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Video: Sheik's custom six-wheeled Nissan SUV is a thing that makes us go 'Hmmm'
Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Etc., Videos, Nissan, Middle East, Design/Style, Off-Road 
Well, this is certainly different. We've seen our fair share of wild vehicle modifications over the years, but this one takes the cake as one of the most imaginative. If the YouTube description is any sort of indication, this craft was hewn just for Sheik Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan as his personal toy. Near as we can tell, the guy liked the side-mount spare tire carriers on classic vehicles from the '30s, but wanted to be able to deploy them without having to actually get out and spin a lug nut. The solution was found in the miracle (or curse) of hydraulics.
Let's just do the world a favor and make sure this doesn't evolve into a trend. We've already had terrible visions of a future SEMA show with row upon row of six-wheeled, white-wall wearing Honda Civics. If you're brave enough, you can hit the jump to see the Nissan-based for yourself. Just don't show anyone else.
[Source: YouTube]Continue reading Video: Sheik's custom six-wheeled Nissan SUV is a thing that makes us go 'Hmmm' Video: Sheik's custom six-wheeled Nissan SUV is a thing that makes us go 'Hmmm' originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Chevrolet Volt will not be eligible for HOV-lane access until mid-2012
Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Nissan, Electric 
Prospective owners of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf shouldn't get too excited about driving in California carpool lanes as soon as they take delivery. Late Tuesday night California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signedSB 535 into law, extending access to the high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes to certain very low and zero emissions vehicles. This new class of vehicles known as Enhanced Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (enh-ATPZEVs) and includes plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles like the Leaf and Toyota's Prius PHEV.
Unfortunately, there are some caveats. SB 535 doesn't take effect until January 1, 2012 and even then only 40,000 of the special stickers needed for HOV access will be made available. In order to qualify, the vehicle has to be rated as an enh-ATPZEV, which brings up the second problem for Volt drivers. A General Motors spokesperson confirmed that the 2011 and 2012 Volt will not be enh-ATPZEV certified. The requirements to earn the enh-ATPZEV label are significantly tougher than the standard ATPZEV. Given the escalated development of the Volt, GM didn't have enough time to calibrate and verify that the plug-in hybrid would meet the standard over a 10-year/150,000-mile period.
That's also why the Volt battery only has the eight-year/100,000-mile warranty required for the non-enhanced ATPZEV. GM spokesman Rob Peterson verified that the Volt will be updated to enh-ATPZEV in mid-2012 when the 2013 model is introduced. In the meantime, you'll just to make sure to bring a friend if you want to ride in the carpool lane.
UPDATE: We just got word from Nissan that the Leaf is eligible for the All Access stickers under a previous bill passed (AB 1500) earlier this year. That means if you take delivery of a Leaf today, you can be flying in the HOV lanes tomorrow.
[Source: General Motors]Chevrolet Volt will not be eligible for HOV-lane access until mid-2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Revenge of the Electric Car coming to a theater near you... sometime
Filed under: Ford, GM, Nissan, Electric 
Remember the documentary "Who killed the Electric Car?" Director Chris Paine created the film in 2005 and 2006 to bemoan the decision of some automakers to kill off their electric car programs. It's now five years later and Paine and company are back with a vengeance videotaping "Revenge of the Electric Car."
In the original film, General Motors was reviled for its decision to deep-six the innovative EV1 all-electric two-seat car. But thanks to the impending production of the Chevrolet Volt, GM is now considered one of the reasons that the EV is on the comeback trail. Paine and his crew were allowed access to The General's Detroit Hamtramck plant to witness - with cameras rolling - the assembly production of pre-production Volt number 100. And to think that five years ago Rick Wagner and his crew would have been more likely to lend a size 14 boot to Paine's rear end than allow him to film inside one of the company's most important plants. My how times have changed.
There is no solid timetable for the release of "Revenge of the Electric Car" right now, but the documentary will likely align very well with the release of the Volt and Nissan Leaf, which are followed by an electric Focus not long after.
[Source: Revenge of the Electric Car]Revenge of the Electric Car coming to a theater near you... sometime originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Report: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (convertible) joining Ellure concept in LA
Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Convertible, Crossover, Nissan  Yes, the Nissan Murano convertible is going to happen, and not only is it coming to the LA Auto Show, but now it has a name: The Murano CrossCabriolet.
Billed as the world's first four-seat, all-wheel drive convertible crossover, the chop-top CUV will only sport two doors and - contrary to the renderings floating around - it won't come with PT Cruiser-style roll hoop.
According to Inside Line, joining the CrossCabriolet at the So. Cal. show this November will be a new Nissan sedan concept that, is said to be "a new dimension to traditional sedan design - a dimension named innovation." Ridiculous hyperbole aside, the four-door concept has been dubbed Ellure, and hopefully the "new dimension" it creates will swallow the CrossCabriolet into oblivion.
[Source: Inside Line]Report: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (convertible) joining Ellure concept in LA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Nissan, Hyundai reportedly duking it out for No. 2 Asian automaker in U.S.
Filed under: Hyundai, Nissan 
Nissan has long been the number three Asian automaker in the U.S., lagging behind both Honda and Toyota on the sales charts. But the Japanese automaker has been on a bit of a roll of late, with 10 straight months of sales gains and an aggressive product onslaught planned for the next 24 months. Nissan would love to unseat Honda to finally sneak up to the number two slot in the States, but a funny thing's happening: Hyundai is doing its best to push Nissan down to number four.
Nissan and Hyundai are currently in a dead heat in U.S. auto sales. Through July, Nissan has sold 522,669 cars and trucks, while Hyundai, when combined with Kia sales, has moved 515,316 vehicles. Hyundai has a treasure-trove of new product on dealer lots lead by the outstanding Sonata sedan. New products like the Kia Sportage and the Elantra are poised to battle hard for increased market share in their perspective segments. Nissan is countering with a new Juke in October, followed by the Leaf EV and the Quest minivan, and wrapping up with another six significantly upgraded vehicles by 2012.
So who do we think will win the battle for number two? Hyundai appears to have most of the momentum at the moment, but Nissan has a larger customer base - at the moment. In fact, we'd be surprised if either automaker surpasses Honda in the next couple years.
[Source: USA Today]Nissan, Hyundai reportedly duking it out for No. 2 Asian automaker in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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