Official: Nissan announces "Power 88" business plan, all-new vehicles every ... - Autoblog (blog)

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Jun 27th 2011 at 6:31PM

Carlos Ghosn announces the Nissan Power 88 plan in Yokohama – Click above to watch video after the jump
Carlos Ghosn has announced the Nissan Power 88 midterm business plan, effective immediately, containing goals that will raise a number of eyebrows. Built on four pillars emphasizing "brand and sales power enhancement, growth, sustainable mobility and mobility for all," Power 88 is in effect from now until 2016, at the end of which time Nissan wants eight percent of global market share and eight-percent operating profit (hence the "88"). That would represent a 2.2-percent increase in market share and a 1.9-percent rise in operating profit versus last year's levels.
The strategy for success includes rolling out, "on average, an all-new vehicle every six weeks for six years" to cover 92 percent of global market segments, launching 90 new technologies over those six years and reaching cumulative electric vehicle sales of 1.5 million units between Renault and Nissan.

Sales in BRIC markets are expected to grow significantly, and Nissan plans to build a factory in Brazil to support efforts there. Much more will be made of Infiniti as well, with sales expected to rocket from 150,000 last year to 500,000 in 2016 and a product portfolio of "at least 10 vehicles." That would account for a projected 10 percent of global luxury market sales.

Ghosn has his eye on joining General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen in the massive sales game, apparently because he sees that as the scale necessary to meet future challenges. Whether or not the automaker can manage such scale remains to be seen. There's a video and a press release with the nitty gritty after the jump.

"NISSAN POWER 88" MIDTERM BUSINESS PLAN ANNOUNCED
Plan emphasizes brand and sales power enhancement, growth, sustainable mobility and mobility for all

YOKOHAMA, June 27, 2011 - Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced a wide-ranging, six-year business plan that will accelerate the company's growth across new markets and segments. The plan for fiscal years 2011 to 2016, called "Nissan Power 88," is effective immediately.

The name of the plan emphasizes key corporate goals: Nissan will renew its focus on the overall customer experience through actions that elevate its brands' power and sales power. By the end of fiscal 2016, the company will aim to achieve a global market share of 8% and increase its corporate operating profit to a sustainable 8%.

Highlights of Nissan Power 88 reflect Nissan's clear, global vision and strategic direction through fiscal 2016: Nissan's extended new product plan will deliver, on average, an all-new vehicle every six weeks for six years. The company's global portfolio will have 66 vehicles and will cover 92% of all markets and segments.The emphasis on sustainable mobility will continue, encompassing zero-emission vehicles and low-emission technologies that support PURE DRIVE. Cumulative electric vehicle sales for the Renault-Nissan Alliance will reach 1.5 million units."Mobility for all" will expand with dedicated new cars and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) developed for entry-level segments and emerging markets.Nissan will introduce more than 90 new, advanced technologies, averaging 15 per year."Nissan Power 88 is the roadmap for our company's profitable growth," said Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn. "We will accelerate our growth, bringing more innovation and excitement to our products and services as well as cleaner, more affordable cars for everyone around the world, in line with the energy and environmental challenges of the 21st century."
Nissan will increase investments in its brands and retail networks to enhance its customers' entire ownership experience. Nissan currently has 6,000 major points of sales globally; the retail network will expand to 7,500 in the midterm plan period.

Business expansion will focus on growth markets and further developing the company's Infiniti and light commercial businesses.

In 2012, Nissan will have a production capacity of 1.2 million units in China. China has become - and will continue to be - Nissan's largest single global market. Nissan aims for a 10% share of the Chinese market. Nissan will also increase its presence in Brazil, Russia and India, as well as in the next wave of emerging markets.In Brazil, Nissan will build a new plant, with a capacity of 200,000 units as a first step.Nissan NV200's selection as New York City's "Taxi of Tomorrow" illustrates the company's momentum in the LCV field. By 2016, Nissan will be the world's leading light commercial vehicle manufacturer.The Infiniti premium brand will grow from its 2010 sales level of 150,000 vehicles to 10% of global market share among luxury brand segments, a level today that would represent 500,000 vehicles.1 Infiniti will be present in more than 70 markets with a product range of at least 10 vehicles."Nissan Power 88 is a demanding business plan, but our company has a proven track record of achieving challenging objectives," said Mr. Ghosn.
About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.1 million vehicles in 2010, generating revenue of 8.77 trillion yen ($102.37 billion US). With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of 64 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero-emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades, including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award and 2011 World Car of the Year.

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New Nissan Altima Hybrid coming

Altima Hybrid will be back with a new hybrid drive.

The current hybrid Nissan Altima, built using licensed Toyota hybrid technology, is currently being phased out. While the Altima hybrid is still available, the new production stopped.

The Nissan Altima hybrid, however, must rise again by 2012.

According to Automotive News Nissan is currently redeveloping its new, own real-wheel hybrid drive, currently in the Infiniti M35 hybrid, found in a front wheel hybrid drive for cars like the Altima Hybrid.

