Nissan to recall 910,000 cars worldwide over accelerator issue

TOKYO — Japanese auto giant Nissan said Thursday it would recall about 910,000 cars worldwide over an accelerator glitch that can stall vehicle engines.

The global recall cover five models, including the Serena minivan and X-Trail SUV, produced between October 2004 and June this year, it said.

About 765,000 cars will be recalled in Japan, with about 100,000 units of its luxury Infiniti M sedan being called back in North America.

Another 24,000 vehicles in Oceania and others in Europe, the Middle East and Asia were also being recalled, a company spokesman said.

The recall comes after more than 1,400 complaints from customers, mostly in Japan.

No accidents tied to the accelerator glitch have been reported, the spokesman said.

If drivers step on the accelerator pedal at an angle, sensors measuring pressure exerted on the pedal can malfunction, causing an engine stall, Nissan said.

Japanese automakers, including Nissan rivals Toyota and Honda, have recalled millions of vehicles in recent years, dealing a blow to their reputation for safety and quality.

source: interaksyon.com

Nissan plans to begin selling self-driving cars by 2020

IRVINE, California — Nissan Motor Co Ltd said it will be ready to bring fully self-driving vehicles to market by 2020.

The Japanese automaker said it plans to offer “multiple, commercially viable” vehicles that are capable of autonomous operation without driver input.

The self-driving vehicles will be sold “at realistic prices for consumers,” the company said at a media event in Irvine, California.

Nissan said its goal is to offer autonomous cars “across the model range within two vehicle generations” – about 10-12 years after the projected 2020 launch.

The company said it has been researching and developing autonomous vehicles “for years” with such top universities as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford, Oxford, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Tokyo. It is building a dedicated test track in Japan for autonomous vehicles that will be completed by next spring.

Google Inc, the Internet search leader, launched an autonomous car program in 2010 and has built and is testing several different versions, including one based on Toyota Motor Corp’s Prius.

source: interaksyon.com

Canada's Magna to build Nissan-brand Infiniti cars

VIENNA — Canadian auto manufacturer Magna said on Friday it had signed a memorandum of understanding to assemble Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti cars, with an Austrian daily saying the site would be in Graz.

“This new vehicle represents a significant opportunity for the Infiniti brand to reach new consumers and grow in key markets such as Western Europe,” Andy Palmer from the Japanese firm said in a statement.

Austrian daily Kleine Zeitung said the new plant would create about 1,000 jobs and would produce 50,000 Infiniti vehicles every year from 2014, with Magna Steyr preferring Graz in southern Austria to a site in Poland.

Nissan said last month it would build two Infiniti models in China from 2014. It aims to boost sales of the cars to half a million units globally by 2016, up from 145,000 last year when it was produced in Japan and the United States.

source: japantoday.com