The Nissan Cube manufactured by Japanese car maker Nissan is mini but Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV).  The Japanese automaker is targeting young buyers to buy this mini Nissan Cube.  Presently Nissan Cube is mainly sold in North America, Europe and Japan.  The 1st generation of the Nissan Cube was established in Japan in 1998.  To maintain a proper balance between the Nissan lineups from Nissan March & Nissan Sunny, the Nissan Cube was created.  The 1st generation of the Nissan Cube was only sold in Japan.

The 3rd generation of the Nissan cube was released late last year in Japan.  The new Cube is a tall and made up of boxy kind of design. These features of Cube are more curved styling cue and rounded compared to its earlier generations.  Five people can be accommodated comfortably.  The rear hatch is attached in such a way so that it open along its vertical axis towards the curb.  Loading and unloading becomes easy with this feature if vehicle is parked in a very crowded street.  According to the designers of Nissan, the interior of cube is greatly inspired by the ‘enveloping curves of a Jacuzzi’ which try to exhibit a social and comfortable atmosphere.

Nissan is trying to promote its brand by convincing people that it is not a car but some new technology related stuff.  The Nissan’s target group is young techno savvy buyers.  Nissan is comparing its Cube with mobile or gadgets like iphone.  To select accessories is to “set your preferences” and to hit the road with friends is to “upload yourself and four buddies.”  Despite of the Nissan’s attempt to promote its car by using anti-car marketing strategy, one thing is for sure Nissan  Cube is made up of many good features like smooth steering, decent driver, passable handling, six-speed manual, powerful brakes and terrific low-speed maneuverability. The manual gear of Cube shifts smoothly. Moreover, it also has many safety features like anti-lock brakes with proper distribution between brake assist and brake-force, full array of air bags, safety gear for a low-end model, traction and stability controls.

The Nissan Cube is powered by 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine which is quiet good for urban city traffic as well as flat highway but less for driving on slopes. The Nissan Cube gives about 30 mpg highways, 28 mpg in city and 29 mpg combined result. The key advantage of a box shaped vehicle is vast space and so passenger space is quiet generous in Cube. Even though Nissan Cube is targeting young buyers, the room inside the car well enough for their well-spread and well-fed elders; even the cargo space is quiet big. Other features include good Visibility and tight turning circle which can attract young nervous drivers who Nissan thinks as their target audience. Apart from all these features it also includes options like shag carpeting at the centre of dash board which helps MP3 or cellphone from sliding around.

So now finally you would like to know what is the cost of Nissan Cube? Well, the start price of Nissan Cube is just around $14,385. On the whole Nissan Cube it is cool and useful car with a trendy twist. Though Nissan Cube is an ideal car for young buyers at the same time it is also a spacious, competent, and extremely comfortable family car.   

Technorati Tags: Nissan Cube, Japanese car, Japan, Nissan March, Nissan Sunny, Nissan

While purchasing a car, what do you look for? Usually people think about brand, performance, model, color and many more similar things. But does any one ever think of buying car considering the resale value it will get after using it for few years. Well the main reason for this is while purchasing a car no one will be bothered how to sell it after some years, but you have to always think of the resale value of cars. Always keep in mind that car is a derogating asset and after some years it will lose its aesthetic value.

A new car starts losing its value once it is driven out of the showroom.  The car loses maximum value in the first five years of ownership and then the value of the car depreciates gradually. Finally, when the car owner decides to sell a car after a span of five or six years, the depreciation is much higher. So, while buying a new car it is important to consider its resale value.

Kelley Blue Book (KBB) has released its annual resale value data for 2010, and according to them Toyota, Honda and BMW remain the top brands in five-year residual value. So you can clearly see that Japanese cars consistently lead in resale values.

KBB estimates Toyota’s models will keep 38.8% of their value while Honda’s models will keep 38 % of their value after five years. KBB’s top ten models for five-year residual value include the following Japanese cars. The Prius has been one of the topmost resale value cars for several years.

# Toyota Tacoma
# Toyota Prius
# Honda CR-V
# Toyota RAV4

Even in countries like India, when automakers from India, Korea, Europe, and America are having a major market share, Japanese cars like Honda Siel, Honda City, Toyota Innova fetch the maximum price on resale. Comparing other cars in Honda cars segment it loses about 20-30% value in 3 years whereas Toyota Innova can fetch around 70-80% of its road price even after 3 years.

What factors influence resale price?
Now you may question – how to calculate resale value of a car? Well it is not illogical. There are many factors which influence the resale price other than the general ones like registration date of car, current condition of car, no. of miles it has covered etc.