If the M35 hybrid, the Altima hybrid will use a single-engine, two links and a four-cylinder engine with a continuously variable transmission. In addition, the Altima hybrid also use a lithium-ion battery which is likely to be built in the United States in the same factory that soon as battery packs for the Nissan Leaf electric car will produce.

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Nissan Leaf's Carwings System Leaking Personal Information? - Automobile Magazine

Jake Holmes on June 20 2011 11:00 AM

Time to don those tin-foil hats, conspiracy theorists: The on-board infotainment software on the Nissan Leaf may “leak” the car’s location information to websites accessed via the car’s RSS reader. Computer security expert Casey Halverson discovered the flaw in his own Leaf and documented it on YouTube.

The Leaf electric car incorporates Nissan’s Carwings connectivity system, which lets owners check in on the status of their Leaf via the Internet or a smartphone. It allows for scheduling charge times, remote verification of charge status, and other features. Inside the cabin, Carwings allows drivers to have the computer “read” an RSS news feed to them in the car. According to Halverson, using the last feature “leaks” the current location of the Nissan Leaf.

Using a custom RSS feed he created, Halverson found that Carwings transmitted the GPS coordinates, speed, navigation destination, and more to external websites when requesting the RSS feed. There is apparently no way to disable the feature, which could potentially be used to track a Nissan Leaf’s location in real time.

Fortunately, by exposing the flaw, Halverson has helped eliminate it. Spokeswoman Katherine Zachary told us that Nissan is aware of the Carwings issue and that it was “corrected right away.” The data transmitted via the RSS reader apparently did not contain any indentifying information and reportedly could not easily be attributed to a specific driver or vehicle.

Sources: Computer World

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Pope Benedict XVI's Hybrid Popemobile in Development - BenzInsider

While Pope Benedict XVI has yet to approach the level of popularity that his predecessor had, he’s already miles ahead of any before him when it comes to gearing up with green tech. Take, for instance, the new hybrid Popemobile that’s currently being developed by Mercedes-Benz.

As stated by sources, what the Pope really had in mind was a fully electric vehicle. However, there are other things to be considered as well—one of the most important of which is the Pope’s own safety. An EV simply may not be enough to take the Pope to safety during an emergency, so they decided on the next best thing: a hybrid that’s powered by both an electric motor running on a lithium-ion battery during the low-speed parade travel and a petrol engine for situations that demand a bit more power.

Mercedes-Benz could not comment on the specifics of this all-new, greener Popemobile because of obvious security reasons. However, some sources say that the car will be based on Merc’s own M-Class line. Also, expect it to feature the standard security set in the current automobile, including bullet-proof plexiglass and armor plating.

The new Popemobile will likely be ready by year’s end, at best. Too bad the Pope can’t use his new set of wheels when he makes his homecoming sometime in late September.

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Falling gas prices: why fuel efficiency should still be your next purchase of the car drive

Year the highest gas prices comes yet?

Gasoline prices fall! In some areas, in the neighborhood of $ 3.00 gas even possible within the next few months. But don't expect this cheaper prices for too long. In fact, could the year highest gasoline prices be reached later this year according to some experts, oil.

Nevertheless, enjoy the pullback in prices at the pump, while it takes, but make certain fuel economy remains an important factor in your next car purchase.

Ironically, although we all want cheaper gasoline prices, cheap gasoline might not be as good as might seem obvious.

Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at OPIS claims $ 3.00 gas prices will probably synonymous with recession. On the other hand, is a robust economy certainly pushing higher gasoline prices. Finally, in the neighborhood of $ 4.00 gasoline might be on the verge of an increasingly common, at least if the u.s. economy is improving.

Long term, most oil analysts, traders and producers believe gasoline prices are likely to trend higher, even nastier price spikes. Later this year, for example, the International Energy Agency believes that as the global economy stabilizes, oil demand and supply will have a "string". Couple that with volatility of the Middle East and conditions continued his very ripe for spikes than $ 4.00.

Of course, new technologies, alternative fuels, etc. could offer some relief, some, but such exemption is probably years away, minimal.

Regardless, it is upside potential for petrol prices very real and very volatile.

So, if $ 4.00 gas has hurt consumers, as numerous studies have suggested, $ 4.00 + petrol in mind as you head to the dealer for a new or used car. The chances are that you will fill that new ride with alotta $ 4.00 gasoline in the coming years.

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Study – New car technologies is not enough to address greenhouse gas emissions

Many more public transport needed to achieve greenhouse gas cuts by 2050

If the world seriously objectives greenhouse gases gas emission and climate for the year 2050, technologies such as plug-in cars and alternative fuels is probably not enough. Instead, less light vehicle travel is essential to meet these objectives according to a new study by the University of California, Berkeley.

The personal mobility revolution is on.

