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Nissan Shows Self-Cleaning Car Coated In Nano Paint

Washing the car is an activity like mowing the lawn that some people love and others find to be an absolute chore. For the latter group, Nissan may have an answer. Nissan is testing a nano-paint coating that could make the car wash a very infrequent place to visit. Shown on a European Note hatchback, the key is a special layer of super- hydrophobic and oleophobic material called Ultra-Ever Dry that is sprayed over the paint. It creates a protective layer between the body and environment, and it means that when dirt or water come into contact with the car, the gunk just sheets away. Nissan admits that the coating is still early in testing. The key will be if the stuff can actually last for the long term, and the company will be analyzing it over the coming months to see how it will react in different conditions. At the moment, the automaker has no plans to offer Ultra-Ever Dry as a standard feature, but it may make it available as an aftermarket addition in the future. This article originally appeared on Autoblog.com Related Gallery Clean Diesels Coming To The US Weird Car News Nissan Maintenance car cleaning

US collectors lift Nissan GT-R Skyline values

Collector cars are seen as such a safe place to "put" money that mainstream financial outlets regularly run stories on best practices. Air-cooled Porsche prices are so high you need a SpaceX rocket to explore their upper limits, and Ferrari is in the unheard of position of trying to convince investors to throw money at its IPO instead of its early cars. Classic and Performance Car reports that the R32 Nissan GT-R is getting caught up in the riptide, with values for 25-year-old examples out of Japan having doubled in the last ten months. The cause leads to the United States, because collectors here can finally import the second-generation GT-R legally now that 25 years has elapsed. As a classic car rep says in the CPC article, though, the trend only applies to "really clean examples," ones with low miles. Road & Track spoke to a couple of companies importing them into States now, and they report that prices have tripled in some cases, and special editions like the R32 GT-R Nismo have gone beyond that. If you're not looking for unicorns or Newfoundland Ponies, however, the folks in the business say you can find a reasonably priced examples. Because they were performance cars popular with the modding crowd, akin to our last-gen Toyota Supra and Mazda RX-7, there's a wide range of wear and tear. The inventory list for importer Montu Motors shows a couple of unsold GT-Rs for mid-twenties money. Chris Bishop at Japanese Classics thinks the present spike is down to early adopters; once they skim the cream and more model years can be imported, "prices will level off, and then go down."

Ousted Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn leaves Japan for Lebanon

BEIRUT/TOKYO — Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was in his childhood home of Lebanon on Tuesday after fleeing what he said was a “rigged” justice system in Japan, raising questions about how one of the worldÂ’s most-recognized executives slipped away while on bail. GhosnÂ’s abrupt departure marks the latest dramatic twist in a year-old saga that has shaken the global auto industry, jeopardised the alliance of Nissan Motor Co Ltd and top shareholder Renault SA and cast a harsh light on JapanÂ’s judicial system. “I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied,” Ghosn, 65, said in a brief statement on Tuesday. “I have not fled justice - I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week.” Tokyo officials have previously said the system is not inhumane and that Ghosn, who is facing trial on financial misconduct charges he denies, has been treated like any other suspect. It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds French, Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship, was able to orchestrate his departure from Japan, given that he had been under strict surveillance by authorities while out on bail and had surrendered his passports. According to a senior Lebanese foreign ministry source, Ghosn entered Lebanon legally on a French passport and using his Lebanese ID with normal security procedures. Asked if Ghosn used a French passport, the French foreign ministry press service said it had no immediate comment. Ghosn arrived in Beirut on a private jet from Istanbul on Monday, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Immigration authorities had no record of Ghosn leaving the country, Japanese public broadcaster NHK said. A person resembling him entered Beirut international airport under a different name, NHK reported, citing an unidentified Lebanese security official. His lawyers were still in possession of his three passports, one of his lawyers, Junichiro Hironaka, told reporters. Hironaka, in comments broadcast live on NHK, said the first he had heard of GhosnÂ’s departure was on the news this morning and that he was surprised. He also said it was “inexcusable behaviour”. Japan has extradition treaties with only the United States and South Korea, according to the justice ministry, meaning it could be difficult to force Ghosn to return to stand trial.