Paris Motor Show: SHIFT_convention - the Nissan Qashqai

Nissan debuted the Ford Focus-sized Qashqai (say Kash-kai) crossover in Paris on Thursday, and our man on the spot, John Neff, was as impressed with Nissan's new softroader as he was underwhelmed with Mitsubishi's new Pajero. (Although we have to admit, you're not likely to see a Qashqai dominate the Dakar rally.)The Qashqai was designed virtually from the ground up by Nissan Europe, and it

3-year-old buys Nissan Figaro on eBay

Jack Neal sat in front of his computer, smiling at the car he had just purchased on eBay. £8,999.99 (approximately $17,000) was a fairly good price for the much loved Nissan Figaro. Even if it was a bit "Hello Kitty" in shocking pink. So what if the Figaro is just a rebodied 10-year-old Micra, Jack used the "Buy it now" link to complete the purchase and was the winning bidder. But Jack is only

GM and Renault/Nissan come back into the forefront, continuing talks

There's been a lot of buzz in the air distracting us from the proposed alliance between General Motors and Renault/Nissan, including talk about a GM alliance with Ford, purported "lukewarm feelings" within the ranks at GM about becoming aligned with the French-Japanese powerhouse, and even GM looking for cash as part of the deal. Not to worry. GM and Renault/Nissan have clambered back up to

Nissan to unveil '07 Altima Hybrid one week from today

While the news this week will be dominated by the goings-on in Paris, Nissan is getting ready to make a spash of its own exactly one week from today.At the Orange County Auto Show, Nissan will officially pull the wraps off the 2007 Altima Hybrid. The car is the first gasoline-electric hybrid for the automaker, and it will be greeted in the marketplace by competitors from Toyota (whose hybrid

BREAKING NEWS: Kerkorian may buy up more of GM

Kirk Kerkorian may buy up to 12 million additional shares of GM stock, according to Automotive News. The billionaire investor would need approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission for the deal because it would send his company, Tracinda Corporation, well over 10 percent ownership of GM common stock. The move supports GM's potential alliance with Renault/Nissan, a merger that

Nissan Moon city-car concept

Designer Robert Hoffmann drew up this Nissan concept for an auto magazine. The futuristic conveyance is not intended for production, but it's an interesting exercise just the same. The oversized rear wheels are slanted inward, and move backward for highway cruising, optimizing space when retracted for city driving and enhancing stability in conjunction with a deployable rear wing at higher

GM wants money from Nissan, Renault

The latest round of reports coming out of the Nissan-Renault-GM talks are quite sensational. Although there have been hints that Ford is on Carlos Ghosn's speed dial should things go sour with GM, according to the latest newsletter from the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) General Motors is going to tell Nissan and Renault today that their proposed deal looks good.

Paris Motor Show: SHIFT_convention - the Nissan Qashqai

Nissan debuted the Ford Focus-sized Qashqai (say Kash-kai) crossover in Paris on Thursday, and our man on the spot, John Neff, was as impressed with Nissan's new softroader as he was underwhelmed with Mitsubishi's new Pajero. (Although we have to admit, you're not likely to see a Qashqai dominate the Dakar rally.)The Qashqai was designed virtually from the ground up by Nissan Europe, and it

3-year-old buys Nissan Figaro on eBay

Jack Neal sat in front of his computer, smiling at the car he had just purchased on eBay. £8,999.99 (approximately $17,000) was a fairly good price for the much loved Nissan Figaro. Even if it was a bit "Hello Kitty" in shocking pink. So what if the Figaro is just a rebodied 10-year-old Micra, Jack used the "Buy it now" link to complete the purchase and was the winning bidder. But Jack is only

GM and Renault/Nissan come back into the forefront, continuing talks

There's been a lot of buzz in the air distracting us from the proposed alliance between General Motors and Renault/Nissan, including talk about a GM alliance with Ford, purported "lukewarm feelings" within the ranks at GM about becoming aligned with the French-Japanese powerhouse, and even GM looking for cash as part of the deal. Not to worry. GM and Renault/Nissan have clambered back up to

Nissan to unveil '07 Altima Hybrid one week from today

While the news this week will be dominated by the goings-on in Paris, Nissan is getting ready to make a spash of its own exactly one week from today.At the Orange County Auto Show, Nissan will officially pull the wraps off the 2007 Altima Hybrid. The car is the first gasoline-electric hybrid for the automaker, and it will be greeted in the marketplace by competitors from Toyota (whose hybrid

BREAKING NEWS: Kerkorian may buy up more of GM

Kirk Kerkorian may buy up to 12 million additional shares of GM stock, according to Automotive News. The billionaire investor would need approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission for the deal because it would send his company, Tracinda Corporation, well over 10 percent ownership of GM common stock. The move supports GM's potential alliance with Renault/Nissan, a merger that

Nissan Moon city-car concept

Designer Robert Hoffmann drew up this Nissan concept for an auto magazine. The futuristic conveyance is not intended for production, but it's an interesting exercise just the same. The oversized rear wheels are slanted inward, and move backward for highway cruising, optimizing space when retracted for city driving and enhancing stability in conjunction with a deployable rear wing at higher

GM wants money from Nissan, Renault

The latest round of reports coming out of the Nissan-Renault-GM talks are quite sensational. Although there have been hints that Ford is on Carlos Ghosn's speed dial should things go sour with GM, according to the latest newsletter from the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) General Motors is going to tell Nissan and Renault today that their proposed deal looks good.