NISSAN OF MANHATTAN

The SAE World Congress Annual Banquet was held last month, and Nissan execs were in attendance. In fact, Nissan Chief Technology Officer Toshiyuki Shiga made a special announcement at the conference, stating that the company will donate $250k to the organization's A World in Motion program.

Nissan may have been one of the last large Japanese automakers to enter the burgeoning Chinese market, but that certainly doesn't mean it hasn't made the most of its short time. The Japanese brand has now soared past its rivals Honda and Toyota in this exciting market. Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn recently told Reuters TV: "We want to be a global car maker, presenting every single kind of product you can find in the Nissan brand - from the luxury, with Infiniti, and the entry level with affordable cars under Venucia. We're going to be everywhere."¹ So far, Ghosn's words are certainly being backed by impressive sales growth.

The 2012 Nissan LEAF has been taking over NYC taxi lineups and urban streets since its debut, and to celebrate its zero-emission, environmentally-friendly impact, it recently took part in the CO2 E Drive through Manhattan.

Though it won't lose sight of its popular design, the Nissan Altima will be receiving quite an intense refresh for the 2013 model year. Set to premiere at the New York Auto Show in early April 2012 with the new Infiniti LE concept (luxury electric) sedan, the next-generation Nissan Altima has been spied testing in several different markets, but it's still heavily disguised. We do spot quite a few new features on the vehicle, however.

A new Nissan LEAF will be released in December, and with it will come impressive upgrades, including such luxurious features as a darker interior, leather seats, and a better heating system. The LEAF is currently the best-selling all-electric vehicle in the U.S., beating out the Chevy Volt by quite a large amount of units.

You may know that Nissan is extremely dedicated to "greening" our world through supporting environmental initiatives. Take the all-electric 2012 Nissan LEAF as an example of this dedication. So, it should come as no surprise that the auto brand is a co-sponsor of the award-winning Radioshack Nissan Trek cycling team. Every day, millions of people around the world cycle for exercise, health, and traveling purposes; in fact, more people cycle than drive vehicles. It's an extremely easy way to lower your carbon footprint, and it's good for you, too.

Nissan is in the middle of a huge performance project, and the Japanese auto brand needs your help! If you know anything about the Nissan 370Z, or the Nissan Z line in general, you know it's all about extreme power and style. Now, the brand has decided to make its most powerful 370Z model ever, and it's enlisting your help with "Project 370Z." The project is taking place now, and you can contribute and join in on the fun and watch the project unfold here (www.facebook.com/nissanperformance).

Here at Nissan of Manhattan, we find the 2012 Nissan Versa is one of our favorite models to have in the showroom, due to its great value, fantastic fuel economy, and a ton of cabin and cargo space.

You might know, reader, that Japanese auto manufacturer Nissan is always on the cutting edge of technology. The company always seems to be inventing new gadgets and powertrains for its automobiles, but now it's gone a step further. Nissan recently announced its intent to release a self-healing iPhone case to the market. This case uses an automotive coating to protect and self-heal itself.

Not only does environmentally-conscious brand Nissan have a zero-emission vehicle with the 2012 Nissan Leaf in tow, as well as a line of many EV vehicles on the way, it also has taken efficiency and innovation off the road and into the deep blue.