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Nissan Leaf becomes least expensive 5-seat EV with massive price drop

In a roundtable interview today at the North American International Auto Show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced a $6,400 price drop for the base-model 2013 Nissan Leaf. Last year's base model was $35,200, while the new base-level 2013 Leaf S starts at $28,800. Ghosn says the new prices make the Leaf the least expensive five-seater electric for sale in the US.
Some of the lower cost is due to a difference in content from last year's low-end model to this year's. But a sizable portion can be chalked up to the Leaf's production moving from Japan to Tennessee. The 2013 Leaf is not only assembled in the US now, but its lithium-ion batteries and the car's electric motors are manufactured in the same southern state.
The Leaf SV will be priced from $31,820 for 2013 compared to $35,200 last year. The high-end Leaf SL now starts at $34,840, down from the 2012 model's $37,250. These models also have differences in content. One big one is a new 6.6-kWh charger that reduces charging times pretty dramatically.

Driving the Maserati MC20 and BMW i7 | Autoblog Podcast #802

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They're amped up about the BMW i7 and Maserati MC 20 they've all been driving. They also opine about the BMW M3 CS and 2024 Ford Mustang. The Japan Mobility Show (formerly Tokyo Motor Show) is coming up, and there have been some interesting reveals and teasers, including the Nissan Hyper Urban and Hyper Adventure concepts, some neat kei car concepts from Daihatsu, a Miata-inspired EV concept from Mazda and an electric sports coupe concept from Subaru. Finally, they discuss the wild situation surround last weekend's Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #802 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2023 BMW i7 2023 Maserati MC20 2024 BMW M3 CS 2024 Ford Mustang GT Japan Mobility Show preview Nissan Hyper Urban and Hyper Adventure concepts Daihatsu kei car concepts Possible next-gen Mazda Miata Subaru electric sports car Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix recap Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Green Motorsports Podcasts Tokyo Motor Show BMW Ford Maserati Mazda Nissan Subaru

Nissan does its best Google Glass impression with 3E headgear [w/video]

The jury may still be out on whether it'll be legal to drive with Google Glass on your nose, but that doesn't mean automakers are going to sit around waiting to see which way the wind blows in one jurisdiction or another. Mercedes-Benz, for example, is already working on ways to integrate its infotainment system into Google Glass, but Nissan is taking things a step further by developing its own wearable tech.
The device is called Nissan 3E, and we don't have much information to go on at this point - just a couple of images, a terse press release and the highly stylized (and rather painful-looking) video below. The Japanese automaker lists internet connectivity and communication as the primary features. But we'd have to assume that, if an automaker is developing it, the device would have some relevance to, you know... driving.
The possibilities are endless, extending from turn-by-turn directions and track information to vehicle metrics and intuitive control of the car's auxiliary controls. We'll have to wait until we get to Tokyo to find out more, but between this and the smartwatch concept it revealed in Frankfurt, Nissan seems to be on a bit of a gadget streak lately.