Renault to have a "range of electrics" in 2010; Nissan-NEC JV working on li-ion batteries

Renault and Nissan are ready to leap head-first into making electric vehicles for the many. At the very least, Renault/Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, is willing to make some Lutzian-style statements. I suppose, following this weekend's public EV demonstration in Israel, it gets easier to promise that the companies would launch "a range of electric cars" in the U.S in 2010 (Europe's time will come in 2011). We've been expecting at least one EV from Renault or Nissan to be brought to market somewhere around that time frame, but a whole range in two years? That's ambitious. Not totally unexpected, but no less ambitious. Perhaps I'm reading too much into this. A range does need to start with at least one vehicle, right? In any case, Californians will get first crack at the Renault/Nissan EV, which Ghosn described as not "a Star Wars prototype. It will be a car for sale."

Renault has been making a lot of EV moves recently. A week ago, Ghosn said that Nissan will become a global leader in affordable electric vehicles, and we've of course been following Renault's emerging partnership with Project Better Place (see demonstration link, above). A less flashy but just as vital part of the puzzle will come from the Automotive Energy Supply Corp partnership between Nissan and NEC-JV, which will start mass producing li-ion automotive batteries next year. So, everything is moving in the right direction for Renault and Nissan; now if someone would just tell Ghosn that there's at least one person (me) who would be totally in favor of an electric car that looks like it belongs in Star Wars.

By autobloggreen

Nissan 360: the Cube

By autoblog

Let's just get this out of the way right now: this blogger is going to buy one of these cars when they come to America. And I'm a die-hard 385-plus-horsepower sports car owner for years now. And I live in LA. But the Cube is just that great. So Nissan, don't pull a bait-and-switch, please...

The Cube is basic, and makes no attempt to dress it up. In fact, not only is the car not gussied up, but the entire interior of the car I drove was beige. And it was still hot. It's basic done completely right, with tons of cubbies and comfort in an enormous (relatively speaking) cabin and a unified design theme inside and outside that ties it all together.

The 1.5-liter, 107-HP engine has got the giddy-up-and-go, and the car is so much fun to drive that you'll cackle like an old hen every time you throw it around a corner. I admit I won't be buying one in sky blue, and it won't have the third row -- that row is more than a bit optimistic -- but I will have no problem showing everyone I know that "cool" is now spelled "cube."

You can check out the Nissan 360 event site for more details on all the vehicles in Nissan's lineup. In the mean time, be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.

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Nissan 360: the Qashqai

By autoblog

The Qashqai is a European-designed, Japan- and Euro-market crossover. We didn't drive the gasoline version, but the diesel is doable, if a little slow off the line, and the steering is pretty crisp for a CUV. The Qashqai +2 adds a third row... but there really isn't a lot of room back there, only suitable for new additions to the family. In a theme among all of the Nissan vehicles we drove today, the interior is quite pleasant. As ever, the Euros get mid-range vehicles with some really nice fit and finish. The leather in the diesel was especially nice, if a little puffy. The center console pleases the eye at a glance, but when you look closely at it you realize there are enough buttons and glyphs for a Sikorsky helicopter. It really takes scrutiny to decipher, and you don't want to do it while you're driving. But the panorama roof? Magnificent.

You can head over to the Nissan 360 event site for more details on the vehicles. But first, be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.

Autoblog

Nissan 360: the Elgrand

By Autoblog

Among the larger vehicles offered up at the Nissan 360 event that weren't the large commercial offerings from yesterday were the Japanese and "General Overseas Market" Elgrand Van and the Euro- and Japanese-market Qashqai.

The Elgrand wasn't a bad piece of kit for a great big honking van. While massive, the 3.5-liter V6 with 241 hp gets the thing up and going -- even uphill -- with an alacrity that feels almost driftworthy... for a great big honking van. The instrument panel is good looking and nice feeling, the three rows of seats can be moved every which way but loose, and the platoon-hauling mover weighs only 4,431 pounds. Nissan calls it "a first-class minivan fulfilling the dreams and aspirations of consumers for a relaxing experience." We call it a pretty good van.

You can check out the Nissan 360 event site for more details on the vehicles and Nissan company stats. In the mean time, be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.

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