Ghosn Says Nissan will Sell Record Number of Leaf EVs in the US this June

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The battle for sales supremacy in the eco-friendly segment between Nissan’s pure electric Leaf and GM’s extended range Chevrolet Volt is really heating up lately, with the two models separated by only 17 cars in U.S. sales figures so far this year.

And while GM is betting on the introduction of a slightly lower priced base model as well as the extended availability of the Volt in all 50 states to win this battle, Nissan is counting on increasing output to ease customer delays after production was disrupted by the Japan’s earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

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Post Title → Ghosn Says Nissan will Sell Record Number of Leaf EVs in the US this June

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Volvo’s Pure Electric C30 Enters Production

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Volvo is starting production of the all electric version of its compact-size hatchback which, unsurprisingly, is named the C30 Electric. After testing about 50 cars since autumn 2010, mainly internally, the Swedish automaker plans to build about 250 cars by the end of 2012 (or more if there is enough interest), which will be leased in a number of European countries, including Sweden, Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. Read more »

Post Title → Volvo’s Pure Electric C30 Enters Production

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French Car Rental Firms Cry Foul Over Government-Funded EV Rental Scheme in Paris

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The Parisian government’s self-hire electric car program Autolib’ is staring down a legal challenge from the nation’s more traditional car rental agencies, among them Avis and Hertz. According to British daily newspaper The Independent, these “self serve” Bollore EVs cost as little as €5 (£4.40) for a 30 minute journey and are modeled on the French capital’s highly successful Vélib’ bike hire operation.

Some 700 four-seat Autolib’ vehicles will be rolled out from December of this year, offering green motoring for both residents and tourists alike. The Italian-built four seaters come with a 250 km battery range, radio and GPS navigation system.

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Post Title → French Car Rental Firms Cry Foul Over Government-Funded EV Rental Scheme in Paris

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Nissan Leaf vs Chevrolet Volt: Who will Win the Sales Battle?

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Even though the new Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt are two very different cars when it comes to details, they do have a common denominator: they are the most technologically advanced eco-friendly vehicles that are mass-produced and readily available in the U.S. market. That said, it’s interesting to see how they’re doing in sales this year.

Believe it or not, it’s a fierce neck-to-neck sales battle so far in 2011 with only 17 cars separating the Leaf from the Volt. Nissan has delivered 2,184 examples of the pure-electric Leaf from January to the end of May, while GM has sold 2,167 units of Chevrolet’s extended range electric vehicle in the same period.

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Post Title → Nissan Leaf vs Chevrolet Volt: Who will Win the Sales Battle?

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Coffee and Cars: Eric Leong’s Saab Nespresso Concept

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Industrial design student Eric Leong, who we first heard about with the 2015 Toyota Prius study, has taken two famous brands, Sweden’s Saab and Switzerland’s Nestlé and melded them. The result is the Saab Nespresso Concept, a four-seat sport coupe with some clever design touches. Outwardly it looks like a cross between the 2008 Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept and Toyota’s FT-86 Concept of 2009, but it’s on the detail side of things were Leong’s idea really shines. Read more »

Post Title → Coffee and Cars: Eric Leong’s Saab Nespresso Concept

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2012 Chevy Volt Launched in all 50 States, Base Price Drops More than $1,000

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This morning, General Motors announced pricing information for the 2012 model year Chevrolet Volt, which is now available for order in all 50 states. The 2011 Volt was offered in just seven states and the District of Columbia. The good news for buyers is that GM has dropped the base price for its extended range electric vehicle by a little over $1,000 to $39,995, which includes an $850 destination freight charge but excludes tax, title and license fees. Those that qualify for a full federal tax credit of $7,500 will see the price dropping to $32,496. Read more »

Post Title → 2012 Chevy Volt Launched in all 50 States, Base Price Drops More than $1,000

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Eric Leong’s Radical 2015 Toyota Prius Design Study

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As part of last year’s Toyota Design Internship, industrial designer Eric Leong produced this interesting take on the fourth-generation Toyota Prius for the year 2015.

By acknowledging that wind resistance is one of the key factors in improving vehicle economy, Leong’s Prius III hybrid is extremely slippery. Described by the designer as moving, “through [the wind], not into it”, this design study channels air over its surface through a series of vanes.

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Post Title → Eric Leong’s Radical 2015 Toyota Prius Design Study

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Shhh….Nissan’s Radical Leaf Nismo RC Coupe Racecar Filmed on the Track

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If there is one thing we don’t like about electric sports cars (we emphasize ‘sports’) in general, it is the lack of engine sounds, you know, the banging thunder of a brawny V8 or the symphony of a finely tuned straight six. Sure EVs may be just as fast as any gasoline-powered model but when it comes to aural pleasure, you might as well be listening to your electric shaver…

Take a look at the following video of the Nissan Leaf Nismo RC racer, which was filmed during a test session, after the break and you’ll see what we mean. And if you disagree, feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section.

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Post Title → Shhh….Nissan’s Radical Leaf Nismo RC Coupe Racecar Filmed on the Track

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Ford Says No to 7-Seat Grand C-MAX for the USA, Yes to Hybrid 5-Seat C-MAX

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Earlier today, we told you about Ford’s decision to increase production of the Focus-based C-MAX minivan at its Valencia plant in Spain to meet strong demand from European customers. We also noted that Ford was planning to launch the longer and more spacious 7-seat Grand C-MAX in the United States.

Well, it turns out there’s been a slight change of plans as the Detroit automaker just announced it won’t be bringing the petrol-powered Grand C-MAX to the U.S. after all. But not all is lost for fans of the Focus-based minivan as Ford will focus on the five-seat C-MAX in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid formats. The C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicles were previewed at the Detroit Auto Show this past January.

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Post Title → Ford Says No to 7-Seat Grand C-MAX for the USA, Yes to Hybrid 5-Seat C-MAX

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It’s a Sedan, It’s a Hatchback, It’s a Portable Greenhouse: Antti Eskeli’s Maininki

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Here’s an innovative idea from Finnish designer Antti Eskeli: a four-seat luxury sedan concept with a “changeable chassis length”, making it as compact as a small hatchback for city driving. So what if the foldable car is nothing new; I’d wager one’s never looked as good as Eskeli’s Maininki concept.

It’s just one of many entries into the 2011 Michelin Challenge Design Showcase we’ve reported on previously. There is something surprisingly masculine about Eskeli’s fluid, organic design; like cavorting dolphins or an Antarctic glacier.

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Post Title → It’s a Sedan, It’s a Hatchback, It’s a Portable Greenhouse: Antti Eskeli’s Maininki

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Honda CR-Z Hybrid Racer Ready for Demonstration Runs at Le Mans

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The latest news from Honda’s motorsport front is that the Japanese company will campaign a CR-Z hybrid racecar at the second annual Le Mans Vers Le Futur (literally translates to ‘Le Mans to the Future’), which is a support event for the 79th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nissan will also participate in the exhibition, which is devoted to showcasing the Le Mans racing cars of the future, with the pure-electric Leaf Nismo RC concept. Read more »

Post Title → Honda CR-Z Hybrid Racer Ready for Demonstration Runs at Le Mans

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Pagani Designer Envisions an Electric Sports Coupe

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Now this is more like it. Antonio Bruno’s Electrodynamics Concept is an acrylic-bodied electric sports car design study for the 21st century. To me it sort of looks like an unlikely crossbreed between a Lamborghini Espada and a Hyundai Genesis Coupe, or maybe a next-generation Tesla Motors model. Bruno describes it thusly:

“The absence of a brand reference has contributed to the free forms and is totally devoted to aerodynamic influences and perceptions typical of product design. The upper dome is formed from a tinted acrylic component that stretches up to the front bumper, where it could hide the additional headlights.”

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Post Title → Pagani Designer Envisions an Electric Sports Coupe

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New Nissan Leaf Commercial Mocks the Chevy Volt for Using Gasoline

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Electric carmakers are trying hard to promote their products, with the environmentally friendly nature of these vehicles being their most exploited feature in advertising. Nissan is going down the same path with a new campaign for the fully-electric Leaf entitled “Gas Powered Everything”, in which the company mocks the internal combustion engine by imagining a strange world where all appliances run on gas.

The result is a funny commercial in which people have to put up with gas-powered alarm-clocks, microwave ovens, computers and many more appliances. Even the Chevrolet Volt becomes a subject of joke for being a gas-electric hybrid. But we can't help but wonder: isn't Nissan's approach a little hypocritical? It's not like their range includes electric cars alone...

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Post Title → New Nissan Leaf Commercial Mocks the Chevy Volt for Using Gasoline

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Tesla Roadster Owner Drives 100,000 Kilometers in less than two Years

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Hansjörg von Gemmingen has gained the bragging rights to say he has covered more miles in a Tesla Roadster than anybody else has. The German racked up an impressive 100,000 kilometers (62,137 miles) since he first purchased the car less than two years ago. A stockbroker living in the southwest part of the country, von Gemmingen says he drives his Tesla on a daily basis regardless of purpose or distance, charging it every night through a standard household outlet. Read more »

Post Title → Tesla Roadster Owner Drives 100,000 Kilometers in less than two Years

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Nissan Leaf Becomes the first EV to Receive a 5-Star Euro NCAP Rating

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After awarding the Mitsubishi i-MiEV with a four-star rating, Euro NCAP, which is the European equivalent of the American IIHS, crash tested its second all-electric model, the Nissan Leaf. The Japanese hatchback achieved a five-star rating, becoming the first electric vehicle to do so. Read more »

Post Title → Nissan Leaf Becomes the first EV to Receive a 5-Star Euro NCAP Rating

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Porsche Releases Details on All-Electric Boxster E RWD and AWD Prototypes

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Back in February, Porsche announced the development of three pure-electric prototypes based on the Boxster roadster, but aside from a single photo and the fact that the electric motors could produce up to 180kW/241HP, the Stuttgart-based automaker did not release any other details on the cars.

After the demonstration of the Boxster E at last week’s Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin, the company decided to share more information on the test cars that are being used as part of the government-funded “Model Region Electro-Mobility Stuttgart” large-scale trial to study the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles. Of the three Boxster E prototypes, two are rear-wheel drive and one is all-wheel drive.

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Post Title → Porsche Releases Details on All-Electric Boxster E RWD and AWD Prototypes

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Viva Las Vegas: Google Lobbies to Legalize Self-Driving Cars in Nevada

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Internet and software bigwig Google has begun lobbying the state of Nevada to legalize driverless cars. The move comes on the heels of some very promising results in California, where Google had mapped out the terrain and sent a couple of its autonomous Toyota Priuses (Prii? Priora?) on an epic jaunt from Mountain View to Santa Monica.

The California-based company is keen to point out the claimed benefits of self-driving cars over their human-driven counterparts including better safety, improved fuel efficient and greater environmental friendliness.

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Post Title → Viva Las Vegas: Google Lobbies to Legalize Self-Driving Cars in Nevada

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Top Gear vs. Electric Cars Part Two: Nissan Leaf Runs of out Electric Juice…

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Lately, it seems that pushing an out-of-juice electric car is quickly becoming a trademark of Britain’s popular Top Gear TV series. After the Tesla Motors row, it seems another EV will be featured in the show while being pushed. This time it's the Nissan Leaf, whose batteries ran dry while being driven by Jeremy Clarkson.

Fortunately, one of the many witnesses of the event caught Clarkson and James May trying to find an outlet to plug for the Leaf on camera. The two TV hosts were filming a test drive with the Nissan Leaf and the Peugeot iOn for the next episode of the show. After looking for outlets in the park, the crew eventually plugged the Leaf in at the UK's University of Lincoln.

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Post Title → Top Gear vs. Electric Cars Part Two: Nissan Leaf Runs of out Electric Juice…

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It Came from Britain: Delta E-4 Coupe is a 150mph Electric Sportscar

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Following in the footsteps of the Tesla Roadster, British engineering company Delta Motorsport has designed and built a new electric sports car, the E-4 Coupe. Powered by two electric motors, each developing 120 horsepower while only weighing 23 kg (51 lbs), the car has a driving range of 200 miles (322 km) on a single charge. The E-4 Coupe has been developed from the ground up with the intention to obtain a curb weight as low as possible, while considering the presence of batteries, which unavoidably add weight. Read more »

Post Title → It Came from Britain: Delta E-4 Coupe is a 150mph Electric Sportscar

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ECOmove QBEAK Gets Our Vote for Oddest looking OEM Car of 2011 [with Video]

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If a Toyota iQ and a mobility scooter were involved in a head-on collision and rebuilt Tan Ru-style into a single vehicle, chances are it’d look a lot like the oddly named ECOmove QBEAK. Obscure Star Trek references aside, the QBEAK is one odd looking neighbourhood electric vehicle. It looks like one of the cars from the Test Track attraction at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and that’s not a compliment. Read more »

Post Title → ECOmove QBEAK Gets Our Vote for Oddest looking OEM Car of 2011 [with Video]

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