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Don't expect to hear about second-gen Nissan Leaf anytime soon

With Chevy revealing the first details of the next-gen Volt at the Detroit Auto Show last month and Tesla priming the pump for the lower-cost Model 3, we're obviously curious to hear about the next-gen Nissan Leaf. It looks like we're going to have to wait. "Of course things are in the works," Nissan's Brian Brockman told AutoblogGreen at the Chicago Auto Show last week, reminding us that the automaker has long been proud of its EV leadership. What that means in practice is that people shouldn't expect to hear anything specific about the new Leaf until we get closer to the summer, well after the New York Auto Show in April. After all, no other companies have to worry about cannibalizing existing pure EV sales, he said. The Chevy Volt is a plug-in hybrid so the now-confirmed Bolt EV that may get here in 2017 is likely to appeal to a slightly different crowd and the audience for a $30,000 Tesla Model 3 is not really the same as the one interested in today's $100,000 Model S. There are any number of other plug-in vehicles coming in the next few years, but the Leaf reigns supreme as the best-selling pure EV in the US, so forgive us if we're curious to know what's coming next, beyond that vague descriptions of it as more mainstream looking with a longer range. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2013 Nissan Leaf View 13 Photos Green Nissan Electric brian brockman

Car theft skyrockets thanks to rising parts prices

Cars and trucks today have achieved a high level of average quality, with safety and technology features that keep occupants safer than ever and meet consumers' high expectations. But the National Insurance Crime Bureau finds that those components come with a rising price tag, leading to expensive repair bills — and rising vehicle thefts to support a thriving black market for parts. The nonprofit NICB said it looked at the cost of replacement parts for the top 10 stolen 2016 models, with average OEM part prices pulled from a database of more than 24 million vehicle damage appraisals generated for 2016 and 2017 insurance claims. The list did not include major components like engines or transmissions, only easily-stripped components like bumpers, doors, hoods and headlights. It found that: The 2016 Toyota Camry, which had a used market value of around $15,000, had 15 commonly replaced parts that added up to almost $11,000, not including labor, with quarter panels alone costing almost $1,600 a pair and a set of alloy wheels tallying more than $1,600. The Camry was also the top stolen vehicle in 2016 at 1,113 thefts. A 2016 Nissan Altima had 14 standard parts worth more than $14,000, including a single headlamp assembly that costs just over $1,000. The Altima was the second-top stolen vehicle in 2016 at 1,063 vehicles stolen. And the 2016 GMC Sierra pickup, which was No. 7 on the 2016 top-stolen list, rang up $21,000 from 20 standard components, including an $1,100 headlamp assembly and an $1,100 rear bumper. "For the professional theft ring, stealing and stripping vehicles for parts has always been a lucrative business," Jim Schweitzer, NICB's senior vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. "On today's cars and trucks, the parts are often worth more than the intact vehicle and may be easier to move and sell. That's why we see so many thefts of key items like wheels and tires and tailgates ... there's always a market for them." Check out the NICB infographic below. Vehicle thefts in the U.S. rose by more than 4 percent in 2017, based on preliminary FBI data, after rising 7.6 percent in 2016, though the overall trend has been down since vehicle thefts peaked in 1991, according to the NICB. Related Video: Image Credit: National Insurance Crime Bureau Aftermarket GMC Nissan Toyota Auto Repair Insurance Ownership auto parts car values stolen car nicb national insurance crime bureau components

Renault selling part of Nissan stake to partner for $824 million

Renault SA is selling around 5% of its stake in partner Nissan Motor Co., offloading the stock as part of a share buyback by the Japanese carmaker.  The move follows last month’s finalization of a plan for Renault to reduce its interest in Nissan. The stake sale is valued at around ˆ765 million ($824 million), but will result in a capital loss of ˆ1.5 billion, the French company said Tuesday.  Eventually, the two carmakers aim to equalize their cross-shareholdings at 15%, loosening the ties that kept them together in a carmaking alliance for two decades. The partnership between Nissan and Renault was jolted in 2018 by the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, chairman of both companies. Since then, they have drifted apart and are now charting separate paths. Given that NissanÂ’s shares are trading below the Tokyo Stock ExchangeÂ’s guideline of maintaining a price-to-book ratio above 1, the buyback will “help improve the situation,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Tatsuo Yoshida. The cash will bolster Chief Executive Officer Luca de MeoÂ’s efforts to get Ampere, RenaultÂ’s electric-vehicle and software arm, going as he seeks to split off the unit and list it as a separate public entity as soon as April or May. Nissan has also agreed to invest in Ampere. Renault transferred its 28.4% stake in Nissan into a trust in early November to pave the way for a reduction of its holding. Even so, there will still be lock-up and standstill obligations. De Meo said last month that Renault would begin offloading the stake “very soon” in early 2024, so TuesdayÂ’s announcement was slightly earlier than anticipated. For Nissan, the buyback is well within the value of cash and equivalents, which stood at JPY1.6 trillion ($11 billion) yen at the end of September. Nissan said it will cancel all acquired shares.  “ItÂ’s good news for the stock that Nissan will retire the equivalent of 5% of its outstanding shares,” Yoshida said.  The Japanese carmaker is paying JPY568.5 for each share, the price at the close of trading in Tokyo on Tuesday. While NissanÂ’s stock has climbed 36% this year, itÂ’s at roughly half of its value from early 2017. Earnings/Financials Nissan Renault