2002 Nissan Pathfinder Se Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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Nissan reveals radical BladeGlider concept for Tokyo debut

Radical reinvention of the automobile doesn't happen very often. There's a reason they refer to it as "reinventing the wheel", after all. But that's what a team of racecar designers did with the original DeltaWing concept in 2010. Originally proposed as an IndyCar racer, the project was subsequently redesigned for Le Mans. That's when Nissan got on board, supported the project for a few races, then took the design in its own direction with the ZEOD RC. And now it's taking it to the road... via the auto show.
What we have here is the BladeGlider concept, a proposal for a delta-shaped electric sportscar which Nissan will present at the Tokyo Motor Show in a couple of weeks. Designed to focus on driving pleasure, the BladeGlider is about as radical as they come. Like the DeltaWing and ZEOD RC, it's got a narrow front track and wide rear to minimize drag and optimize stability, packing a 1+2 seating arrangement to put the driver front and center like in a McLaren F1, with upward-swinging doors and underbody aerodynamics to keep it glued to the road. In-wheel motors (of unspecified output) provide the power, a lightweight lithium-ion battery (not to mention the carbon-fiber bodywork) keeps it all fearther-like, and weight distribution is heavily biased towards the rear at 30:70.
A radical concept, to be sure, but here's the kicker: Nissan wants to build it. As you can see from the press release below, the BladeGlider "is both a proposal for the future direction of Nissan electric vehicle (EV) development and an exploratory prototype for an upcoming production vehicle". While it would undoubtedly take some time to develop, much less certify for road, seeing one of these - or even better, driving one - on our favorite stretches of tarmac strikes us as a prospect worth waiting for.

Nissan promising autonomous car production by 2020

Nissan will bring the autonomous car to consumers by the end of this decade. The announcement was made by CEO Carlos Ghosn at the company's US headquarters in Irvine, CA. Nissan has already begun construction of a dedicated proving ground for the self-driving cars in Japan, with completion targeted for the end of 2014.
Teaming with MIT, Stanford, Oxford and others, Nissan has already outfitted Leaf EVs with the Autonomous Drive (Nissan's brand name for the tech), a suite of new technologies developed from the brand's existing Safety Shield technology. The current iteration of Autonomous Drive uses the Around-View Monitoring system and laser scanners to analyze the environment, while artificial intelligence systems have been installed to help navigate and operate in a changing environment.
While it's easy to say that Nissan will bring the technology to market within the next six or seven years, it's more difficult to say at what price Autonomous Drive will be available. Most remarkable about all of this is Nissan's claim that self-driving cars will be both commercially viable and available at "realistic prices for consumers." It's expecting Autonomous Drive to be available across its range within two vehicle generations.

Watch this mobility scooter drag race a Nissan Skyline with surprising results

Okay, so we may not be talking about a classic, all-conquering Nissan Skyline GT-R here. But the sub-Godzilla-trim Nissan Skyline GTS-T is still a car, after all. And, as a car, if someone asked you to lay a bet on it versus a mobility scooter (Hoveround, Rascal, you know the type) in a drag race, you'd probably take that action.
Unless, of course, that drag race were happening on YouTube, in which case you'd put your money away and open up your laptop. On the Internet it's best to never bet against the wild underdog.
We don't mean to spoil the following video for you, but come on. When you saw Skyline vs. Scooter in that headline, you had a pretty good idea of what was to come, didn't you. Needless to say, mobility scooters fitted with Suzuki GSX-600F engines are pretty quick. Strap in and scroll down.