By Reuters

TOKYO, Japan - Nissan Motor Co. has developed an accelerator pedal that can push back on the driver’s foot when it detects excess pressure and poor fuel efficiency.

Japan’s No.3 automaker said it would install the “ECO pedal”, which can be switched on or off by the driver, in its cars from next year. It didn’t specify which models would be equipped with the new technology.

Internal research showed that the system, which comes with real-time fuel consumption levels displayed in the instrument panel, could improve fuel efficiency by 5 to 10 percent depending on driving conditions.

Nissan is taking a three-pronged approach to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, comprising improvements in vehicle technologies, driving behaviour and traffic conditions.

Last year, it promised to equip all new cars with the fuel consumption indicator, which indicates the optimal level for fuel-efficient driving by displaying a green, flashing or amber light.

By Andre Palma
Philippine Daily Inquirer

FIRST, congratulations on your status as a respected leader in the international automobile industry. No, strike that. Rock star seems a title more appropriate. Turning around the worldwide operations of Nissan is possibly one of the greatest feats in the history of man making the automobile. You did that as an outsider, a gaijin at that. And now you have a Japanese cartoon character in your likeness to show for it.

Everything you seem to do is done in boldface. Unveiling the R35 Nissan GT-R, the spiritual successor of the Skyline, to the driving world last year in Tokyo, stole the show for all intents and purposes. Standing there, elbow to solar plexus with the rest of the world’s motoring press, even our habitually cynical lot was obviously excited. I was there in the Godzilla-frenzied mosh pit and have lousy, ill-taken photos filled with other journalists’ heads and shoulders to prove it.

Your statements at Davos this year were typically far from low-key as well. Betting Renault’s and Nissan’s future on electric vehicles is considerably risky. Add to that the pledge that your electric car will be fun to drive and provide a significant economic advantage over the internal combustion engine. Imagine the anticipation for this landmark endeavor, especially when it’s the CEO of world’s fourth largest automotive conglomerate doing the talking. Double the expectation since Carlos Ghosn spoke those words himself.

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By Aida Sevilla-Mendoza
Inquirer

THE 4TH Car of the Year (Coty) Philippines Awards program, which was held at the Rockwell Tent in Makati last Thursday, established quite a few firsts.

It was the first time that: a European brand won the big trophy. The 2007 Car of the Year, the Volvo C30 (shown in photo) is a sports coupe that aced the Luxury Subcompact category versus the BMW 120i and the Mercedes-Benz B160.

What’s more, the Swedish carmaker outshone its German rivals two more times when the Volvo S60 T5 won the Executive Car of the Year Award and the Volvo S80 2.5L topped the Luxury Car category.

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By Andre Palma
Inquirer

MAJOR motor shows are often difficult to initially grasp in their entirety. Merely a single pass of the major manufacturer’s displays can send even the most jaded of motoring hacks reeling from all the sights, sounds and sheet metal. You just get numb from the sensory overload. Trying to understand what’s going on and what the general flavor of the show is comes only when the shell shock passes. Even then, moments of true insight are rare.

Tokyo’s place in the international motor show arena is to divine the future. It is through the fantasy world of concept cars that the world’s major players try to capture our imagination. For manufacturers, showing up at Tokyo without a jaw-dropping interpretation of the future is like going to a wedding reception in your flip-flops. This year there were quite a few who apparently forgot the dress code.

Maybe it was a calculated risk on the part of the manufacturers. In all honesty, trying to steal the limelight from two of the most exciting new releases would be near impossible.

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By Charles E. Buban
Inquirer

TOKYO, Japan–The Tokyo Motor Show has always been about technology and this year’s 40th staging of one of the world’s leading automobile expos is no exception as green cars featuring advanced propulsion technology share centerstage with some of today’s fastest and most powerful production cars.

This writer finally got the chance to get up close and personal with the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X as well as Fuji Heavy Industries’ (maker of Subaru brand of vehicles) new Impreza WRX STI.

Of course, this writer also witnessed the much-awaited debut of the all-new Nissan GT-R.

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By Agence France-Presse

CHIBA, Japan–Nissan and Renault hope to start selling a car for about $2,500 in India in around 2010 along with their local partner there, chief executive Carlos Ghosn said Wednesday.

“We have already practically decided all the attributes of the car,” Ghosn told reporters at the Tokyo Motor Show.

“We have the full intention to do it — if it’s feasible. Hopefully this is going to be 2010 in India,” he said.

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By Yuri Kageyama
Associated Press

TOKYO, Japan–Nissan’s new super-sports car, the GT-R, is a rare challenge to European and American automakers by a Japanese company more used to family-friendly offerings like the Altima sedan.

Nissan claims the muscle car, to be introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show, is so sophisticated it is training scores of maintenance workers at dealers in Japan to service the vehicle.

“The GT-R requires special attention because its technology is so advanced,” Corporate Vice President Takao Katagiri said Wednesday. “It also calls for finesse in salesmanship because the sales representative must deal with customers who are going to be very demanding.”

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