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Expect Lots Of Big Moves From Nissan Over The Coming Months

Big changes are hitting the US car market this week – but uncertainty bring opportunity, and few companies have less to lose and more to gain from 2025’s automotive turmoil than Nissan. With a new, enthusiastic CEO, interest from Foxconn and Honda, and a number of American manufacturing sites already in operation, Nissan has a chance – but the new LEAF is a snoozer, and they’ll have to do better if they want to survive.

Once upon a time, a new Nissan LEAF would be the biggest news of the day – especially on an EV site. Such is the state of things in 2025, however, that an all-new Nissan LEAF reveal doesn’t even make into the day’s “Featured” stories app.

And, frankly, it’s no wonder. Back in 2021, Nissan showed its Ambition 2030 presentation. TTAC’s Matt Posky called it, “an hour of wishful thinking,” and rightly pointed out that the company had closed out 2020 with a raft of layoffs, billions in losses, and shocking build quality issues. The general consensus at the time was that if a bevy of poorly-conceived, hastily rendered CGI concepts was the best Nissan could put out, it was well and truly lost.

That was then. Now, there’s hope. The brand has nothing left to lose, and Nissan’s incoming CEO, Ivan Espinosa, spent two decades growing the brand in Mexico. And he’s not just a sports car enthusiast – but, crucially, a Nissan sports car enthusiast, with what appears to be a sincere love for classic rides like the OG Sentra SE-R, the J30 Maxima, and every proper Z and GTR that ever rolled off an assembly line.

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But enthusiasts don’t buy cars. Not new ones, anyway. And new enthusiasts aren’t created at auto shows or expos – they’re created in the driver’s seat. Espinosa might understand this. And if he does, he’ll embrace these five ideas, and drive Nissan back to victory lane.

1. Ditch technology

Nissan 240Z interior; via MS Classic Cars.

See that? That’s a beautiful, classic Datsun 240Z interior, filled with character, natural materials, and all manner of buttons, switches, knobs, and levers. Granted, there are a lot of issues with these things, and they’re probably more expensive to produce in 2025 than the now-ubiquitous array of touchscreens, but all this physical interaction created engagement.

This isn’t an old guy waxing nostalgic about the olden days, kids – engagement is what the companies with the most fervent fanbases have, and it’s that push for engagement that has led car companies to examine the object people interact with the most (their phones), and misguidedly do everything they can to either make their cars feel more like peoples’ phones, or build cars that drive people around so they can keep interacting with their phones.

Nissan can’t build phones better than Xiaomi can build phones, Nissan doesn’t have the money to build up advanced ADAS or “self-driving” features like Tesla, and literally no one – not even Honda – has given me a good answer as to why anyone would want an AI like Honda’s new ASIMO OS in their next car.

If Nissan can’t compete, they shouldn’t try. Ditch the tech. Ditch the cost. Ditch the electronic gremlins and J.D. Power hits for glitchy OS integration. Get back to the basics of building great cars. And to build a great car, you must …

2. Simplify, and add lightness

Lotus Elan S4 drop head coupe; by Grenadille under CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

… it was the great Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars, who said that making a great car was easy. “All you have to do,” he explained, “is simplify, and add lightness.”

To be clear, Americans don’t want efficiency. Being efficient in the US, being frugal, being affordable – all of these are “bad” things in America, where bigger is better and being forced to admit that you don’t have the cash to buy a thing you want right. This. Second. is a top 5 fear.

But Lotus’ cars aren’t seen as cheap. They may be simple. They may lack some of the bells and whistles and lots of the sound deadening, ultra-high powered HVAC, and audio features of their peers, but they’ve turned those omissions into strengths, and Nissan can do the same.

After proudly ditching the phone-like tech experience, connectivity, and ADAS features, Nissan’s cars will already be simpler, more physically engaging experiences. The next move is to cut weight (and costs) by cutting features.

Power seats? Gone – replace those with high-quality, multi-adjustable lightweight seats and wrap them in high-quality materials. Massive, 20″ wheels? Get back to 16s. 18″ at the most. Ditch the center screens and radios, but include a high-quality dock for people to add their own devices for navigation and music. Sound insulation? Cut it in half. High-end audio experience? No. Ditch the space heaters and embrace more efficient heated seats and steering wheels in EVs.

Keeping things simple can be easily spun into a marketing plus, and the increased efficiency will pay massive dividends in both vehicle dynamics and range, since it simply takes fewer kW to move fewer kg. Plus: driving lightweight cars is just more fun.

3. Embrace the right to repair

nissan mechanic right to repair service
Nissan express service; via Nissan.

Nissan’s dealers are in revolt – and for good reason: there’s just too many of them. According to some reports, the average Nissan dealer has lost 400 new car sales (annually) per store. That’s significantly higher than the industry average (86), and some 40% of the Nissan dealer body was in the red through the first six months of 2024.

There are Fiat, Mini, and Mitsubishi dealers that only do 400 units per year. Lots of ’em, in fact, and the only real way to cut those losses and save the company’s top performers is to shutter the bottom third (frankly, even that might be too many).

I’m not the only one saying this, and the problem isn’t just volume.

But where, then, does that leave Nissan’s established owner base? Not having enough dealers and service centers is a huge problem for trillion-dollar Tesla, so you can be sure that nearly bankrupt Nissan is in no position to solve the same problem.

The solution is to open up, and embrace right to repair.

Nissan, more than any other carmaker, has a huge number of relatively dependable cars already in the market and everything to gain from giving away access to those cars’ technical secrets. With relatively little effort, Nissan could release a series of online technical support materials, technician training, and more. And if Nissan gets really smart, they’ll post those classes on LinkedIn Learning, enabling professionals and hobbyists alike to complete the training and post certificates on their walls.

