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Infiniti EV put on hold to concentrate on volume sales

An Infiniti EV based on the Nissan LEAF (previewed by the LE Concept above) have been put on hold Nissan’s luxury arm, Infiniti, is on a global push to try and make inroads in to the dominance of Lexus in the luxury Japanese car arena, and has ambitious plans to be selling 500,000 cars a year by 2017. But Infiniti sold only a third of that total in 2012, so any chance of hitting the lofty target of 500k cars in the next five years means they must concentrate on volume cars, not niche cars like a Nissan LEAF based EV. That means the LEAF-based Infiniti LE EV Concept we saw at the New York Auto Show in 2012 will stay as a concept for the foreseeable future as Infiniti boss, Johan de Nysschen, seeks volume cars that will push the brand forward and bring proper sales numbers.

Nissan aiming to build radically different 2015 Le Mans prototype

By Ben Pulman 12 December 2013 12:00 Nissan is targeting an entry into the 2015 Le Mans 24hrs with a race car that will be radically different to the LMP1 prototypes fielded by Porsche, Audi and Toyota. Nissan will compete at Le Mans in 2014 with the radical ZEOD RC, filling the ‘experimental competitor’ pit garage last used in 2012 by the Nissan-powered DeltaWing, but it wants to use that experience to build a challenger for the premier LMP1 category in 2015, one that stands out from the rest of the field. ‘We have an active programme now,’ Nissan chief planning officer Andy Palmer (pictured, right) told CAR.

Penske's plan for Saturn: Sell Samsung vehicles

Entrepreneur Roger Penske wants to use the Saturn dealership network to sell vehicles built by Renault Samsung Motors and imported from South Korea. According to Automotive News, Penske recently met with Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in Paris to talk about the plan. Renault owns 80.1 percent of Renault Samsung.