Nissan is planning an EV that could incorporates ideas from the 2008 Land Glider concept above.

Nissan is working on an innovative urban electric vehicle that it says improves on the Twizy produced by alliance partner Renault.

Etienne Henry, Nissan’s head of product strategy and planning, told Automotive News Europe that the new car will combine the compactness and agility of a motorcycle with the weather protection and protective shell of a conventional car.

“The Twizy is also trying to combine these, but we think there are optimizations possible with this kind of vehicle,” said Henry, who declined to say when the car might be added to Nissan’s lineup.

Renault sees the Twizy as an alternative to scooters in Europe’s crowded cities. The Twizy, which debuted last year, is powered by a choice of two electric motors, a 4kW/5-hp version with its top speed capped at 45kph that can be driven in most countries in Europe without a driver’s license and a version with a top speed of 80kph. It has maximum driving range of 100 km.

Ford sees SUVs boosting Russia sales to aid Europe

Ford expects a rise in SUV production in Russia to boost second-half vehicle sales in the market and help reduce losses in Europe. Ford’s deliveries in Russia fell 18 per

Ghosn’s Nissan salary could draw fire in France

Carlos Ghosn’s 7.6 million euro annual salary to head Nissan will likely further upset French unions and government officials who are already angry about the 2.47 million euros he got last year for running Renault

Time for a new target at VW Group?

Rapid growth at Volkswagen Group has the CEO of Europe’s largest automaker convinced that the company will not only be the first automaker to sell 10 million cars in a year, it will do so ahead of his target year of 2018. Martin Winterkorn shared this bold prediction during a recent interview

Why Fiat must race to launch Jeep output in China

Fiat-Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has said the company might seek a new Chinese partner to help produce Jeeps in China. This is bad news for Fiat and its Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile

Winterkorn says VW Group will top 10 million sales before 2018

Martin Winterkorn faced widespread skepticism when he said Volkswagen Group would sell 10 million cars a year by 2018, making it the world’s largest automaker. Now the CEO says the company will reach its volume target earlier than planned

GM, Honda latest to join forces on fuel cells

GM and Honda will partner to develop a common system for fuel cell vehicles with the goal of getting them into showrooms by 2020, the companies said.

BMW trims Mercedes’ 2013 luxury lead in U.S. as 3-series demand soarsBMW boosted U.S. sales of its 3-series cars 63 percent last month, helping the automaker set a June record and narrowing the luxury-vehicle lead of Mercedes-Benz brand.

VW production boss Macht drives group’s green agenda

Michael Macht, VW Group’s production boss, has a major task to deal with besides the everyday issues of throughput times and returns on capital. VW Group has set itself ambitious ecological targets as it seeks to become the world’s greenest automaker.

PSA opens 3rd China plant as European sales slide

PSA opened a third assembly plant in China today, expanding in the world’s largest vehicle market even as a slump in European demand prompts it to cut jobs at home

It’s in the numbers: Toyota internationalizes

Toyota is often thumped for being the most Japanese of Japanese companies in the pantheon of Japan Inc. But the new motto under President Akio Toyoda is “Internationalize!” Skeptical? Consider this: Toyota also is dumping the use of Japanese numerical notation for the Western way

Mazda to double Skyactiv transmission capacity

Mazda will more than double capacity for its Skyactiv transmission series in two years to meet what it expects to be booming demand for its next wave of cars, which will rely on the gearboxes.

Audi is top premium brand in China sales satisfaction survey

Audi has received the top ranking for a premium brand in J.D. Power and Associates’ 2013 China Sales Satisfaction Index. The automaker received a score of 721, compared with the premium market average of 665.

City of Beijing to legalize car pooling to ease traffic, pollution amid chronic smog

Beijing will become the first Chinese city to legalize car pools to ease traffic congestion and air pollution, according to Chinese media. The municipal government will lift the city’s ban on car pools before the end of this year, reported Legal Evening News, a Beijing-based newspaper. Legalized car pools could eliminate 400,000 cars from Beijing’s streets each day and reduce carbon monoxide emission by 30,000 tons each year, the newspaper reported.

China Import brand stockpiles climb in May

Dealer inventories of imported brands rose significantly in May as global brands shipped more vehicles to China, the China Automobile Dealers Association said in releasing the latest data. At the end of May, import dealerships averaged an 80-day supply of vehicles, up from 67 days in April. Cadillac dealers had an 85-day supply of vehicles, the highest average inventory for an import brand.

Chinese gain ground in weak Russian market

While Russia’s auto market remained weak in May, major Chinese automakers generated strong sales growth on small volumes during the month, according to the Association of European Businesses. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., the top-selling Chinese automaker in Russia, sold 2,414 vehicles in May, up 120 percent from a year earlier.

Ford, Jiangling to build engine plant in Nanchang

Ford Motor Co.’s joint venture with Jiangling Motors Co. will build a plant in Nanchang to produce up to 200,000 engines a year for the Ford Transit commercial van. The facility will be in the joint venture’s Xiaolan manufacturing complex in Nanchang, which can produce up to 545,000 vehicles annually. Nanchang is in southeast China’s Jiangxi province.

Los Angeles county to buy 25 BYD electric buses

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week approved a contract to buy up to 25 electric buses made by China’s BYD Co. The move is part of the authority’s $30 million (183 million yuan) pilot project for acquiring nonpolluting buses, BYD said. Under the deal, Los Angeles first will buy five electric buses for trial operation. If they perform well, the transportation authority will purchase 20 more buses, according to BYD.

Croft Nostalgia Weekend Coming up on 3/4 August

Croft Circuit near Darlington celebrates another weekend of nostalgia on 3-4 August with a festival that features historic motor sport, classic and vintage cars and motorbikes, WW2 encampments and machinery, air displays and non-stop fashion, music and lifestyle themes from the 1940s-’70s.

Nostalgia is only in its fourth year in 2013 and yesterday Croft Circuit provided a taste of what’s in store in a month’s time when many public will also join exhibitors by dressing in period style.

Dash Cam from Russia: Car hits humping cows

Pretty much everyone in Russia has a dash cam and YouTube is packed with different videos showing accidents, road rage or just strange people doing weird things on the road.

This here is very likely what you can call a first.

A car somewhere in russia hit two humping cows. Yes two cows doing the thing on the road and a car that ends up breaking the sexual act.

One of the cows hits the windscreen pretty bad, but looks to be okay.

This is crazy in so many ways. First two humping cows that get hit by a car and then the Russian style reaction with everyone just walking away from it…

Bosch aims to improve battery chemistry for EVs

Better fuel economy and tighter emissions requirements are driving major changes in powertrain technology, says Bernd Bohr, former automotive chief at Robert Bosch GmbH.

New Chevrolet executives’ mission: Fast results in Europe

Chevrolet’s inability to establish a foothold in Europe is the only real blemish on an otherwise sharp, decadelong global expansion for GM’s largest brand. Figuring out the path forward for Chevrolet in Europe is a priority for Alan Batey, the brand’s first global chief in its 102-year history

Infiniti EV delayed to add better tech, Nissan exec says

The head of Nissan global planning says Infiniti’s electric car has been delayed because the premium automaker wants to incorporate more advanced charging and battery technology into the vehicle

Porsche’s ‘chameleon’ shows speed of tech leaps

The Panamera S E-Hybrid shows how fast alternative powertrain technology is improving. Porsche executives refer to the car as a “chameleon” because the it can travel emissions free in the city then blast past rivals on the highway.

ArcelorMittal expects quick uptake of its CO2-reducing car doors

ArcelorMittal says it expects its lightweight steels to start reducing weight in car doors in production models as early as 2014. The supplier estimates that its new solution can deliver a 27 percent weight saving compared with traditional steel, without compromising safety.

