Nissan to Begin Taking U.S. Orders for LEAF EV in Spring 2010, Says 22,000 People Contacted the firm Since August

In what could be a good marketing lesson for GM and its much touted Chevy Volt that has been making the media rounds for the past two years but won't be available for another year or so, Nissan has revealed that it will begin taking orders in the U.S. for is all-electric LEAF compact hatch in Spring 2010 with first deliveries expected later in the year. The announcement comes only two months after the official presentation of the dedicated plug-in EV model at a special event Nissan's Japanese headquarters in Yokohama in the beginning of August.

Nissan said that up until now, near 22,000 people in North America have contacted the brand for details on the zero-emission electric car.

According to Japanese automaker, about 70 percent of those that came in contact with the company reside in markets where the all-electric zero-emission car first will be brought to market. Almost half reported that they want to obtain the LEAF as soon as it goes on sale, and another 45 percent showed an interest in owning an electric vehicle within the next two to three years.

"The groundswell of interest, especially from people in our initial launch markets, demonstrates to us the importance of a reservation system," said Carlos Tavares, head of Nissan's operations in North, Central and South America. "Our goal is to confirm at least 20,000 reservations for Nissan LEAF by the time we deliver the world's first mass-market zero-emission car in late 2010."

Nissan said that U.S. consumers will get the chance to see the LEAF up close starting in November, when it will be on tour throughout the major launch markets in the States. The tour will begin in Los Angeles at a special event.

About the same size as the Tiida, the LEAF is based on a new platform and it is equipped with an electric drivetrain that comprises of a 107HP electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged through any home outlet providing a driving range of 100 miles (160km).

Initially, the North American market LEAF will be imported from Japan starting in late 2010, however, Nissan said that beginning in late 2012, it will manufacture the EV and its lithium-ion battery at the company's plant in Smyrna, Tennessee.

China's Beijing Auto Wants to Buy Previous Saab 9-5 Tooling and Design Rights

As the saying goes, another man's trash, well you know the rest... Citing unnamed sources, UK's Autocar magazine is reporting that China's Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) is interested in buying the tooling and design rights to the outgoing Saab 9-5 that is to be replaced by an all-new model in 2010. The report does not clarify if BAIC wants to start production of the previous Saab 9-5 in China as is or if the company will perform a light makeover (another word for changing badges...) as was the case with China's SAIC and the Rover 75.

And if you're wondering what's the deal between state-run BAIC and Saab, the Chinese company recently took a minority stake in Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg, which is planning to take over Saab from General Motors. The two involved parties have yet to finalize the deal.

Via: Autocar

Karmann-Mobil Presents New Mobile Home based on 2010 VW T5

Renowned motorhome manufacturer Karmann-Mobil has revealed its latest creation based on Volkswagen's new T5 van (see details here). The model pictured above is the Colorado that is offered with the same 2.0-liter diesel engines as your everyday Transporter, Mutlivan, Caravelle and California T5s, and in particular the 140HP and 180HP units. Depending on how deep you want to dig into your pockets, the Colorado's newly designed fiberglass cab can be trimmed inside according to your personal taste and fitted with numerous features that can rival the luxury suite at any five-star resort.

SCOOP: New Hyundai Accent Sedan Looks Like a Baby 2011 Sonata

Our friends over at 'Thecarblogger' and the 'Hyundaiblog' sent us these scoop photos of what appears to be a prototype model of the next generation Hyundai Accent that is penciled in for production by 2011. As you can see in more detail in the gallery after the jump, while the new model is still quite heavily disguised, those with a sharp eye will spot many design similarities with the rather well received 2011 Sonata YF that was officially unveiled in South Korea in mid September.

In fact, judging by these spy photos, we'd say that the Accent's replacement will most probably look like a mini-version of Hyundai's new mid-size sedan. And if anything else, that's a huge improvement over the rather dry styling of the current model. Design highlights include the lower roof line that stretches out to the back and the arched belt line.

Not much else is known about the new Accent, but aside from the sedan model, the range will also include a hatchback version offered in three- and five-door body styles.

Via: Thecarblogger & Hyundaiblog

APS Chips the New VW Golf GTI to 250HP, 0-60mph drops to 6.2 sec

If you just need more power and speed for your VW Golf GTI VI without any cosmetic enhancements, then UK tuning firm APS could have the package for you. The firm's new Stage One engine performance kit is limited to an ECU upgrade that increases the 2.0-liter TFSI four-pot's power from 210HP to 250HP at 5,800rpm, while torque jumps to a hefty 292 lb-ft at 2,650rpm, up from 207 lb-ft.

APS claims that the extra grunt is enough to drop the Golf GTI's sprint from rest to 60mph (96 km/h) down from 6.9 seconds in stock form to 6.2 seconds while top speed increases from 149mph (240km/h) to approximately 155mph (250km/h).

The remap of the engine management chip is priced in the UK at £599 fitted and including 15 per cent VAT, while APS covers the conversion by a guarantee.

Tokyo '09: New Suzuki Alto Concept Points to Production Model

Strangely enough, and even though the latest generation Suzuki Alto, which is also marketed in some regions including Europe as the Nissan Pixo with a different nose job, was introduced only last year at the 2008 Paris show, the Japanese firm has announced that it will display a near-production concept model of the next generation Alto at the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show in late October.

The only reasonable explanation (since Suzuki did not bother to clear things up for us in its press release...) is that the production model of the "concept Alto" is destined for markets other than the ones that the current Alto is offered including of course Japan.

Next Nissan Micra / March Supermini Teased in Official Sketches, Sales Start in 2010

These are the first official sketches of Nissan's replacement for the current generation Micra city car, also known as the March in Japan, that will be first launched in Thailand in March 2010 and will be available in more than 150 countries. The Japanese firm did not release any specific details on the hatchback model, which at least from these renderings, brings to mind the second-generation Opel Corsa B of the mid-1990s.

While the two latest generation models of the car sold in Europe were manufactured at Nissan's UK plant in Sunderland, the European market version of the next Micra will be sourced from Renault-Nissan's new facility in Chennai, India.

In 2008 Nissan revealed that an all-new subcompact crossover that has yet to be shown in production form will take up the manufacturing capacity created when production of the current version of the Micra ends in Sunderland in 2010

Nissan noted that the new Micra will be built in five countries including India, China, Thailand and two more locations that have not been disclosed yet.