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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. It would take a car of unparalleled significance to pull this off. Your electric vehicle will have to go beyond the Model T, the hybrid Prius and Ratan Tata’s exercise in automotive minimalism, the pro-poverty Nano. Those are some serious benchmark there, Mr. Ghosn. The Renault-Nissan electric vehicle would have to look, feel and smell like any other car. On top of that, people will have to be convinced that somehow, yours is better. It is only after these requirements have been surpassed that the real punch-line be pulled, “And oh, by the way, it’s electric.” Don’t forget also that your electric vehicle will have to be affordable, bordering on shamefully cheap. Good luck, you’ll need it. Building and selling such a car now is beyond my imagination. Having driven the technology demonstrators of the other players in the industry, it seems like mass market acceptable, alternative energy vehicles are, at the very best, still a decade and a half away. It seems to take a dozen guys in lab coats to keep these kinds of vehicles running, even on just a test track. How can this be practical in any sense of the word? Thankfully, it appears as though I’m mistaken. In another surprising statement that was quoted in the media this week, your car of the future seems to already be in the here and now. “We are not interested in some ‘Star Wars’ prototype, but in bringing a mass-market product that everybody can buy. It is a new chapter in the life of this industry,” you said, announcing plans to introduce a zero-emission electric vehicle in the United States and Japan by 2010 (Time Magazine, Briefing, May 26, 2008). Great news for the developed world, but we in the poverty strangled third world need this product just as badly. While most of our power generation is still fossil fuel fed, a working and practical purely electric vehicle will point us in the right direction at the very least. When the time comes and clean, renewable methods of generating electricity become readily available to us, the electric car will all but sign our emancipation from the oil monopoly that profiteers on the world’s misery. The impact of the US$135 price of oil per barrel already has the potential for creating societal chaos in the third world of unthinkable proportions. Imagine what will happen when true oil scarcity hits. Please don’t keep us waiting, Mr. Ghosn. You of all people should understand that bold moves, timed to perfection can overcome established tradition and stubborn status quos. What’s at stake here is greater than the turnaround at Nissan, more spectacular than the rebirth of the world-beating Japanese super car genre. The opportunity to redefine the automobile is at hand. Saving the world in the process will look good on your resumé as well.

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. Swept It was also the first time that a Korean brand -- Kia -- swept four category awards, besting Japanese brands. The Kia Picanto 1.1 DLX bagged the Basic Subcompact Car of the Year Award, the Kia Rio 1.4 sedan was adjudged the Executive Subcompact Car of the Year, the Kia Carens CRDi collected the Compact Van/Multipurpose Vehicle of the Year Award and the Kia Carnival LX 2.9 CRDi short wheelbase won the Executive Van/MPV of the Year trophy. For the first time, the Car Awards Group Inc. (Cagi), organizer of Coty, got a big business corporation to be the title sponsor, i.e. Petron Corp. Thus it is now officially known as the Petron 2007 Car of the Year Awards. The decision to get a title sponsor was made by Cagi 2007 president Ira Panganiban with the concurrence of his board: External VP Andy Sevilla, external vice president; Fernan Lao, internal VP and technical committee chair; and Jeff Reyes, treasurer. Media practitioners All the officers and members of Cagi, if you don't know it yet, are media practitioners as Cagi is a nonstock, nonprofit private organization of motoring journalists that conducts consumer-oriented tests of mass production motor vehicles annually to help consumers make an informed choice when buying a car and to recognize the progress of the auto industry in engineering, quality, design and safety features. This time, the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) supported the 2007 Coty Awards not as a sponsor, but as Cagi's technical partner in testing the entries. After all, AAP is a nonprofit, nonstock organization, the national auto club that is the only Philippine affiliate of the FIA, the Paris-based body that governs motor sports worldwide including F1, the WRC and Le Mans. AAP motor sports committee chair Mandy Eduque and AAP director Dave Arcenas participated in some of the car testing sessions. Categories The number of categories was increased from 11 in the 3rd Coty to 23 after the Cagi executive board consulted the technical experts of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) on how to improve the Coty formula. Passenger cars now have nine categories: Basic Subcompact, Executive Subcompact, Luxury Subcompact, Midsize, Sports Car, Executive, Luxury and Ultra Luxury. Car-based utility vehicles enter four categories: 2WD Crossover/Wagon, 4WD Crossover/Wagon, Luxury Crossover/Wagon and Ultra-Luxury Crossover/Wagon. Minivans were divided into four categories: Compact Van/Multipurpose Vehicle (MPV), Executive Van/MPV, Luxury Van/MPV and Ultra Luxury Van/MPV. Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) were also Compact, Executive, Luxury or Ultra Luxury. Pickup trucks have two categories: 2WD (4x2) and 4WD (4x4). Chose The car manufacturers themselves, not Cagi, chose which of their products would participate and in which category each would enter. The car manufacturers also took care of bringing the test units to the test venue. Entries that did not win in their respective categories last time were allowed to try again. Previously, losing entries were not allowed to participate unless the motor vehicle in question had undergone major changes or upgrades in engineering, technology and/or safety features. A facelift -- new headlights or taillights, a new grille, new bumpers -- did not count. 87 entries Eighty-seven cars and trucks were tested over a span of eight Saturdays from Aug. 25 to Oct. 13 at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite. The total number would have been 97 if the test units of 10 models had shown up. The number of Special Awards was increased from four to 19. Supporters of Coty 2007 sponsored the awards. Thus, Toyota Motors Philippines won the AAP Best Road Safety Campaign Award, the Honda Jazz 1.3 won the Standard Insurance Best Value for Money Award, the Nissan Teana the Rockwell Land Best Interior Design Award, the Mercedes-Benz S350 the Bridgestone Most Comfortable Ride Award, the Mitsubishi Outlander the Bosch Best In-Car Entertainment Award, the Subaru Impreza WRX the Globe Media Dream Car Award and the Petron 2007 Car of the Year, the Volvo C30, also won the Concept One Sexiest Car Award. So Coty 2007 was a year of firsts, setting the stage for a more exciting 2008.

