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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's Ghosn called out by Deltawing's Panoz in print ad

When the Nissan ZEOD RC limped to the side of the Circuit de la Sarthe a mere five laps into this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, we imagine that a certain American motorsports figure at least smirked a little. Don Panoz's ongoing feud with Nissan probably means he wasn't sorry to see the arrow-shaped racecar's poor showing, and now he's stepping up his campaign against his former racing partner.
For those who need a refresher, back in 2012, Panoz and Nissan teamed up to field the DeltaWing, an innovative, wedge-shaped racer, as the first entry in the 24 Hours of Le Mans' experimental Garage 56 concept. The car rapidly became a fan favorite. The Panoz/Nissan alliance didn't last, though, and before long, the DeltaWing's designer was getting a paycheck from Nissan and the ZEOD RC racer arrived. Shortly after that, Panoz began mulling over a lawsuit alleging intellectual property infringement. The American motorsports icon would eventually pull the trigger on a suit back in December of 2013.
Panoz's latest move in the ongoing feud involves an open letter in both The Nashville Tennessean, the paper that serves Nissan's US headquarters, and trade paper Automotive News. The letter calls out Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn directly, and points out some of the similarities between the DeltaWing and the ZEOD RC, going so far as to quote the original car's designer, Ben Bowlby.

Nissan recalls nearly 20,000 NV vans over gearshift issue

Nissan is recalling 18,800 NV vans built between December 20, 2010 and January 4, 2013. Certain 2012 and 2013 models equipped with a steering-column-mounted transmission shift levers may have been built with improperly installed shift mechanisms.
If the NV's gear selector plate lock clip wasn't installed correctly, normal road vibration could result in a gear position indicator that does not match the actual gear selection. As a result, when the driver selects 'park,' the transmission could still be in gear or in neutral, and roll away. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says this condition greatly increased the risk of accident and injury.
Nissan will inspect the gear selector lock clip and replace the part if necessary free of charge. Owners can expect to be notified once the recall campaign begins on April 8, 2013. Read the full recall notice below for more information.