2014 Nissan Rogue Sv on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Prince Charles tours Nissan Leaf plant in Sunderland, UK

Environmental sustainability and job training. Those are two of the issues the UK's Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, has long supported. And that's why the king-to-be paid a visit to Nissan's Sunderland plant earlier this week. As shows in a two-minute video from Broadcast Exchange, Prince Charles took a tour of the plant, checking out the production line while conferring with the young (and slightly star-struck) students there who were learning a thing or two about building a car, electric Nissan style. The Sunderland plant is located about 285 miles north of London. The factory runs an apprenticeship program for budding car-builders and employs about 6,700 people. The Nissan Leaf electric vehicles built there are sold in Europe, where Leaf sales jumped 33 percent last year. Opened in 1986, the Sunderland factory broke ground on its battery-production facilities in 2010 and began producing the Leaf in the spring of 2013 after Nissan invested about $635 million upgrading the plant to handle electric-vehicle and lithium-ion battery production. Even before the EV battery production activity the Sunderland plant burnished its green credentials by installing wind turbines to help with the power supply. Prince Charles already has his credentials (sort of), thanks to a biofuel Jaguar and a wine-powered Aston Martin. Check out the video with Prince Charles below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Thanks to a year of free charges, Nissan Leaf sees sales increase in Texas

Nissan is pretty certain that free charging offers in the two largest metropolitan areas in Texas are substantially boosting sales of the Leaf electric vehicle. Heck, one Houston car dealer says Leaf sales have tripled because of the plan, which is run by NRG through its batch of eVgo Freedom Stations. Each of these stations has a fast-charging outlet and a standard Level 2 cord where EV drivers can plug-in without breaking out the wallet. Here's how the plan works: NRG is offering a year of free charging for those who buy or lease a Leaf in either the Houston or Dallas-Fort Worth areas. NRG has 17 stations in Houston and another 23 in DFW. Nissan pays NRG a fee for employing the program, and it's apparently paying off, Nissan's Brendan Jones told Plug In Cars. The stations are located at retailers such as Walgreens and at gas-station chains. The "No Charge to Charge" program started October 1 and runs through the end of this month. The promotion may be driving sales, but let's remember that Nissan was touting a rise in Leaf sales numbers before the free charging deal went into effect. Of course, the fun does eventually end, and folks have to start paying for the juice after that first year. Two options NRG offers are a 12-month unlimited charging plan for $39.95 a month or a year of unlimited one-hour sessions at a Level 2 a cool $59.95. Californians, there's sadly no word on Nissan or NRG bringing a similar program to the Golden State. Because we know you were wondering that.

Carlos Ghosn's son predicts surprises at ex-Nissan chief's day in court

PARIS — The son of former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn said in an interview published Sunday that people will be surprised when his father, detained since Nov. 19 for allegedly falsifying financial reports, recounts his version of events to a Tokyo court on Tuesday. Anthony Ghosn, 24, told France's Journal du Dimanche that his father — who will remain detained until at least Jan. 11 — will get 10 minutes to talk at the hearing, being held at his own request. "For the first time, he can talk about his version of the allegations against him," Anthony Ghosn said in the interview with the weekly paper Journal du Dimanche. "I think everyone will be rather surprised hearing his version of the story. Until now, we've only heard the accusers." The son has no direct contact with his father, and gets information via lawyers. He said his father, who for decades was a revered figure in the global auto industry, has lost about 10 kilograms (22 pounds) eating three bowls of rice daily, but he reads books and "he resists." Ghosn refuses to cave in, said his son, contending that he would be freed from detention if he admitted guilt to the prosecutor. "But for seven weeks, his decision has been quite clear ... He won't give in," Anthony Ghosn said, adding that he would be wearing prison clothes and handcuffs in court. Countering media portrayals, he insisted his father, a Brazilian-born Frenchman of Lebanese ancestry, is "not obsessed by money." "He always told us that money is but a means to help those you love, but not an end unto itself." Ghosn is charged with underreporting his pay by about 5 billion yen ($44 million) in 2011-2015, and faces a breach of trust allegation. He led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades and helped save the Japanese automaker from near bankruptcy. He remains head of France's Renault car company, which owns 43 percent of Nissan. Another Nissan executive, Greg Kelly, was arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Ghosn on the underreporting of income and was freed Dec. 25 on 70 million yen ($635,600) bail after more than a month in detention.Related Video: