Posts Tagged ‘Nissan’

Earlier this afternoon, Nissan began taking reservations for the upcoming 2011 Nissan Leaf, due in showrooms in December of this year.  Nissan hopes to fill 25,000 “pre-orders” in the next few months, practically assuring itself a successful launch.  As of this week, they had 115,000 people signed up to receive exclusive information about the car, including special invitations to order the vehicle prior to public launch.  And while Nissan is somewhat hush-hush today about the general responses they’ve received today, it seems that Twitter is showcasing that excitement with dozens of people tweeting their reservations. View the latest Nissan Leaf tweets here

Not wanting to be left out, I decided to reserve my very own 2011 Nissan Leaf.  And while I’m not totally sure it’s a car I want to buy in December, I wanted to “feel” what it would be like to *maybe* get one.  I was a little (very little) excited to get the email inviting me to drop $99 and my name for a place in line to buy one.   The invite was was supposed to arrive between 1pm-6pm eastern.  My email didn’t arrive until 5:30pm est, so I must have been on the bottom of the barrel, dirt bag list. Maybe they do a lottery again for who gets to buy and when.  Good old back of the line.  The email looked like this…  oooooh, I have a place in history.

I clicked on “Reserve Now” to see what was on the next page.  Nissan asked me a bunch of irrelevant survey questions, then presented me with a form to fill out.  I entered my name, ID, password, address, etc.  Next came the the “qualifying questions” :

Pick a Color – Ummmm, silver.

How Far Do I Drive? Well we know this is a qualifier.   Better say it’s 50 or less or I won’t make the cut.  I drive 20 miles so it’s the truth

What Type of Driving? Okay, keep it mild or they won’t let me go nuts on the car.   I’m a short commuter.

Where will the car be parked? This is a big qualifier.  I better say my own garage (which is true) so I can get my own charging station.  I bet this one places where on the order list you go.  Shouldn’t they ask “what type of set up will you have in December 2010?”  The car delivery is a ways off, so why not ask what people will have.

Qualified   We’re a good fit. While the questions were pretty intuitive, it’s good that they made sure their early adopters had the right set up and expectations going in.  Okay, now I have to fork over $99.  I can get my cash back any time.

Ahhh…. my official confirmation number (I changed it in photoshop) .  We are now standing in line for our Leaf….  Now, I don’t get the vehicle for 7 months+.  I’m not even sure I really want it by then.  Seems to me the Chevy Volt is much more up my alley.  Frankly, it’s far better looking and I have comfort in knowing that GM has a longer standing history in electric vehicle (EV) technology.  To me, the Leaf is homely and not very cool.  After a few years, I may just be the fool who’s driving around in a tin electric tin can with junk range, while all my friends are whizzing by in Teslas and Fiskers.  Hmmm….  My wife and I will decide what to do as launch gets closer, but for now, I’m happy to be in line.  I need to go to Chevroletvoltage.com and see if I can reserve one those bad boys.

I was fortunate enough to attend the New York Auto Show last week.

I love attending Auto Shows…not just because of the shiny new cars, but because you can really see people get excited about designs, features, and how it feels to sit in a certain vehicle.

Although the New York Auto Show is smaller than the Detroit International Auto Show (NAIAS), there was much to see.

2010 New York International Auto Show

Here are some of my thoughts as I walked through the show:

1) Ford Focus: I have seen this vehicle many times before, but every time I see it in person, I am amazed at how beautiful it is.

Ford Focus

2) Ford Transit: It is cool to me that a commercial-type vehicle like the Ford Transit is the 2010 Truck of the Year, and I wonder if we will see any families adopt this vehicle as an unconventional way to drive their family around?I think it would be fun to drive one, just to be different.

Ford Transit

3) Ford Taurus: For a sedan, I was blown away by the enormous trunk.

Ford Taurus trunk is huge!

4) Volvo XC90: I think this is a sharp vehicle and hope more vehicles will bring back the SUV “Tailgate”. It is such a classic and classy look.

Volvo XC90 Tailgate

5) Chevy Aveo: Smart gets a lot of attention, but there are a lot of other low priced options.

Chevrolet Aveo

6) Chevy Volt: Wow! I think GM did a great job with this design and it’s such an exciting direction for them.

Chevy Volt Side View

Chevy Volt Hatchback

Chevy Volt See-Through Rear

7) Chevrolet Corvette: It was fun to watch the crowds swarm the Corvette. People were taking turns sitting inside while their friends and family look photos and told them how great they looked. Little kids flock to this vehicle too. So much energy!

Corvette crowd at NY Auto Show

8 ) Cadillac: The Caddies definitely were definitely flaunting the grills… and New Yorkers were loving them.

Cadillac luxury grill

Cadillac tough grill

9) Acura ZDX: I think the Acura ZDX is beautiful, especially from the rear…and it reminds me a bit of my dream car, the BMW X6. After sitting inside, I learned that it was difficult to get in and out of the backseats.

Acura ZDX Rear

Acura ZDX Rear Headroom

10) MINI: MINI is still so cool and fun…and people get so emotional when they see them.  I loved their display and I think people do think of MINI’s as their little pets. I liked their cardboard box idea too…so clever.

"Please do not feed the MINI"

11) VW Routan: There were lots of families looking at the Routan, including these 2 cute kids. I wonder if it will be a contender?

VW Routan Minivan

VW Routan Cute Kids in Seatbelts

12) Nissan Leaf: I hope Nissan’s Electric Vehicle, the Leaf, does change the world !

Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle

Nissan Leaf Rear Design

13) Hyundai: Kudos to Hyundai’s designers. The vehicles are looking good and are reflective of what US and European customers are buying today.

Hyundai Sonata front view

Hyundai Sonata side view

Hyundai Sonata rear view

Hyundai Genesis Coupe

14) Land Rover: How can you not love this vehicle?

Beautiful Range Rover

15) BMW: The new 5-Series is slammin! I am a big fan of the Gran Turismo package too.

BMW 5-Series

Hope you enjoyed the photos. Would love to hear your thoughts/comments or see your photos, which are undoubtedly better than mine.

It’s not easy being green.

Automakers were dealt a tough blow this week by the Environmental Protection Agency in a ruling that decided that only the first 200,000 electric or fuel cell vehicles produced by each automaker will qualify for official “zero emissions” credit under new fuel economy rules.

Manufacturers have been tasked by the government to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of their fleets by 30% to 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile by 2016 (equivalent to 35.5 miles per gallon).  Electric and fuel cell vehicles, which produce no direct carbon dioxide emissions, were being counted on in some cases to improve the average and compensate for gas guzzlers elsewhere in the fleet.

“Right now, it’s pretty clear that the credit is needed for these vehicles,” a senior government official admitted to Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Under the new rule, any EVs produced after the cap would be held accountable for a share of the smokestack carbon dioxide created when power plants generate electricity.

David Friedman of the Union of Concerned Scientists explained, “Their tailpipes may have zero emissions, but you have to get the electricity from somewhere so they are not truly zero emissions.”

Automakers disagree, arguing that the new rule would be like accounting for the emissions created by the oil industry for conventional gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, noted, “There is no precedent for holding companies responsible for the CO₂ generated by electric utilities.”  She argued to USA Today, “It’s unfair to base our compliance on what is entirely outside our control.”

Jim Kliesh of the Union of Concerned Scientists explained, “The issue is really [that] we want a true accounting of emissions.”  Ignoring the carbon dioxide associated with electric vehicle, “would be poor public policy,” he said.

But as the bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler demonstrated last year, the auto industry is on very shaky ground as it recovers from a severe collapse in sales and is being forced by global regulations to research and develop new fuel-saving technologies.

In other words: profits are down just as costs are skyrocketing.

And for an industry that requires enormous economies of scale to survive, Bergquist argues that 200k units over five years is unreasonable.  Nissan plans to produce 150,000 electric vehicles globally in 2012 alone, with a significant portion of those units slated for the US.

In some respects, the government recognizes the strategic need for oil-free alternatives.  President Obama has called for one million electric vehicles by 2015 and there are numerous state and federal tax incentives available to encourage sales.

But capping the CAFE benefit of electric vehicles at 200,000 units reduces a major incentive for manufacturers, who may now choose to invest their R&D dollars in other technologies.  The late-breaking decision also sends mixed messages to a slow-moving industry that needs stable regulations and plenty of time to research, design, and retool to meet them.

Is this new rule short-changing electric vehicles and automakers or is it a fair move to account for carbon emissions created elsewhere on the grid?

It’s a small world, after all.

Renault and Nissan today announced that they are expanding their alliance to include Daimler AG, maker of Mercedes-Benz automobiles.

At the press conference in Brussels, Carlos Ghosn of Renault-Nissan and Dieter Zetsche of Daimler explained that they will partner on a new small-car platform that will be used as the basis for the next-generation Renault Twingo and Smart cars, including an all-new four-seat Smart model.  The companies will also share gasoline, diesel, and electric powertrains.

To solidify the new three-way alliance, the companies will each take a stake in each other.  Daimler will buy 3.1% of both Nissan and Renault and the Franco-Japanese alliance will in turn buy a combined 3.1% share in Daimler.

