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Japanese automakers kick in $800k for new charging-station company

Cynics may say that gathering $800,000 (total) from four of Japan's largest automakers is merely a rounding error. Still, Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi, along with the Development Bank of Japan, are putting those funds to good use. So, that's something. Last week, those five entities officially founded Nippon Charge Service LLC. The company was established to promote plug-in vehicle charging installations across Japan and the automakers seeded it with 80 million yen, or about $786,000 US. Those funds will be used to help business owners deploy charging stations at convenience stores, highway-side locales and other locations that will make it easier for plug-in vehicle drivers (of Toyotas, Hondas, Mitsubishis and Nissans, obviously) to get their juice. The automakers first announced they'd collaborate last year, when they said they'd work with the Japanese government to more than triple the country's publicly accessible chargers to about 17,000 units. No targets were disclosed as far as how many charging stations would be deployed this time out, but, in a move similar to the EZ Charge system in the US, Nippon Charge Service will also have universally-accepted charging cards available by the end of the year to drivers all of those brands' plug-in vehicles to make the charging process a little more seamless. Check out Honda's press release below. Japan Automakers Advance Electric Charging Infrastructure with New Company, Nippon Charge Service -Established to help build charging infrastructure for electric-powered vehicles (PHVs, PHEVs and EVs)- Toyota Motor Corporation Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Development Bank of Japan Inc. TOKYO, Japan, May 30, 2014 - Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation jointly established a new company, Nippon Charge Service, LLC, on May 26 to promote the installation of chargers for electric-powered vehicles (PHVs, PHEVs, EVs). The goal is to help build a charging network that offers more convenience to drivers in Japan. The new company will promote the installation of chargers, for the good of society and to expand the use of electric-powered vehicles. Related industries are also expected to benefit. Development Bank of Japan Inc.

2014 Nissan GT-R squeaks in under $100k*, Murano CrossCabriolet priced, too

Another year, another price hike for the ridiculously awesome Nissan GT-R. When the GT-R was introduced for the 2008 model year, it had a starting price of $69,850, increasing steadily each year up to $96,820 for 2013, and now Nissan has announced that the 2014 GT-R will have a base sticker price of $99,590 (*not including the destination charge, which has not been announced yet).
More than just a simple price hike, the 2014 GT-R gets some upgrades, continuing the model's other longstanding tradition - continuous improvement. While there has been no increase in power, Nissan says the 545-horsepower, twin-turbo V6 now has better response in its mid- and upper-rpm ranges. Nissan has also improved the car's handling, giving it different shock absorbers, springs and a reworked front anti-roll bar, along with "increased body rigidity," though it doesn't specify how the latter is accomplished. The changes are said to lower the coupe's center of gravity and further improve its (already spectacular) handling. A few styling tweaks include the addition of a Premium Interior Package offering hand-stitched red leather seats, a color pattern for the steering wheel on the $109,300 GT-R Black Edition and an engraved aluminum plate showing the owner who built their car's engine.
Along with the announcement of the 2014 GT-R, Nissan also released details for the 2014 Murano CrossCabriolet. The big - but not surprising - news is that Nissan has lowered the price of its slow-selling crossover convertible to $41,995, representing a price drop of just over $2,500. Aside from price, model year changes include two new exterior colors and redesigned 20-inch wheels.

Nissan Leaf has outsold Chevy Volt by 50% so far in 2015

We know, we know. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf sales numbers for mid- to late-2015 aren't all that meaningful because of the impending arrival of the next-gen Volt and the expected but not-yet-totally-confirmed debut of the second version of the Leaf. Nonetheless, tracking the sales of the first two major plug-in vehicles is something that remains interesting to us, if for nothing else that the all-electric Leaf remains slightly more popular than the plug-in hybrid Volt after all this time. If we just look at August, the numbers were basically tied in the US. Chevy sold 1,380 Volts while Nissan moved 1,393 Leafs. But when we take a 10,000-foot view, the differences starts to appear. So far in 2015, GM has sold 8,315 Chevy Volts while Nissan has sold 12,383 Leafs. That means that the Nissan has outsold the Chevy by around 50 percent (to be specific, it's 48.92 percent). Since the two vehicles went on sale in the US at roughly the same time at the end of 2010, 81,672 Volts have been sold, compared to 84,705 Leafs. That's a difference of only 3,033 vehicles, so proponents of both powertrains can hold their heads high. Looking just at last month, Volt sales were 45 percent lower compared to August 2014. So far this year, Volt sales are down 36.7 percent. The Leaf didn't fare any better. Month-to-month, Leaf sales were down 43.7 percent in August, while year-to-date, Leaf sales are down 65.3 percent. Those second-gen models can't come soon enough. As always, we'll have our broader wrap-up of monthly green car sales for August up soon. Stay tuned. Green Chevrolet Nissan Electric Hybrid ev sales