Image:
How the purchaser distinguishes a particular product makes a whole lot of difference. For example the Japanese cars are known for their technology which makes their cars more efficient while the American cars are supposed to be fuel guzzlers.

Spare parts availability:
While purchasing car it is important to find out whether you can easily find its spare parts if you need them. Now as the survey suggests, it is quiet easy to find spare parts for Japanese cars while it is difficult to find spare parts for American and European cars.

Maintenance:
Japanese cars have a high level of reliability, which makes their maintenance costs low.

After sales service:
Many car companies do provide better service but they come with many restrictions.

Japanese cars consistently rank high in all these factors included in calculation of the resale price.

Technorati Tags: resale value of cars, Honda Siel, Honda City, Toyota Innova, Japanese cars

The year 2009 is coming to an end and it is the time again for magazines and websites to come up with their lists of the best and worst of 2009.  Time Magazine is not lagging behind and has recently released its annual list of 50 Best Inventions of 2009.  This year green energy innovations have prominently featured in the top inventions of 2009.

Nissan Leaf is among Time’s list of 50 best inventions of 2009.  The Japanese automaker Nissan unveiled Nissan Leaf in August 2009 as the first new dedicated electric vehicle.  It may not be the world’s first electric car, but the Nissan Leaf is the first fully electric, zero emission vehicle built for mass production for the global market at an affordable price.  Nissan Leaf would not be available in the market until the fall of 2010, but that didn’t stop Time Magazine from calling it one of the best inventions of 2009.

Key characteristics of the Nisan Leaf include:

1. Zero-emission electric power train
2. Real-world range autonomy – 160km (100 miles)
3. Distinctive design
4. Affordable pricing
5. Connected Mobility: Advanced intelligent transportation (IT) system

Nissan LEAF electric car is not a hybrid – it’s a zero-emission electric vehicle that is powered by a reusable lithium-ion battery.  It is no longer a concept car or test model – it is meant for mass production.  It is a 5 passenger electric car, with all the features you can expect from a standard family sedan.  It is a 100% electric car that uses no gasoline, and produces virtually no noise and emission.  No transmission, no engine oil, no timing belts to change and no emission. Nissan Leaf, makes a futuristic sound like that of flying cars in Blade Runner, when it is moving.  Nissan plans to produce 50,000 Leafs every year at its Oppama plant at Yokohama, Japan starting in the fall of 2010.

Nissan Leaf is designed with the common man in mind and not just celebrities.  The Leaf is expected to sell for between $35,000 and $45,000. The Nissan LEAF will shift the way we drive, power and think about cars..

Nissan LEAF has a top speed of up to 145 km/hr (90 mph) and it accelerates just like a normal V6 car. The LEAF can run for about 160 km (100 miles) per charge under normal driving conditions.  The lithium-ion battery that powers the LEAF has a lifespan of about 5 years.  You can charge battery on a 220V home charging unit in 4 to 8 hours.  And, it will take just about 26 minutes for charging it to 80% of its capacity at quick-charge stations.

Electric cars have been there for a long time, but Nissan is the first company which has come up with a production model of an electric vehicle.  Nissan therefore deserves the title of ‘inventor of electric cars’ if they can keep their promise of building and selling a million electric vehicles in the next.  Nissan Leaf has certainly made the future of green transportation looking brighter.

Technorati Tags: 50 best inventions of 2009, Japan, Electric cars, electric vehicle, Nissan Leaf

Earlier this December Toyota Motor Corp made official announcement about producing a test fleet of plug-in hybrid car Prius which uses lithium-on battery packs.  Now, the Japanese automaker Toyota has officially showcased the plug-in version of the latest Toyota Prius electric-gasoline hybrid vehicle along with its extended range of completely electric vehicle.

Plug-in technology facilitates charging of batteries in the hybrid from the mains in a fashion similar to the straight electric cars.  The major advantage of plug-in hybrid when compared with a standard hybrid is that it can it run in the electric-only mode for a longer time, and produces much lower tail-pipe emissions.

The Japanese car makerToyota plans to sell the plug-in hybrid Prius in Japan and other countries within 2 years.  Toyota Motor Corp has now officially started a program to manufacture and sell 650 plug-in hybrid Prius vehicles globally.  Japanese automaker will lease out 230 of its vehicles to government bodies like power companies and other government industries in Japan.  Out of Remaining stock, 150 units will be leased out to government agencies, research agencies, corporations and universities of America.  200 vehicles will go to Europe while France will receive 100 units especially for the City of Strasbourg.  Toyota is also considering other countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia and few European countries to try out its test units.