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. Show headliner Headlining the show for all intents was the unveiling of Nissan's GTR. As bold as the concept, technology and execution of this soon-to-be available super car is its rebellious break from the sustainable eco friendly line that most of the mainstream players are towing. It would be hard to find anyone who went to the show this year who did not take home a snapshot of the latest interpretation of the all-conquering Skylines of years past. Off-duty showgirls, clad in trench coats over their scant motor show finery snapped away on their equally tiny and cute mobile phones. Even executives from the European sporting brands jostled with masses to get a closer peek. You get the picture. The excitement about the GTR is deserved. This car revives the Japanese super car genre and is the gauntlet on the table to the other players who traditionally participate in the segment. Significant too is the gossip going around the Nissan GTR. Finally available in left-hand drive for the first time in history, it looks like the Philippines will be getting a few units. Don't hold your breath though, as this information came from the same people who promised us the Teana in 2003. Controversially designed A new release that is sure to hit our shores will be the controversially designed 2008 Subaru Impreza and the generally more impressive STI version. Derogatory remarks about the styling of these WRC-derived everyday tarmac monsters are getting tiresome already. There is really nothing we can do about what this car looks like. And if we can get that out of the way, maybe we can focus on the changes that are going to affect more important things regarding Impreza -- mainly the way it will drive. Pray that function overshadows form in this case. The shift over to the hatchback format is a necessity born of the WRC. Subaru needs a platform that will go toe to toe with the kinds of car that Loeb and the gang are driving. Shorter wheelbases combined with lighter cars will logically be snappier around the corners. Engines remain the same with the beautifully linear power of the EJ25 turbo family of power plants under the brand's signature hood scoops. Seriously folks, these cars are coming and there's an invite in my mailbox to allay any fears that the Philippine market is going to lose out on these models. The mid-level Imprezas are going to break cover soon, likely within the month. The much-awaited, hot and bothered STI version will hit the fast lanes of Philippine roads sometime next year. Cars that are able to steal the limelight from the futuristic prototypes and concepts are rare indeed and in this case, the Nissan GTR and the Subaru Impreza WRX Sti define the 40th Tokyo Motor show. This year has given us two models to that are really worth the wait. Speed is on the Philippine motoring horizon. What a wonderful world indeed!

