VIDEO: Nissan Leaf turns five, becomes a mind-reader

The Nissan Leaf turns five this year, and to commemorate the occasion, Nissan has produced a short video that shows everyone just how exciting driving an electric vehicle (EV) can be. Literally, whatever emotions you’re having while driving the Leaf will be shown to every bystander.
In the 1 minute 40 second-long video titled “The Electric CARtoon – Driving School at Night”, a specially-prepared Leaf is used. Wrapped in a manner befit of a manga comic, the Leaf’s other trick is a device inside the car that measures the brainwaves of 30 men and women as they are driving the EV.
The science here is, alpha waves are emitted when the brain relaxes and concentrates, while beta waves are produced when the brain feels tension or is excited. From starting the EV, to driving it down a straight road and taking corners, the machine records the information, and projects one of 33 patterns of language that reflects the current emotion felt by the driver onto the road.
It’s all very interesting this, and certainly worth a watch. Now, if only there’s a way the same brain device can be hooked up to a car’s indicator lights. Should make for an interesting experiment, wouldn’t you say?

VIDEO: Nissan and Manchester City – Dream Job Swap

A Nissan-commissioned study found that nearly a third of children aged 9 to 13 years, believe that footballers and racing drivers have the most exciting careers in the world. Well, with individuals like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Lewis Hamilton around, it’s easy to see why.
The study prompted Nissan to come up with make full use of their partnership with the Manchester City Football Club, bringing together football and driving in an event called ‘Dream Job Swap’.
Four first team players – David Silva, Bacary Sagna, Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala got behind the wheel of a Nissan Juke Nismo RS in a gymkhana-esque challenge. Tutoring them are professional motorsport drivers Jann Mardenborough, Miguel Faisca, Ricardo Sanchez, Lucas Ordonez.

In the time attack challenge, we get to see the players try to outdo one another, while watching their instructors cringe at every mistake and spinout that takes place. You’ll have to watch the full video to see who wins in the end.
“Being able to make some of the country’s most celebrated talent accessible to our fans through this activity is what makes this partnership so exciting. Seeing the reaction from the players and drivers experiencing the dream job swap has been fantastic and we hope to get a similar reaction from viewers,” said Nissan Motors GB Marketing Director Chris Marsh.

Nissan Kicks – teaser of production model released

Previously previewed online, Nissan has now released another teaser of the upcoming Nissan Kicks, covered in cloth. This one, however, shows the outline of the production version. Not much can be seen from the teaser except for those V-shaped LED daytime running lights and the elaborate character line at the side.
Apart from the teaser, Nissan has announced that the vehicle will take on its role as the official car for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games. This essentially means that the Kicks will see an official unveiling on May 3, 2016, when the Rio Olympics torch relay across Brazil starts.
The Kicks concept is basically an evolution of the Nissan Extrem Concept vehicle, which debuted at the Sao Paulo Auto Show in 2012. The Kicks concept followed in 2014, designed by Nissan Design America in San Diego with input coming from Nissan Design America Rio, lead by Global Design Centre Nissan in Japan. The production version’s design is expected to stay very close to the concept.

As a concept, the compact crossover measured in at 4,300 mm long, 1,800 mm wide and 1,600 mm tall. At its base, the Kicks is said to be sitting on the company’s V-platform, the same one that underpins the Nissan March/Micra, Nissan Sentra and Nissan Note. The production version will be offered with a 1.6 litre flex-fuel (petrol/ethanol) engine.
It is to be built at Nissan’s Resende Industrial Complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil alongside the March and Versa. That said, the first few units of the Kicks will reportedly be imported into Brazil from Mexico, before domestic production begins at some point in 2017.
Meanwhile, Nissan has mentioned that the Kicks could see a global introduction, but the company will need to study the business case before a decision can be made. If the case proves strong, the B-segment crossover will be a contender against the Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Ford EcoSport, Peugeot 2008 and the incoming Toyota C-HR.

Nissan CEO welcomes Tesla Model 3’s large orders

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Motor CEO, sees the overwhelming orders of Tesla’s Model 3 as a good thing – in fact he welcomes it, Automotive News reports. The reason behind this, was that Ghosn views the response as some “good competition” at long last.
“The fact that so many people are willing to pay a downpayment to get this car which becomes available at the end of 2017 is a good sign,” he said, adding “finally, good competition for EVs is picking up.” On a market-perspective, the CEO believes that it would stimulate demand for electric vehicles (EV).
He also noted that such new offerings from Tesla will lead to better customer appreciation of EVs and at the same time, it will also motivate Nissan to produce better vehicles. “We welcome competition because it can expand the market. It’s going to stimulate demand,” Ghosn reiterated.

Under the Renault-Nissan Alliance, a total of 302,000 electric vehicles have been sold globally, as of 2015. The number includes 211,000 units of the Nissan Leaf (since its launch in 2010), making the Japanese brand the EV leader.
Tesla on the other hand, has stated that 325,000 orders have been taken for the Model 3. The figure is now triple the cumulative sales of the Tesla Model S and Model X, from 2012 to 2015.

Nissan Skyline named most iconic Japanese car ever

While the new Nissan GT-R is revelling in the success of setting a new Guinness World Record, its predecessor (and grandparents), the Nissan Skyline, also gained some acknowledgement as well. Followers of Japfest, the biggest celebration of Japanese cars and culture in Europe, has named the Skyine as the most iconic Japanese car ever.
Prior to the event’s start on April 24, 2016, the organisers carried out a survey among its social media followers to see which Japanese performance car would be identified as the most iconic model.
Thanks to the Playstation Generation (Gran Turismo, yeah!), the Nissan Skyline came out on top. From the classic Hakosuka, to the R32 GT-R that earned the Skyline its ‘Godzilla’ nickname, and the R34 Skyline that was made famous in the Fast and Furious films, it’s no wonder the sports car, in all its generations, is so endearing with enthusiasts.

“The Nissan Skyline is one of the cars that really kicked off the Japanese tuning craze in the UK, so it’s no surprise to see that it’s been named as the most iconic Japanese performance car of all time. Japfest is a real celebration of the culture that it, in part, created, and we look forward to celebrating its success this year among the event’s festival atmosphere,” Event manager Katherine Chappell said.
Results from the survey revealed that the Toyota Supra came in as the runner-up to the Skyline, while the Subaru Impreza WRX took the third spot. Curious what models were listed on the survey? Well, here’s the full list:

• Mitsubishi Lancer Evo (all variants)
• Toyota Supra
• Honda Civic Type-R
• Nissan Skyline (all variants)
• Toyota MR2
• Honda Integra R
• Mazda MX-5
• Toyota GT
• Toyota Corolla AE86
• Honda S2000
• Nissan 200SX
• Datsun/Nissan Z cars
• Subaru BR-Z
• Mazda RX-7
• Datsun 510
• Mazda RX-8
• Toyota Celica
• Honda CRX
• Mitsubishi 3000GT
• Suzuki Swift Sport
• Mitsubishi FTO

The survey also included an option to suggest other cars. There you have it Skyline fans and owners, your favourite Japanese performance car has been crowned as the most iconic Japanese car ever. For the rest, do you agree with the results from the survey? What model would you have preferred to receive the title?