The 5 seater Toyota Prius is available with lithium-ion battery packs replacing the usual nickel-metal hydride batteries which can help electric-motor vehicles to gain more mileage than usual thirteen miles.  One can easily charge batteries of plug-in Prius by connecting it to household electricity.

The fuel efficiency of Prius is 57 km/liter and plug-in hybrid Prius gives the range of about 24 km/liter using only electricity. To fully charge lithium-on batteries of Prius it takes about 1&1/2 hours using 200 volt socket whereas with 100 volt batteries it takes about 3 hours.

According to Toyota, this program is their 1st step i introducing plug-in hybrid concept to society at large.  This program allows Toyota with this unique opportunity to educate, inform, and also prepare their customers for the introduction of plug-in hybrid technology.  When vehicles built with this technology come to the market, customers would understand what to expect and whether this new technology would suit them.

Technorati Tags: Toyota, hybrid car, Japanese, electric vehicle, Japanese car, Toyota Prius

In the past year, Hyundai has improved its business a lot in the global automobile industry.   From the fourth quarter of last year to the third quarter of this year, Hyundai-Kia sold around 4.5 million cars worldwide, while Toyota sold 5.46 million units in the same period.  However, the Korean automaker Hyundai could not make an impression in the Japanese car market, even though it is operating there for the last 8 years.  On the other hand, the Japanese automaker Toyota is gaining ground in Korea by challenging Hyundai-Kia on their home turf.

Last week, Korean automaker Hyundai made an official announcement about its withdrawal from the Japan automobile market.  Hyundai has maintained a low-key profile in the Japanese market for last 8 years and it could not even achieve its target of 800 cars this October.  Even though Hyundai won’t sell new cars anymore in Japan, it continue servicing its customer base in Japan.  According to Hyundai, it is better to concentrate on more up-and-coming auto markets like China, USA and India than to make investment in struggling markets like Japan.

Hyundai’s 8 years of incompetence in Japanese auto market and awkward withdrawal from Japan is certainly disappointing.  Moreover, Toyota is fast becoming one of the popular brands of imported cars in Korea.  Toyota created impression on Korean buyers through their luxury sedans marketed under the Lexus brand.  And recently, Toyota has conquered mid-priced car market section in Korea, where Hyundai-Kia, SsangYong and other Korean car makers were dominating.  Toyota recently introduced 4 new models of hybrid version of Prius and the mid-sized car Camry in Korea and could sell over 5,000 cars of the recently-released vehicles in just three weeks.

Along with Toyota, other Japanese Automakers who are quiet popular amongst the Korean drivers are Nissan and Honda.  Last year Honda sold about 12,400 cars and leading the imported auto brands in Korea whereas combining sales of Nissan and Toyota last year in Korean market was over 21,000 cars and this year it is expected to be more than previous year.

Quitting passenger car sales in Japan looks a sensible move by Hyundai.  Convincing Japanese buyers to try Korean vehicles is quiet a challenging task.  Japanese buyers have different buying habits compared to other Asians.  Japanese car buyers that buy foreign vehicles mostly prefer European brands. Although Hyundai is giving up now, it can not afford to lose this opportunity as Japan is one of the largest automobile markets in Asia.  Auto industry watchers have expectation that the Korean automaker will reform and re-enter the Japanese auto market in next 2 or 3 years.   Hyundai simply needs to revise and improve its existing strategies, learn from their past mistakes, and when the time is right re-enter Japanese auto market with a strong marketing message that promises refinement, good quality and most importantly differentiation from Japanese domestic brands.

Technorati Tags: Hyundai, automobile, Toyota, Japanese car, Japan

Are you a safety conscious car buyer? Then you should definitely read this post. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety based in Virginia, USA recently released its List of the safest cars for 2010, after conducting a tough test of protecting people in front, rear, side, and also rollover crashes. Eight SUVs and nineteen passenger cars received top safety awards. Ford and its Volvo brand bagged the highest – six awards, followed by Volkswagen and Subaru with five awards for outstanding safety each.

The test for safety ratings by the Insurance Institute has become a lot tougher this year, so .fewer cars made it to the top list this year. The insurance Institute has introduced a new test to determine overall safety of a car, by testing the strength of car roof in case of a rollover. In order to pass the safety test, the car roof has to withstand a force equal to four times the weight of the car without crushing the roof five inches inward.

Honda cars received top honors in the safety ratings. Honda Civic 4-door models with optional electronic stability control, as well as, Honda SUVs – Honda Element and Jeep Patriot with optional side torso airbags, won safety awards. Honda’s achievements do not stop there. Honda also produced the least polluting and most fuel efficient cars on American roads as per the U.S. government projections for 2009.