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. "It only shows that while the car industry is continuously developing solutions to increase energy efficiency and reduce a car's environmental impact, carmakers will never stop dishing out passion-inspiring high-performance sports cars," said Raymond Tribdino, Nissan Motor Philippines Inc. senior manager for market and product planning. Paraded Indeed, while Nissan finally rolled out its most anticipated muscle car, it also paraded its latest breakthroughs in gasoline, diesel and electric-powered vehicles. According to Tribdino, Nissan sets a mid-term environmental action plan called Nissan Green Program 2010 that seeks ways to maximize the fuel economy of internal combustion engines. Included in this plan is the development of a clean diesel engine that will soon power the upcoming 2008 X-Trail compact SUV (to be sold in Japan); the development of the Variable Valve Event and Lift system that will be installed in the upcoming gasoline engine of the Skyline Coupe (also to be sold in Japan); the development of the company's own design of a continuously variable transmission that will be paired to several Nissan engines; and the acceleration of the development of the next generation lithium-ion battery for use in various hybrid electric and electric vehicles that Nissan is conceiving. Environmental consideration In fact, even the newly unveiled GT-R super car, which boasts a 475 horsepower, 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 VR38 engine, meets Japan's ultra-low emission vehicle standards as proof of Nissan's seriousness in putting environmental consideration a top priority. Aside from developing cleaner emissions in both of its gasoline and diesel engines, Nissan is also putting a lot of research in battery-powered vehicles, which the company believes holds a lot of promise. "Case in point is Nissan's lithium-ion powered Pivo 2 that was unveiled at the motor show. While it uses the same type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics, Pivo 2's powerplant is more advanced," Tribdino said. More compact For the first time, Nissan was able to develop a more compact lithium-ion battery. Like flat metal sheets that can be laid on top of one another (similar to a sans rival cake), they require much less space than today's cylindrical-shaped lithium-ion batteries, thereby freeing up more space to increase cabin dimension as well as saving on total car weight. Though half the size of today's conventional batteries, it's 1.5 times more powerful and twice the capacity. With this battery, Pivo 2 could now travel about 126 km on a single charge and plugs into a regular home electric socket. But despite the advancement, carmakers like Nissan admit that they are still looking for the ultimate environment-friendly vehicle. "The goal is to have a car that could deliver zero impact on the environment. However it must also be cost-efficient to build as well as it should be attractive for the car buyer not only in terms of price but also to its drivability, safety and reliability," Tribdino said.

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. Ghosn, who heads both Japan's Nissan Motor Co. and its French partner Renault, said he would visit Indian partner Bajaj Auto next week for talks on the car. He said that it appeared possible to make a $2,500-car for India, but the big question was whether it could be exported to other markets such as Europe, China, Brazil, Mexico or even the United States. "But the first step is to make it for India and to make it competitive," he added. The car will be mostly produced by Indian partner Bajaj with the support of the Nissan-Renault alliance, Ghosn added. The world's automakers are increasingly setting their sights on India, which is one of the world's fastest growing automobile markets. Indian automaker Tata Motors plans to introduce its own $3,000-car in its home market next year. Ghosn also said Nissan hoped to start mass marketing electric cars by 2012 in response to growing worries about global warming. "We see already in some large cities people are turning against cars," said Ghosn, adding that simply cutting emissions by 20 or 30 percent was not enough as people would switch to alternative forms of transportation.

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." Nissan is setting up 160 showrooms called "high-performance centers" around the country for maintenance work on the GT-R. Similar back-up support for the GT-R is being considered for the US, where the sale will follow the Japan debut, but details aren't decided. The service will be offered at American Nissan, not Infiniti luxury, showrooms. BMW and Porsche sports cars need special care for their revved up, delicate engines, but such dealers are prepared for high-quality maintenance. Anticipation is high among car fans for the 7.8 million yen ($67,000) Nissan GT-R, although Nissan has given scant specifics. The company has not given a US price yet, but the vehicle is being promised to come under $80,000. Nissan already sells other sporty models, including the Z sports car, but it costs a third of the GT-R, which is billed as more powerful. Nissan has set up a webpage with a countdown clock until the launch to hype the car. GT-R won't be promoted in Japan with any TV ads, which Nissan says are only effective for mass market models. The model will be on show at the Tokyo auto show, which opens to the public Oct. 27. The event also displays many futuristic "concept" models that aren't for sale. Analysts say that high-end sports cars aren't expected to sell in numbers, especially after the hype wears off, but they are critical for a manufacturer's image, not a practical moneymaking endeavor. "Obviously, the size of the market is very, very small," said Credit Suisse Japan auto analyst Koji Endo. "It's really an image issue." Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. is also strengthening its sports car lineup, and recently showed the Lexus IS F, which goes on sale in Japan in December, and early next year elsewhere. Sports cars come with some risks. Nissan officials said they were worried about possible social ills -- citing safety and noise concerns -- from how people might use or modify such a powerful car. "We feel a social responsibility," said Nissan marketing director Yoshimitsu Kaji. "We must deliver on maintenance so everything is safe and legal."