In developed countries, where the emissions are now higher, for example, the study finds that a universal fleet of electric cars powered by carbon-free electricity, or 300 mpg cellulosic ethanol powered cars, or 1000 mpg ICE vehicles would be needed. Unfortunately, none of these possibilities, or a combination thereof, provide a "realistic, affordable or resilient pathway" forward.

So, while the light transportation needs to significantly more fuel efficient, better public transport and plans to reduce the average miles traveled must be part of the formula.

Ultimately, it seems clear that the future of personal transport will have to think far beyond the current box on wheels.

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On the future of the electric car

Corrections added

The moment I realized that the driving of the new Chevrolet Volt is basically a new experience was not when I first turned it on and went around the block. Yes, it was whisper quiet, powered by its 16 kilowatt, 400-pound battery, but it still felt like a "normal" car. And it wasn't when I rode the 100 or so miles from Manhattan to Southampton, NY, either. Although the batteries range only about 40 miles is, did the car even after the battery was empty; it switched to the petrol engine, in a seamless transition so I hardly noticed it. It wasn't even when I arrived in Southampton that night and a special cable connected to an electrical outlet in the garage, for charging the battery overnight.

Joe Nocera

No, what made the experience truly different — and the potential to change the way we think about gas consumption what got me thinking about the Volt — was what happened afterwards.

You know the story of the Volt, right? If the entry of General Motors in the race to a viable electric car to build — a race in which the all-electric Nissan leaf, a series of Fords in various stages of development and an electric sedan that Tesla soon with the sale will begin — perhaps the most hyped American car since Lee Iacocca rolled out the Chrysler minivan. Four years ago, and by the legendary car Executive Bob Lutz advocated started, the Volt project managed to survive the G.M. descent into bankruptcy, and emerge as the company seems great, hope, a symbol of what u.s. automakers could achieve. At least, it is claimed.

Cars such as the journal and the original Tesla — Roadster that cost more than $ 100,000 — "pure" electric vehicles powered solely by their batteries. Classic hybrids like the Toyota Prius use a battery as a kind of add-on, to promote the gas mileage of an internal combustion engine. The Volt is designed differently, however. As long as the battery JUICE, the car behaves like an electric vehicle. When the battery dies, the combustion engine, and is an old-fashioned car gas-consuming. Once you charge the battery, electricity again.

The experience of driving meshed with the way we think about the use of a car. There is no need to plan ahead, for example, to verify that the car will not run out of battery life before we can recharge it. And the gas engine eliminates the dreaded "range anxiety" that prevents most people embrace an electric vehicle. Indeed, G.M. like to call the Volt an "extended range vehicle." Motor Trend car enthusiasts, the Bible, was so impressed that the Volt are 2011 car of the year honor.

The Volt went on sale in December last year. But since Chevrolet so cautious in rolling — dealers in only seven States have gotten cars so far, with less than 2,500 sold — it can sometimes seem as if the world most invisible car of publicity. (A larger rollout is scheduled for next year.) That's why I asked G.M. as I could about the Memorial Day holiday test drive. I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about.

For four days, I drove it around the city, used it to pick up the groceries, took it for a visit to friends. Sometimes, when I ran out of a store, someone would stand next to ' my ' Volt, ask me questions about it. Although I am not a car expert, I was pleasantly surprised by the power cars, pick up and treatment. "People think it's going to be a dorkmobile," said Mr. Lutz, who retired last year. "But it's fun to drive."

Here's what really got me, though: on the dashboard, next to the profile that measures of the longevity of the battery, the Volt has a different profile that vehicle miles per gallon. During the two-hour drive to Southampton, I used two gallons of gas, a quarter of the tank. So, as I drove into the driveway, reading of 50 miles per gallon.

The next day, after the nightly cargo I use not gas. After about 30 mile ride in the morning, I charged it for a few hours while I puttered around the House. (It takes 10 hours to fully recharge, unless you have a special 240-volt charging unit buy.) That gave the battery 10 miles, more than enough to get me where I had to go that night on battery power alone. Before I knew it, had my miles per gallon tankful of gas that hit 80. By the next day it had topped 100. I quickly found myself obsessed with increasing my miles per gallon — and avoid having to buy more gas. When I came home from a business, I would, even for a few hours, just to grab a few more miles of range load. I was actually in control of how much gas I consumed, and it was a powerful feeling. By the time I gave the car back to General Motors, I had 300 miles driven, without another drop of gas than the original two gallons. I'm not what you would call a Sierra Club kind of guy, but I must tell you: I was kind of proud of myself.

When I started to describe Mr Lutz the psychological impact that the Volt had had on me, he laughed. "Yes," he said, "it's like playing a video game that constantly gives you back your score."

Correction: June 27, 2011

An earlier version of this article contains an incorrect reference to car batteries. The Chevrolet Volt is a 16-kilowatt-hour — not kilowatt — battery and the Nissan leaf has a 24-kilowatt hour — not kilowatt — battery pack.

Correction: June 27, 2011

An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to with the technology that has won the race in automotive innovation a century ago; It was the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine, not a combustible engine.

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