads will obviously play a crucial role in the development of these cars. Scroll down for a short video and press release Nissan posted to mark the occasion.

Chinese Nissan Leaf goes on sale in September as Venucia e30

The upcoming Chinese version of the Nissan Leaf, the Venucia e30, was not the highlight of the Dongfeng Nissan stand at this year's Beijing Motor Show. That honor goes to the R30, a compact car with "segment-competitive fuel economy" and a starting price of under RMB 50,000 ($8,033 US). But that doesn't mean Dongfeng didn't make some news about the debut of the world's most popular electric vehicle in the world's most populous country. Dongfeng Nissan will start selling the e30 in the Chinese retail market this September. In a world where EV promises are not always worth the paper they're printed on, it's nice to see this target date is actually ahead of schedule. The sales launch follows EV pilot programs that saw 300 of the EVs rack up a total of one million kilometers (621,000 miles) in Guangzhou, Xiangyang and Dalian since December 2013. The e30 might just be the first or many EVs, since Donfeng-Nissan showed off the Viwa Concept EV last year. There are a few more details in the press release below. Dongfeng Nissan Unveils VENUCIA R30 at Auto China 2014 BEIJING, April 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company ("Dongfeng Nissan"), the passenger vehicle business unit of Nissan's joint venture in China, today unveiled R30 at Auto China 2014. R30 is the 4th production model for the company's new VENUCIA brand. The compact R30 delivers segment-competitive fuel economy with the strongest engine in class through a 1.2-liter gasoline engine, features a spacious interior, and offers easy handling for drivers to provide a high quality yet competitively priced car to Chinese consumers. The price of the main grade will be less than RMB 50,000. "Very competitively priced, R30 is the perfect entry car for Chinese consumers," said Ren Yong, Deputy Managing Director of Dongfeng Nissan. "I believe many Chinese consumers will choose R30 as their first car in the continuing motorization of China." Bookings for R30 will start within the next two months. Dongfeng Nissan also announced that e30, Venucia's electric vehicle, will be sold in the retail market starting in September. The company has already commenced EV pilot programs in the cities of Guangzhou, Xiangyang and Dalian, with a total of 300 e30s recording a total mileage of one million km since the programs started in December 2013. Venucia recorded sales of more than 100,000 units in 2013 and is targeting a 50 percent increase in sales this year.

Syrena Sport returns as rebodied Nissan 370Z

We wouldn't hold it against you if you'd never heard of the FSO Syrena Sport. FSO built the long-enduring Syrena for some 17 years nonstop, and while the machines were mostly plodding family sedans, engineers at FSO did create one version with a bit more zest. The Syrena Sport was a two-door coupe that borrowed design cues from Ferrari and was powered by a two-cylinder, air-cooled boxer engine. While originally intended for production, economic woes kept the machine from ever seeing the light of day.
Now, the Syrena Sport is back, though in a slightly different configuration. Entrepreneur Rafal Czubaj has resurrected the name for a special one-off creation designed by Pavlo Burkatskyy. This time around, there is no oddball boxer under the hood, however. Czubaj chose to use the underpinnings from the Nissan 370Z, complete with its 3.7-liter V6 engine. Buyers can choose between a 330-horsepower tune or a 450-hp iteration, and with a curb weight of 2,865 pounds, the car should be plenty quick. Expect acceleration to 60 miles per hour in around 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph.