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Recharge Wrap-up: Video shows Tesla robots at work, Ghosn disappointed by China's EV market

A video from The Wall Street Journal shows Tesla's new assembly robots at work. The hulking bots are each named after X-Men superhero characters to give them a sense of familiarity and make them less intimidating to the humans working alongside them. Their monikers also reflect their superhuman levels of strength. The naming of the robots appears to have had the intended effect, as human employees refer to the automated machines as colleagues, and are happy to have the help moving the heavy cars around the factory floor. The robots were added as part of an upgrade and expansion to Tesla's factory in Fremont, CA last year. See the video above, and read more at Teslarati. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says that China should offer more incentives to improve disappointing EV sales. Nissan sells its Leaf EV in China as the e30 under its Venucia brand. The company didn't disclose sales figures, but Ghosn is disappointed that EVs aren't "taking off" in China like they are in other markets. Until the market improves for the e30, Ghosn says Nissan probably won't introduce other EVs to China. "The main challenge today is really to encourage, put more incentives, in order for the consumer to buy in," says Ghosn. "Before adding more cars and bringing more technology, we just need to make sure we can sell the technology we already put into the ground." Read more at Automotive News. Total in France will convert its La Mede petroleum refinery to produce biodiesel. Total will stop producing petroleum at the refinery by the end of 2016, then spend $216 million to convert it into the country's first biorefinery. Improved fuel economy and energy efficiency have helped reduce demand for petroleum products in Europe by 15 percent since 2008. Total's response to "the crisis in the European refining industry" is "to innovate and adapt to meet shifting demand trends," according to Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne. "The central focus of Total's plan for our French refining business is to realign our operations and products to changing markets." Read more at Domestic Fuel, or in the press release below. Total's French Refining Roadmap: Upgrade Donges and Transform La Mede April 16, 2015 Paris – Total today presented its French refining roadmap to employee representatives. The plan is designed to give each Total's refining site in France the means to resist in a volatile environment and perform profitably.

Nissan Juke Nismo RSnow is dashing through the snow

With much of the Northeastern US buried and shoveling out from under a think blanket of snow, the possibility of getting stuck is a concern for some drivers. However, Nissan is ready for the absolute worst winter can throw at it with the new Juke Nismo RSnow. This wild-looking off-roader is a nearly stock Juke Nismo RS with all-wheel drive and the Xtronic CVT. Of course, there are some very obvious changes – tracks replace all four wheels. According to Nissan spokesperson Josh Clifton to Autoblog, the Dominator Track Systems come from a company called American Track Truck. The only other alterations are tweaks to the fascias to fit the parts and reprogramming for the torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. The top speed is estimated at around 62 miles per hour. "It was built as a support vehicle for an ice-driving event in Lapland, Finland," said Clifton to Autoblog via email. The automaker is releasing more info about the RSnow soon, but in the meantime watch the brief clip of this all-weather Juke blasting through some powder, below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Nissan Juke Nismo RSnow News Source: TwitterImage Credit: Nissan Aftermarket Design/Style Nissan Crossover Off-Road Vehicles Performance Videos nissan juke nismo nissan juke nismo rs

2018 Nissan Kicks vs other tiny crossovers: How they compare on paper

Update: As we now have now driven the 2018 Nissan Kicks and have all the specs and figures available, we thought it was time to update this comparison post. The data chart has been updated with final Kicks information as well as changes to competitors made for 2019. Anyone else have "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People stuck in their heads? Well, you do now. I couldn't be the only one. Anyway, the 2018 Nissan Kicks is a thing. It replaces the Nissan Juke, which Mr. Stocksdale thought was a bad idea and Mr. Myself thought was a smart idea. Nevertheless, neither of us were especially pumped up by the Kicks. However, the majority of car buyers are all about SUVs, and this littlest segment of them has been multiplying like Tribbles in the past few years. The Juke was one of the first of these subcompact crossovers, but it was probably too oddball for a mainstream audience (not to mention inefficient) and never really caught on. Newer competitors certainly didn't help. Well, to see how the Kicks compares to those very competitors, lets fire up the Autoblog Comparo Generator 3000 (TM). Specifically, we'll be looking at those subcompact crossovers with similarly small dimensions, especially low prices and/or a disinclination to offering all-wheel drive. We're talking about the Nissan Kicks vs the Toyota C-HR, Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul, Honda HR-V and Jeep Renegade. Now, if you're interested in literally the exact opposite SUV segment, check out our recent Mercedes G-Class comparo. Otherwise, on to the spreadsheet: Dimensions and passenger space In terms of exterior dimensions, the new Kicks is right smack in the middle of the segment. It's virtually the same as the Honda HR-V, yet manages to eek out a few extra cubic feet of cargo space behind its raised back seat. The Honda and its "Magic Seat" still beats it in terms of maximum capacity, but it sure is close. The Kia Soul has the biggest maximum number, but that's largely the result of being a box. Its small behind-the-back-seat cargo number is likely a better indicator of how much you'll be dealing with on a day-to-day basis. And in that day-to-day way, the Kicks is excellent. Backseat legroom seems to be a Kicks downside, as all but the C-HR surpass it. (Seriously, it's almost impressive how large the C-HR is on the outside but cramped inside.) However, the Kicks' tall greenhouse not only allows for ample headroom, but seats that are mounted high off the ground.