McLaren exec Gorsuch re-takes control of Middle East, Africa region

McLaren has named veteran executive Ian Gorsuch as regional director for the Middle East and Africa, a role he previously held. Gorsuch, 53, will once again lead the company’s operations in the key markets and oversee the introduction of the new McLaren P1 hybrid supercar later this year

BMW, GM, Toyota hit by Egypt unrest

BMW, General Motors and Toyota have had to temporarily shut down all or parts of their operations in Egypt because of political unrest in the country. BMW and GM closed their sales and production units in the country today following yesterday’s ouster of President Mohamed Morsi

Mercedes sales rise 16% on turnaround moves

Mercedes-Benz says its sales in China rose 16 percent year-on-year to 19,549 units last month as its new, unified sales network began to generate positive results. In a shakeup last December, Mercedes-Benz appointed truck executive Hubertus Troska to the management board and placed him in charge of China operations. The company also merged two competing sales organizations in China, and it announced plans to open 75 new dealerships this year.

Japan’s big 3 lose ground for 4th straight quarter

Japan’s three biggest automakers saw their combined sales in China fall for a fourth consecutive quarter, showing they’re still recovering from the backlash against Japanese brands following a territorial dispute. From April through June, total sales at Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. declined 5 percent from a year earlier, according to monthly figures released this week

Toyota, facing lingering anti-Japan tensions, mulls shift in China focus

Toyota Motor Corp. and its dealers are quietly maneuvering to allay risks from periodic eruptions of anti-Japan sentiment in China, even as recent sales data suggest a slow but steady recovery for Japanese automakers since the latest flare-up last year. China sales for Toyota and other Japanese carmakers tumbled after a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo sparked an outbreak of anti-Japanese protests in September last year.

Tesla says Model S orders strong in Hong Kong

Tesla Motors Inc. said it’s received hundreds of orders for its new Model S sedan, enough to double the number of electric cars on the roads of Hong Kong. “Our number is over all electric cars in Hong Kong combined,” said Kenneth Lui, Hong Kong sales manager for the Palo Alto, Calif., electric-vehicle maker. Pricing for the Model S, which goes on sale in the city this winter, will be disclosed in the next couple of months, he said.

Magna Steyr opens Shenyang engineering center

Magna Steyr opened a technical center in Shenyang in northeast China to assist automakers in the area with engineering projects. The 1,050 square-meter facility will employ 100 engineers. Magna Steyr, a unit of Magna International Inc., is a contract manufacturer that has produced 2.5 million vehicles for customers.

Autoliv plans textile plant, r&d center in Shanghai

Autoliv Inc. plans to invest $50 million (305 million yuan) to build a textile factory and r&d center in Shanghai to support the growth of its Asian airbag business. The new facility will have a textile weaving operation, an airbag cushion plant and a development center for airbag cushions and textiles, said Autoliv. The 8,000-square-meter weaving plant will employ 150 workers.

Mitsubishi expects Pajero Sport output to provide boost in Russia

Mitsubishi expects its Russian sales to keep growing despite the market’s overall decline after adding output of the Pajero Sport mid-sized SUV to its plant in Kaluga. Through May, Mitsubishi’s sales were up 24 percent to 32,342 in an overall market that was down by 4 percent.

Caterham, Renault to expand JV

UK sports car maker Caterham is expanding its joint venture with Renault beyond the revival of the Alpine brand with the development of Caterham-badged SUV and subcompact models, Chairman Tony Fernandes said.

Fiat’s Serbia unit trims output forecast for 500L range

Fiat’s Serbian unit has cut its annual production estimate for the 500L lineup on delays in launching the model range in Russia, the plant’s CEO said. Serbia has a free-trade agreement with Russia — but it currently excludes cars.

Porsche announces “50 years of 911″ option package for all 911 Carrera models

Porsche is celebrating 50 years of the 911 this year and has already announced a 911 50 Years Edition that is priced from £92,257.

Porsche has now announced a new optional customised equipment package called “50 years of 911” that features a combination of exceptional performance and everyday utility.

The package can be ordered for all current 911 Carrera models, including the “50 years of 911” anniversary model whose production is limited to 1963 units.

The anniversary package consists of five very popular equipment options: the Sport Chrono package, Porsche Communication Management including navigation module, the telephone module, front and rear park assist and seat heating for the driver and front passenger.

In Germany the package is priced at 4,911 euros (£4,185) including VAT.