TOKYO (AP) — Honda has developed a new fuel-efficient motorcycle engine that will be showcased in a scooter that goes on sale globally next year.

Honda Motor Co. said Monday that the new engine for 125-cc scooters is 25 percent more fuel efficient than similar conventional ones.

Honda says it targets people who use scooters to commute to work not only in Japan but also in Southeast Asia and other nations.

Honda has a strong motorcycle division that has helped drive growth and profits during tough times for automakers. Rival Japanese automakers including Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. don’t have such businesses.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ford Motor Co. says its Transit Connect small van has begun work as a New York City taxi.

The company says the first of the vans began hauling passengers late Tuesday. New York taxi companies have ordered more than 400 of the vans.

The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission approved the van for taxi use for the next two years as it phases out the familiar Ford Crown Victoria sedan and switches to more efficient vehicles.

The Nissan NV200 van will be the New York’s official taxi starting in the fall of 2013. Most of the city’s 13,200 taxis are Crown Victorias. But Ford is scheduled to stop making the car on Sept. 15.

PARIS (Xinhua) – Car sales in France gained momentum in August after sharp drop in the previous months, French car sales federation (CCFA) said on Thursday.

August’s new car sales stood at 108,530 units, up from 105,166 vehicles sold in the same month a year earlier, the federation said in its monthly report.

Sales of French brands were down by 2.2 percent while foreign brands expanded by 10.5 percent on high demands for Nissan and Volkswagen cars.

France’s main automaker, PSA Peugeot Citroen group saw its sales down by three percent last month after offering 31,867 units while Renault, reported 1.4-percent fall due to sharp decline in sales of its low cast brand Dacia.

Nissan North America, Inc. announced that it will unveil the new, redesigned 2011 Nissan Rogue crossover SUV on Saturday, July 31st at the 23rd Annual International Z Car Convention in Nashville. The popular Nissan Rogue gets an upgraded look inside and out – including exterior, interior, comfort and convenience, and audio and entertainment system enhancements.

Model names and options are also revised, helping keep Rogue fresh and exciting for its active lifestyle buyers. The 2011 Rogue is now offered in two trim levels, S and SV, along with the sporty Rogue S Krom Edition. Rogue is scheduled to go on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide beginning August 13th.

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It’s almost the end of the decade for the 2000′s and it’s time to look back and review what trucks were the most significant. PickupTrucks.com and AutoPacific has just announced a list of the Most Significant Trucks of the Decade. As expected the list were made up of trucks that were technologically cutting edged advanced and who pushed the envelope in terms of quality and design.

So here they are:

• 2000 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab
• 2001 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra Heavy Duty with 6.6-Liter Duramax Diesel
• 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
• 2004 Nissan Titan
• 2005 Toyota Tacoma
• 2006 Honda Ridgeline
• 2007 Toyota Tundra
• 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
• 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

And the Most Significant of the Decade:

• 2009 Ford F-150

Why It’s Significant: Remains the gold standard against which other half-ton pickup trucks are compared.

Ford gave its F-150 half-ton pickup a major revision for 2009 and gave buyers an astonishing seven different models to choose from before they even considered engine choice or cab type. Two more models have been added for 2010! It’s not the most powerful truck but the F-150 features an excellent six-speed transmission and innovative features like Ford Work Solutions that make doing jobs with a truck easier. From contractor to urban cowboy, Ford has an F-150 to meet almost anyone’s needs.

“On balance, we thought the 2009 Ford F-150 was the most significant pickup of the last decade,” said Jim Hossack, vice president of consulting for AutoPacific. “It sells in high volume, owners like it and its body, chassis and powertrain are all first rate. Features abound, and there are more models, series and options than can be counted. It’s a good looking truck and suitable for the widest possible range of tasks and uses.”

Congratulations to the Ford F-150 team for creating a Pick-up Truck that ruled a decade.

Press Release

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Do you remember last time that there was a contest on how car designers view cars in the year 2030? Well it got a lot of entries but naturally there can be only one winner. And the one who won it is the Nissan V2G.

The Nissan V2G (Vehicle to Grid), was chosen for its holistic approach in answering the future’s design questions. With the consensus that the future will be much more integrated, the V2G offered a great vehicle design that took environmental aspects into consideration.
“The scope of this year’s concepts and designs – from the initial sketches to the final presentations – were very impressive,” said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc. “In the end, it came down to which team had the most inventive and solution-oriented design. Nissan’s designers showed passion and were able to create the ultimate Youthmobile for 2030 with their V2G design.”

Well, there’s no note on whether the cars who joined this contest would be running on gas or not, but I guess they focused more on the design. It would be great if they can also figure in the “green” aspects of a car.

Entries were judged by multi-discipline design professionals who selected the winner based on its originality of creative concept, integration of futuristic design elements and level of adaptation to the needs of the youth consumer in 2030. All of the Youthmobile 2030 entries delivered a great variety of answers to the question posed by this year’s Design Challenge. However, the Nissan’s V2G design was most distinguished with its combination of story and design.

Well, here’s hoping that they include the green aspect next year.

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As I mentioned before, the evolution of cars from gas guzzlers to electric suckers is inevitable if you want to help the environment shape up. With car manufacturers recognizing the effects of using gas powered vehicles to the environment, most of them are looking for ways to create green cars that won’t alienate their current gas powered car customers and lovers. One of these manufacturers is Nissan as they just showed off their green car: The Leaf.

“This is not a golf car, it’s a real car,” Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told the crowd. The Leaf, with motors equal to a 100-horsepower gas engine, can be recharged to 80% capacity in a half hour, of fully overnight. The five-passenger sedan can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 10 seconds.

As with most problems with green cars, it is extremely expensive! According to the article, there’s a very big chance that the price will range from $25,000 to $30,000. Now whether this will go down as more people buy green cars is really up for debate, but in the long run, the price of maintaining this is a heck of a lot cheaper.

The next problem now are the charging stations–and it looks like Nissan is actively participating in setting up the stations. It should push the other car manufacturers to do their share in making the world better for everyone. I’m hoping that this starts the ball rolling for more electric cars in the future.

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Nissan North America has announced the pricing for the new 2010 Sentra which is currently at local Nissan dealer showrooms. Armed with a number of enhancements, the retail price for the 2010 Nissan Sentra models are as follows:

• 2.0 CVT : $16,600
• 2.0 S CVT: $17,160
• 2.0 SR: $17,160
• 2.0 SL: $18,560
• SE-R: $19,580
• SE-R Spec V: $20,080

Among the new features of the 2010 Nissan Sentra includes:

(Source) Press

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Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today unveiled Nissan LEAF, the world’s first affordable, zero-emission car. Designed specifically for a lithium-ion battery-powered chassis, Nissan LEAF is a medium-size hatchback that comfortably seats five adults and has a range of more than 160km (100 miles) to satisfy real-world consumer requirements.

Slated for launch in late 2010 in Japan, the United States, and Europe, Nissan LEAF ushers in a new era of mobility – the zero-emission era. The car is the embodiment of Nissan’s radical, transformative vision for the future and the culmination of decades of investment and research.

Key characteristics of the LEAF include:

1. Zero-emission power train and platform
2. Affordable pricing
3. Distinctive design
4. Real-world range autonomy – 160km (100 miles)
5. Connected Mobility: Advanced intelligent transportation (IT) system

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