Car Parts 2011

At an affordable starting price of $32,780 that drops to $25,280 after taking advantage of federal tax incentives, Nissan has seen over 14,000 pre-orders for this economical and environmentally friendly vehicle. Owners can feel good about the zero emissions while enjoying Bluetooth capability, Sirius/XM satellite radio, energy efficient LED headlights, and roadside assistance. This sporty blue all electric car with its sleek aerodynamic design is set to redefine the auto industry.

The automobile industry has been responding to both consumer and government demands for increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions in recent years. While most manufacturers were devoting their research and development to hybrid engines, combination gas/electric vehicles, Nissan was developing an all electric, zero emissions vehicle called the Nissan Leaf. With a December 2010 release date for Japan, Europe, and the United States, the 2011 Nissan Leaf is the world's first mass produced, affordable all electric vehicle.

The Nissan Leaf can seat five adults and features the latest in advanced IT connectivity and state-of-the-art wireless control capability. Customers can use mobile phones to monitor battery charging status and to activate functions such as climate control. The Nissan Leaf has a range of about 100 miles on a full charge and can reach a speed of over 90 miles per hour. It is powered by a lithium ion battery pack that can be charged in eight hours or less from a standard home outlet or charged to 80 percent capacity in less than a half hour from a 50kW commercial charger. Though now limited in number, municipalities and businesses are working to create commercial charging stations to meet anticipated demand.

Part 1 of our NYIAS wrap-up covered the media day unveilings that stood out to us. But there were unveilings that fell short as well-- whether it may be the cause of a lukewarm product or because of a presentation that carried a lot of potential, but ultimately under-delivered.


Nissan
As previously mentioned, the compact/subcompact segment has been a focal point at the New York auto show, and will only grow more competitive in coming years. Last week, the Nissan Leaf won World Car of the Year, speaking volumes to just how in touch product developers of Nissan are to current trends.

However, I was extremely disappointed with the unveiling of their new Versa. With 30 city/37 highway at an extremely low price of $10,990, the Versa is one of the least expensive new cars sold in North America today and it is obviously trying to bring on the heat to the South Korean brands.

The price, unfortunately, comes with with a price. The Versa suffers from a bland exterior that whimpers anonymity in addition to plastic composite touch points in the interior that conjure childhood memories of Fisher Price. The press conference ended with restrained and scattered applause. Oh no is right. This can't be good.


Lotus
Lotus caused one of the largest buzzes in recent memory when they simultaneously unveiled at the 2010 Paris Auto Show an unprecedented five unique products-- Lotus Eterne, Esprit, Elite, Elan and Elise.

Since the show, skeptics and fans alike questioned whether or not Lotus indeed had the ability, in finances and resource, to meet its promise. With the presence of the Lotus Esprit concept and some major suits, including industry icon, legend, and former GM vice chairman, Bob Lutz, who is now a part of the Lotus advisory board, the venue had everything one could need to inject confidence to the public.

Unfortunately, nothing in depth was ever brought to attention. Sure, the new Evora S and Evora IPS were unveiled but rather than running across sales figures, company performance outlooks, and product improvements, Lotus did little talking at all. Instead, they've brought promotional videos to out attention and followed up with an agonizingly long discussion of Lotus' IRL racing activities. Disappointingly, the only thing the promo videos revealed were gorgeous models in sheer bikinis walking around a Esprit concept while a remix of La Roux's "In for the Kill" played in the background. Don't get me wrong, I loved the video. But that wasn't why FPH came to the Auto Show.

Testing was performed at the Electric Vehicle Technical Center (EVTC), at the Pomona Raceway, and on the Urban and Freeway Pomona Loops. Data for a 1998 Altra, equipped with Sony Li-Ion batteries, is presented for comparison purposes. For detailed procedures used for the testing, please refer to the SCE Electric Vehicle Test Procedure in Appendix G, page 49.

Also refer to Appendix C, page 28, for maps of the Urban and Freeway Pomona Loops. Acceleration, Braking, and Maximum Speed Tests Performance testing of the 2000 model-year Nissan Altra EV took place at the Pomona Raceway, in Pomona CA.

LeMans Blue, British Racing Green, Blue Water, Black Sapphire, Alpine White, Palladium Silver, Indium Grey, the list of color choices is endless. Sure, all of these colors are great, but let's get down to the basics, the nitty gritty. I'm thinking of a color that's bare bones, yet it's something that invokes a raw feeling: Flat Black.

We don't see many vehicles on the road this color, but when we do, oh man! Luke, we're sorry, but FPH is turning to the Dark Side!