The alliance is the latest move following a turbulent year in which Saab and Volvo were sold for pennies on the dollar and Pontiac and Saturn were closed permanently.  2009 saw Renault’s first annual loss in 13 years.  Daimler, too, had a tough time with net losses of 2.6 billion euros.

Automakers today face rapidly escalating costs from new safety, emissions, and fuel economy regulations.  To compete profitably, they require massive economies of scale.  “The name of the game is to be present everywhere,” Nissan’s CEO explained, “so we are going to move for more and more consolidation.”

On it’s own, Daimler would be unable to generate the economies of scale needed to sell small cars at a profit.  Likewise, the Infiniti luxury division of Nissan lacks the economies of scale needed to equip their luxury cars with fuel-efficient diesel engines in Europe.  Through the alliance, each partner will have access to the platforms and engines it needs to survive in an industry where costs are rising rapidly.

The difficulty, of course, will be in creating products that stay true to each brand’s unique character.  Will customers warm to the idea of a humble Renault engine under the hood of a luxurious Mercedes?  Will diesel-powered Infiniti vehicles steal sales from their German partners?

The three companies claim to have studied these possibilities and intend to use separate technology packages to maintain their unique personalities.  “Each brand has its own identity and its own kind of products and its own cost and price level,” Renault boss Carlos Ghosn said. “We need to keep each brand very different from the others.”

Juergen Pieper, an analyst with Metzler Equities in Frankfurt said that the risk to Mercedes is “practically zero,” reminding that ultra-luxury brand, Bentley, is owned by Volkswagen and still has no trouble commanding prices above $200,000 per vehicle.  The alliance, he noted, will be, “really touching only small cars and this is not a sensitive part of the group.”

Helmut Becker, an economist with the IWK think tank in Germany added, “there is no mixing-up in the product lineup, and [parts sharing] will happen under the hood.”

Renault and Nissan have been in a successful alliance for the past eleven years, though they generally don’t compete in the same market spaces.  It remains to be seen, however, if the addition of Daimler will create tension.

For the time being, at least, Ghosn is predictably bullish.  “Do not be surprised if we continue to add scale.”

What’s big and white and innovative all over?  That would be Nissan’s new NV series of commercial vans.

These beasts of burden may not be as sexy as Nissan’s other products but they do tell a great story about how listening to customers can help an automaker design a better product.

Extensive customer research is very common for retail vehicles, where fierce competition requires frequent product updates every two or so years.  In the world of commercial vehicles, however, there’s very little competition and vehicles can stay on the market largely unchanged for over a decade at a time.

Nissan discovered that commercial van owners were, “among the least-satisfied owners of any segment in the industry,” according to Joe Castelli, the company’s vice president for commercial vehicles.  Sensing the opportunity to shake up a stagnant segment, Nissan formed a team to research and bring in as much customer feedback as possible.

The team interviewed customers at their homes and at their work sites, allowing the respondents to point out what they loved and hated about their current vehicles.  They found that even common sense features, like sufficient lighting in the cargo area and doors that could stay open in windy conditions, were often missing.

Nissan claims that by listening to their potential customers, they were able to pack the NV series full of fresh innovations:

• To improve cabin space and reduce noise, Nissan gave the NV a long hood (like a pickup truck) so that the engine could be moved forward and completely outside the cabin
• To address complaints that loading cargo is difficult when hunched over, the NV has an optional “high roof” that can allow people up to 6 feet 2 inches to walk through the vehicle without ducking
• To prevent the seat fabric from wearing prematurely, the upholstery in the NV has double-reinforced seams that are mounted in a lower, more secure position.  The fabric for those seats also has a water-resistant coating so that spilled liquids bead away rather than creating stains
• To prevent rust and make it less expensive to install cargo racks in the back, the NV comes with pre-drilled anchor holes and a wiring harness that makes it easier for aftermarket upfitters to install their equipment and modifications
• To address complaints that cargo doors do not open wide enough, Nissan fitted a sliding door on the side and special hinges that allow the rear doors to open to a class-leading 243-degrees.  Special magnets keep those rear doors from slamming shut when the wind blows
• To improve the “mobile office” aspect of a commercial van, the NV offers a Bluetooth hands-free phone system for speaking with customers, a navigation system for getting to new job sites, power outlets for charging phones and power tools, and a center console with enough space to hang full-size files.

Nissan went another step further than is typical in the industry and actually allowed customers and aftermarket upfitters to comment on prototype parts.  The extra customer feedback helped engineers fine-tune the design of certain components and it helped ensure that the van would be easy to upfit once it went on sale.

The innovations in the NV series are very clever and that’s largely because Nissan listened to what customers wanted.  This is a product whose thoughtful features will be appreciated by owners and whose presence will increase competition in an otherwise quiet segment.  Customer feedback turned the NV series into much more than just another box on wheels.