However, in a surprise twist, the world’s largest automaker, Toyota, did not receive any safety awards this year. This was partly because of the fact that Toyota cars did not have car roofs strong enough to withstand rollover. A number of vehicles missed this safety list because of the new roof strength rating requirements.

Honda also leads the U.S. market in electric/gasoline hybrid cars, for being the cleanest and most fuel efficient vehicles. So looking at these achievements, if you are looking for good, clean, fuel efficient and safest cars, Honda may be the perfect choice for you.

Technorati Tags: vehicles, safest cars, Honda

Considering the growing need for eco-friendly cars, Panasonic Corporation Japan has developed a new technology for binding together Lithium-ion batteries meant for laptop PCs to power electric cars.  Panasonic claims to have discovered this new and cheaper method for connecting the cells by using existing production facilities.  It was Tesla Motors who were the pioneers in building a battery pack made up of 6,831 laptop PC battery cells for the Roadster. Panasonic went a step ahead by producing lithium ion and nickel metal hydride batteries for Toyota’s hybrid and plug-in vehicles.

Panasonic Japan is in this business of manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for computers for quiet sometime now.  They also manufacture the normal bulky rechargeable batteries meant for cars and other vehicles.  However, with the announcement of using computer batteries for cars, Panasonic has become first electronic company to venture into advanced battery making for automobiles.  Usually these kinds of batteries for electric vehicles are being created by established automakers or small companies which specialize in with manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles.

According to Panasonic, they can cut down the price of manufacturing batteries for electric cars by using their existing battery plant and production facilities.  Till now,  battery packs for electric vehicles are specially designed or assembled to meet specific design requirements and this drives the cost of electric car up compared to other gas vehicles. Having most of the facilities already set up, Panasonic  has this advantage of succeeding in this business of manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for automobiles.  While most of the automakers like Ford, Nissan and General Motors are competing for building or converting existing assembly lines, Panasonic has actually worked on cost cutting technology.

Despite of having all facilities, Panasonic still has a long way to go and hit the market with its latest batteries.  It may take about four years for these newly developed batteries for cars to be available in the market.  These  batteries can also be used to store electricity from fuel cells, wind turbines and residential solar panels, apart from powering electric cars. Thus, these batteries also have a good potential market in the home renewable energy sector.

Talks were on for a long time about Panasonic entering automotive market with its latest battery but now the real story is out.  Even though it’s prime competitor, Sony has announced long back about creating batteries for automobiles, but it is Panasonic which has actually done it.  Other companies like LG, BYD and Samsung are also trying to venture in to this market of manufacturing automotive batteries.

Technorati Tags: electric cars, Panasonic, Japan, electric vehicles, automotive, Sony

Toyota Motors whose popular hybrid car Prius posted top-most sales in Japan for the 6th consecutive month.  Apart from being an fuel efficient car, something which helped the domestic sales of Prius is the Japanese government policy to offer subsidies and tax breaks for purchasing eco friendly vehicles.

In this gloomy situation of Auto Industry, Toyota Prius is turning out to be a rare bright spot.  With Toyota Prius you can drive about 38 Km per liter.  In heavy traffic situation, hybrid cars like Toyota Prius rely completely on their electric motors and thus burn no gas.  As of now Toyota’s Prius, which works on both electricity and gasoline, continues to dominate Japanese auto sector.

According to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (JADA), Japan’s biggest automaker – Toyota sold over 26,900 Prius hybrid cars this October, which is quiet a big leap considering its October sales last year which was just around 6,341 units.

After facing losses for three consecutive quarters, the biggest auto maker from Japan – Toyota – has finally hit the bull’s eye in the month of July and September by gaining profit of around 22 billion yen (US $240 million).  Toyota Motor Corp has also reduced its expected loss by 50% for this financial year. Increasing domestic demand of Prius has helped Toyota to post a surprise profit this quarter.

Meanwhile for the fourth consecutive month,  Honda’s Fit – a people carrier, occupied the second position, selling around 15,440 units in Japan. Compared to last year’s October sales Honda Fit has gained about 26.7 percent more sales. To boost its sales, Honda wants to come up with the hybrid version of the Fit next year. Even though the Fit is not a hybrid vehicle, it still eligible for all subsidies and tax breaks given by government as it is fuel-efficient vehicle.

This October third position was occupied by Vitz subcompact from Toyota whereas, the direct competitor of Toyota’s Prius – Honda Insight occupied ninth position.

Considering the environmental concern, and the initiative taken by the Japanese government, Japanese auto market is experiencing increase in the demand for environmentally friendly and fuel efficient cars.  These eco-friendly cars are going to dominate for few more years.

Technorati Tags: Japan, Toyota Prius, hybrid cars, Automobile, Honda Fit