Garland Nissan

While the Nissan Sentra is praised for its fuel economy, the process that goes into building the ultimate efficiency-mobile, the LEAF is entirely different than your average car. That's because the 2013 EV model runs off of a lithium-ion battery, and funny enough, the batteries that power our green machines are manufactured not too far from Hopkinsville, KY-- Tennessee is home to the largest lithium-ion auto battery factory in North America, the Smyrna battery…

Leave it to Nissan to set the bar when it comes to the cars of the future. The auto brand recently debuted its latest concept vehicle, the Friend-ME, a name surely conjured from the automobile's ability to connect the driver and passengers in a way that's a bit more technologically advanced than the typical in-car chit-chat.

Just glancing at the new Nissan convinces onlookers that time travel is real. Friend-ME's exterior displays…

Filed under: Crossover, Nissan, Long-Term Garage

Not Just For Families



Since our long-term 2013 Nissan Pathfinder joined the Autoblog Garage in late December of last year, the only time I've really spent with it has been during the short periods of time between my co-workers' longer loans. Until now, my experiences with our Mocha Stone tester have been limited to pick-ups and drop-offs at various locations around the greater Michigan/Ohio area, not to mention keeping the vehicle clean inside and out, as well as handling our first bit of scheduled maintenance in late March.

I was pleased, then, to actually be able to spend most of the month of April with our Pathfinder, finally giving me a chance to see what everyone else does and does not like about Nissan's new crossover. But here's the thing: I'm admittedly not the ideal person to test a family-minded vehicle. I'm single and in my late twenties, so something like our other long-term car, the 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo, is better suited to meet my everyday needs.

But as I found after my stint with the Nissan, there's a whole lot to like about the Pathfinder no matter what your lifestyle demands. Allow me to explain.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan Pathfinder: April 2013

2013 Nissan Pathfinder: April 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, China, Hatchback, Nissan, Shanghai Motor Show, Electric

Nissan has a joint venture in China with Dongfeng to make passenger vehicles, and last year the two companies created a sub-brand called Venucia that aims to roll out five cars by 2015. With the gasoline-engined D50 and R50 and a pilot program for the E30 electric car already out, this little orange beast, the Viwa EV concept, could point the way to a future offering.

Looking like a Chevrolet Spark that spent the weekend raving in Ibiza, the Venucia Viwa EV aims to be reliable, practical, efficient and accessible all in one package. Beyond the practical bit, defined as, "packaged with a compact body for easy driving," Venucia hasn't said how any of those other qualities are achieved. In fact, it hasn't even divulged the specifics of the electric powerplant. However, it does say that it will be developing more EVs under the guide of "China's new energy vehicle policy."

You can get a little more info about it in the press release below, or discover the little peach in the high-res gallery above.

Continue reading Dongfeng-Nissan surprises with Viwa Concept EV for Venucia

Dongfeng-Nissan surprises with Viwa Concept EV for Venucia originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, China, Nissan, Shanghai Motor Show

Here is the Nissan Friend-Me, a swoopy - and let us emphasize that word "swoopy" - sedan-with-a-hatchback developed specifically for Chinese youth in their mid-twenties, the ones born in the '80s mainly bereft of siblings due to China's one-child policy. The exterior is meant to be most imposing at night, when Nissan figures these single children will be getting together with their friends. The sheetmetal looks like it was shaped by waves, and the details like lighting and vent openings could have been penned on Krypton.

The real show is inside, where peers are made equal and can interact with one another via the "oracle stone." The concept is that instead of a driver and three passengers, everyone gets access to the same information and the ability to alter the ambiance of the car - dash readouts are provided for all of the occupants, and anyone can move content from their phones to the in-car screens to be shared throughout. As Nissan says, it's the end of anyone being a "music dictator."

Designed by Nissan Design China for a specific market-within-a-market estimated to contain 240 million potential buyers, Nissan says the wishes of these customers and the ideas in this car could shape automotive offerings for decades to come. So read all about it in the press release below and take some long virtual looks in the galleries of high-res photos.

Continue reading Nissan Friend-Me Concept is cooler than its name

Nissan Friend-Me Concept is cooler than its name originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At Garland Nissan, we are always on the hunt for innovative ways in which people are making the most of their new Nissan. We recently found that California-based company, Evernote, is helping their employees get behind the wheel of the 100% electric LEAF, and not just because of its zero-emission dispersal.

Recently, the state of California approved electric vehicles, like the Nissan LEAF, to travel in high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) or carpooling lanes with or without…

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Nissan, Russia, Luxury

When a pair of Russian pilots wanted to set a local ice-speed record, they chose a stock Nissan GT-R for the task. Roman Rusinov, a Russian race car driver, and Andrey Leontjev, a Russian auto journalist, took Godzilla to Lake Baikal and ran it up to 294.8 kilometers per hour (182.8 miles per hour) across frozen stuff estimated to be 1.4 meters thick.

While the worldwide record of 205.48 mph was set by Juha Kankkunen in a Bentley Supersports Convertible, the mark achieved by Rusinov and Leontjev establishes a new Russian record. Well done, boys. You can watch it all go down in the video below.

Continue reading Nissan GT-R goes 183 mph on ice in Russia

Nissan GT-R goes 183 mph on ice in Russia originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you consider the machinery that puts together your new Nissan, you can't imagine it having much more use than assembling a Pathfinder or anAltima. However, as the auto brand proves, these machines can serve other purposes too-- including advancing the education of technology students.

Nissan recently donated two high-tech robots from its Canton, Mississippi vehicle assembly plant to benefit the Advanced Technologies program at Alcorn State University, which is located in nearby?