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Nissan: We lose money on each Leaf replacement battery

Nissan has been playing its cards pretty close to its chest when it comes to the production costs for Leaf battery packs. The company recently put a price on replacement batteries for customers at $5,500 plus the requirement to return the old battery. If the decommissioned battery is worth $1,000 to Nissan, as they have stated, that means the battery costs about $6,500 to make, right? Maybe even less if Nissan wants to turn a profit, as automakers are wont to do? Wrong.
Green Car Reports spoke to Nissan about these battery costs, and found that the automaker actually loses money on selling the replacement battery for the Leaf at the current price. Jeff Kuhlman, Nissan's vice president of global communications said, "Nissan makes zero margin on the replacement program. In fact, we subvent every exchange." All you English majors will know that "subvent" is a fancy way to say "subsidize." Kuhlman added, though, "We have yet to sell one battery as part of the program."
The fact that Nissan offers its replacement batteries for less than it costs to manufacture them is telling of a company both cares about what its customer needs and is dedicated to the success of its product. In this case, both of those things encourage people to give up fossil fuels and adopt electric mobility, which is heartening. As more people switch to battery-powered driving, though, battery technology should become better and cheaper, and the scale of production should cause manufacturing costs to decrease. Eventually, Nissan could easily see itself breaking even selling the Leaf battery replacements.

2014 Nissan Rogue earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ [w/videos]

The 2014 Nissan Rogue has scored a Top Safety Pick+ award following positive crash test results by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The new crossover scored good results (the highest rating) in the group's five crashworthiness checks and a basic rating for front crash prevention.
The IIHS found that the Rogue also performed well in its small overlap front test with a low risk of injuries, and the driver's space maintained its structure well. It was an improvement over the previous generation, which received a marginal rating in that evaluation. The Rogue's optional forward collision warning system was enough for a basic rating in avoiding accidents.
To qualify as a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations, plus a good or acceptable result in the small overlap front test. To receive the additional Plus rating in 2014, it must also have a basic, advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention. The IIHS scores vehicles as good, acceptable, marginal or poor, and avoidance systems are scored basic, advanced or superior, depending on the type of system and its performance. Scroll down to watch the videos of the small and moderate overlap crash tests and read the full IIHS statement.

2015 Nissan Murano is the Sport Sedan Concept of crossovers [w/video]

The edgy new Nissan Murano has just been officially unveiled at today's New York Auto Show following its online debut earlier this week. Wearing sheetmetal clearly inspired by the Japanese brand's creatively named Sport Sedan Concept, the third-generation Murano continues the tradition of offering dramatic styling and surprisingly premium interiors.
With headlights and a grille that look lifted from the Detroit Auto Show concept, the Murano arguably has more design presence than it's ever had before, thanks to its sharply styled headlights and in-your-face grille. The profile is highlighted by an aggressive kink in the beltline behind the C-pillar, while the rear of the crossover sports a smallish rear window and strongly styled C-shaped taillights.
The redesigned interior isn't quite as dramatic a departure as the exterior, with a layout reminiscent of the larger Pathfinder. The material quality, though, looks to be significantly improved for 2015. There are also no shortage of optional, upmarket interior items, like heated and cooled front seats, a heated rear bench and an upsized panoramic sunroof.