New collaboration between Nissan and Mitsubishi

Nissan and Mitsubishi have announced that they will be expanding their cooperation, sharing vehicles, infrastructures and expertise to create new models in the months and years to come, increasing both automakers’ competitiveness around the world.
Nissan has already signed agreements to provide Mitsubishi with a light van/wagon for the Japanese market, and Mitsubishi has conversely agreed to provide Nissan with a sport utility vehicle destined for the Middle East.
Both manufacturers are reportedly studying a project that would enable them to produce Nissan’s Navara (or Frontier) pickup in a Mitsubishi factory in Thailand. What’s more, the Japanese companies are considering teaming up to design a new one-ton pickup and to produce and engineer sub-compact models for the Japanese market.
Nissan and Mitsubishi had already signed cooperation agreements for the manufacturing of sub-compact and commercial vehicles in Japan, and both automakers stressed that the announcement of this collaboration complements the global partnerships already in place.

According to Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan, “This agreement is important for Nissan as it supports our expansion in emerging markets, meets immediate capacity needs overseas, and enables us to grow our mini car business in Japan. ».

Mitsubishi’s president, Osamu Masuko, is equally satisfied by this agreement: “I believe that the expansion of our OEM agreement will complement each others' regional characteristics and product lineup, and the one-ton pickup and mini car projects will be the best solution to strengthen each others' competitiveness.”

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Group offers ideas on charging hybrid vehicles

Although It will be a challenge to put all those cars on the grid and build a network of outlets to juice charge them. Plug-in advocates argue that the state's failure to meet that challenge 10 years ago delayed new technology for cars.

The California Plug-In Electric Vehicle Collaborative includes state and local agencies and industry groups that say they’ve got ideas for making things work more smoothly as more plug-in cars hit the road.
Those ideas include easing rules in condo and apartment buildings for chargers, figuring out off-peak rates for overnight juicing, and streamlining the process of applying for a home charging system at your local city hall.

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 Mercedes-Benz has just admitted it is likely to fall short of the top spot in luxury car sales in the US this year, and accepts third place behind Lexus and BMW. Meanwhile, Lexus is set to top sales for the year once again.
Although German auto makers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have closed the gap somewhat this year, Lexus will remain as the top-selling luxury brand in the US. Toyota’s luxury arm has been at the top since 2000 and Mercedes-Benz US president doesn’t see this changing any time in the immediate future.
Ernst Lieb, Mercedes-Benz US president, recently said at a meeting in Detroit, “I’m pretty sure we’ll be number three”, in regards to this year’s sales. And he expects BMW to take second spot.
The company did come close to BMW last month though, only falling short by 545 vehicle sales. Lieb said, “they are pushing extremely hard” BMW, but says none of the two companies are going to make up enough to catch Lexus.

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Karim Habib returns to BMW.

Karim Habib, former Team Leader for Advanced Design at BMW, joined Mercedes-Benz earlier this month, becoming Head of Advanced Design at the German automaker's Stuttgart studio. Habib will work under newly appointed Mercedes-Benz Head of Design, Gorden Wagener.
Habib, 38, was born in Beirut, Lebanon and attended elementary school in Iran, France and Greece before moving to Montreal, Canada in 1982. He earned his Bachelor's degree in engineering from McGill University in Montreal prior to studying automotive design.
Following a year at Art Center Europe in Switzerland, Habib studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA and began his automotive design career at BMW AG in Munich, Germany, shortly after earning his degree.
Credited for having designed the latest BMW 7 Series and the Concept CS unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2007, Habib's first project working at BMW was the interior of the E60 5 Series.
"BMW was my life for ten years and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it," Habib told us.
Over his decade-long career at BMW, Habib worked on a multitude of concepts and production vehicles as he rose through the ranks within Advanced Design, starting first as an automotive designer, then becoming senior exterior designer of the F01/F02 (7 Series) project, before finally securing the role of Team Leader Advanced Design for the BMW Group.
When asked why he had chosen to leave BMW, a company that experiences very little turnover in its design department, Habib said: "Sometimes in life you have to accept new challenges, go against the grain and expand your horizons."
"Mercedes-Benz is a brand with a lot of history and a lot of opportunity," he added.

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