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Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra flunk IIHS headlight test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put pickup truck headlights to the test and found that the majority of them were equipped with subpar units. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was the only truck to earn a rating of "good." The large pickup truck test was comprised of the: 2016 to 2017 GMC Sierra, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 to 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, 2016 to 2017 Ford F-150, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tundra. The Sierra's headlights earned a rating of "acceptable," the headlights found on the Titan and Ram 1500 were found to be "marginal," and the ones on the Silverado, F-150, and Tundra were rated as "poor." IIHS claims the F-150 was the most disappointing out of the large pickup trucks as both its halogen and optional LED headlights failed to provide adequate visibility during testing. The Ridgeline (which earned a "good rating"), is usually considered a midsize or small truck, though IIHS included it in the field of large pickups. The headlights on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2016 GMC Canyon, 2016 Nissan Frontier, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tacoma, which made up the small pickup truck group, all earned a rating of "poor." The IIHS claimed the Colorado had the worst headlights of any truck that was tested, as the base vehicle's units were only able to illuminate up to 123 feet in front of the car. The Ridgeline's headlights, for reference, were able to illuminate up to 358 feet in front of the vehicle. To conduct its test, the IIHS utilizes a special tool to measure how far light is projected out of the headlights in different driving situations. The trucks' headlights were tested in a straight line and in corners, while vehicles with high-beam assist were given extra praise. The headlights on the pickup trucks also mimic the testing that was done on small SUVs and cars earlier this year. Next year, automakers will need to fit their vehicles with headlights that earn a rating of either good or acceptable to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Related Video:

Nissan has now sold 75,000 Leaf EVs in the US

Somehow it doesn't surprise us that the 75,000th Nissan Leaf electric vehicle sold in the US would go to a guy from Portland, Oregon. Rishabh Mehandru, who first experienced the Leaf through a lease a couple of years ago, took the full plunge with a 2015 model and ended up being No. 75,000 (ding, ding, ding!). You've got to love those repeat customers. The Intel engineer has a 30-mile commute, so, theoretically, the Leaf does the trip with about two-dozen miles to spare in its single-charge range. The Portland dealership that sold him the car says its Leaf customers are an "even" mix between new and repeat. Nationwide, Nissan boosted its Leaf sales last year by 34 percent to 30,200. Things have cooled off a bit so far this year, as Leaf sales through February were down 15 percent from the same period in 2014 to 2,268 units. As of the end of last month, Nissan Leaf's US sales since its late-2010 introduction trailed sales of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in by exactly two units. Which means we can expect General Motors' announcement that the Volt has hit 75,000 units any day now. Take a look at Nissan's press release below. Related Videos: Nissan delivers 75,000th all-electric LEAF in the U.S. to Oregon family NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nissan celebrated with Rishabh Mehandru of Portland, Oregon, as he purchased the 75,000th Nissan LEAF in the United States. This is Mehandru's second Nissan LEAF after leasing his first one two years ago in an effort to reduce the emissions he was putting into the air. "I'm a runner, and when I ran outside I found that I was inhaling a lot of exhaust from the gas-powered cars that passed me on the roads," said Mehandru. "I instantly became aware of the amount of fuel I was burning, and that's when I first decided that I wanted to get an electric car." Mehandru, senior engineer at Intel, has a commute of about 30 miles and enjoys the spirited driving experience Nissan LEAF has to offer. "When the lease was up on my first Nissan LEAF, I knew that I didn't want any other car. I had to have another Nissan LEAF," said Mehandru. "I love how quickly I can get up to speed on the highway-even my three-year-old son notices how zippy it is-and I like that I don't have to stop for gas." Mehandru's excitement for his electric car is contagious, and he recently convinced a friend to also purchase a Nissan LEAF.

France tries to dodge blame for blowing up FCA-Renault merger deal

PARIS — France sought to fend off a hail of criticism on Thursday after it was blamed for scuppering a $35 billion-plus merger between carmakers Fiat-Chrysler and Renault only 10 days after it was officially announced. Shares in Italian-American FCA and France's Renault fell sharply in early trading after FCA pulled out of talks, saying "the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully." French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said the government, which has a 15% stake in Renault, had engaged constructively, but had not been prepared to back a deal without the endorsement of Renault's current alliance partner Nissan. Nissan had said it would abstain at a Renault board meeting to vote on the merger proposal. However, a source close to FCA played down the significance of Nissan's stance in the discussions, believing French President Emmanuel Macron was looking for a way out of the deal after coming under pressure at home. Context The FCA-Renault talks were conducted against the backdrop of a French public outcry over 1,044 layoffs at a General Electric factory. The U.S. company had promised to safeguard jobs there when it acquired France's Alstom in 2015. The collapse of the deal, which would have created the world's third-biggest carmaker behind Japan's Toyota and Germany's Volkswagen, revives questions about how both FCA and Renault will meet the challenges of costly investments in electric and self-driving cars on their own. The merger had aimed to achieve 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in annual synergies, with FCA gaining access to Renault's and Nissan's superior electric drive technology and the French firm getting a share of FCA's lucrative Jeep and Ram brands. FCA has long been looking for a merger partner, and some analysts say its search for a deal is becoming more urgent as it is ill-prepared for tougher new regulations on emissions. It previously held unsuccessful talks with Peugeot maker PSA Group, in which the French state also owns a stake. French budget minister Gerald Darmanin said the door should not be closed on the possibility of a deal with Renault, adding Paris would be happy to re-examine any new proposal from FCA. "Talks could resume at some time in the future," he told FranceInfo radio.