Imagine what that could do for a young person just getting started. Imagine what that could do for someone who’s looking for a project car. Imagine what Nissan could do for the communities its cars serve by empowering a generation of factory-trained Nissan technicians. Heck, imagine the real cash value it would bring to its entire used car base, if those old Nissans were objectively easier to own and maintain and keep on the road than “brand x.”

For a company that needs to shed dealers but can’t afford to alienate existing customers, this is a no-brainer.

4. Break the addiction to subprime lending

A real ad from a Chicago-area Nissan dealer.

When volume is down, profits are down, and that creates an opportunity for unscrupulous sales and finance managers to push predatory opportunistic business practices up through a chain of command that might otherwise push back on short-term gains at the expense of long term growth.

In other words: UFOs might be real, but rent is still due on the first.

Reducing the number of dealers (see #3, above) and differentiating their product line (#1 and 2) will help Nissan dealers compete on something other than price. Once they can step back from being the cheapest offering in a given segment, they can step back from the “get me done” deals that are putting food on the table today.

Nissan has to be a willing participant, though. It also has to understand that, even if rolling back its subprime lending will upset its broader dealer base, it will be better for the brand and the remaining dealers to break the subprime addiction. In the end, Nissan’s customers will thank them for keeping them out of 19% car loans, and the dealers that wail and moan and protest the loudest will be the ones Nissan should be getting rid of, anyway.

5. Nissan needs to care

2011 Nissan Cube Krom; via Nissan.

Let’s get one thing straight: the Nissan of 2025, the one that’s hemming and hawing about a new GTR and whether or not it should stay committed to EVs or buy a bunch of batteries from Toyota doesn’t really care about its cars. Not really really … but Nissan used to care.

Nissan used to care so much about its product, in fact, that it once did something that seems unthinkable in today’s modular-construction, Ultium electric-skateboard-platform EV age. And what made that “something” all the more astonishing was that they didn’t do this for the six-figure GT-R or some 370Z halo car – they did it for the lowly Nissan Cube.

What is that something? They built an entirely new body for RHD and LHD markets.

That’s right, kids. Where every other car company on earth would be content to just move the car’s controls from one side to the other and do whatever they could to mask the fact that they did so as inexpensively as possible, the Nissan of yore took a lowly subcompact – the Nissan Cube – and built a complete mirror-image of the “home market” RHD model for LHD markets.

That decision speaks to an absolutely massive commitment. A commitment to build two sets of stampings, two sets of expensive window shapes, two sets of stuff I probably haven’t even considered, and it was all done for what? To eliminate a blind spot?

Can you imagine the amount of sheer, epic, truckloads of f*cks you would have to give in order to sit in a boardroom and argue that your company should spend millions of dollars in tooling and certification and assembly line re-jiggering because someone, somewhere else, might have a bit of a blind spot when they look over their right shoulder? (!)

The mere suggestion of such a thing would be a career-ender at GM or, for sure, Stellantis. Nissan didn’t just listen to that unnamed engineer (and it had to be an engineer), they went ahead and did it. They built an entire mirror-image of their home market Cube, and they did it so quietly that I bet more than a few of you reading these words never even realized they’d done it.

Nissan needs that level of caring now, more than ever. And the new LEAF? That weird, high-riding, not-quite a sedan and not-quite a crossover and not-quite attractive and not-quite premium but not-quite cheap EV that’s supposed to represent some kind of turning point for the brand?

That ain’t it.

That’s just my take, though. Head on down to the comments and let me know what you think Nissan needs to do to stage a comeback in the comments.

Original content from Electrek; featured image via Nissan.

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Preorder Segway’s new Ninebot F3 smart eKickScooter at $250 off, Anker SOLIX flash sale takes 45% off units, Greenworks, LG, more

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April 2, 2025

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Preorder Segway's new Ninebot F3 smart eKickScooter at 0 off, Anker SOLIX flash sale takes 45% off units, Greenworks, LG, more

Headlining today’s mid-week Green Deals is the early-bird preorder savings you can score on Segway’s new Ninebot F3 eKickScooter through April 14 that drops the price down to $600, with similar smart features to last month’s Max G3 model, including Apple Find My and autonomous locking/unlocking, among others. Next, Anker has launched another SOLIX weekend flash sale that is offering up to $2,898 in savings on a selection of varying backup power solutions, including the F2000 Portable Power Station with a 400W solar panel for $1,599, as well as some C800 Plus and F3800 offers. Next, we have a roundup of Greenworks electric pressure washers for your spring cleaning needs, with the brand’s GPW2003 2,000 PSI model hitting a new $135 low. Bringing up the rear is LG’s WashCombo All-in-One Electric Washer/Dryer with Ventless Inverter Heat Pump that is down at $1,999. Plus, all the other hangover Green Deals are in the links at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s EcoFlow Easter Sale offers, the collection of EGO lawn care savings, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Score $250 in preorder savings on Segway’s new Ninebot F3 smart eKickScooter at $600

Segway is launching preorders on its newest commuting option, the Ninebot F3 eKickScooter that will be down at $599.99 shipped through April 14 before opening for general purchases on April 15. This all new model will carry an $850 price tag once these pre-sale discounts are over, with this being the very first chance at cash savings. Taking advantage of this deal saves you 29% off its MSRP, putting $250 back in your pocket and giving us an idea of what future discounts may bring us. Head below to learn more about this new e-scooter and its features.

Joining the lineup alongside last month’s flagship Max G3 release and January’s GT3 SuperScooter, Segway’s new Ninebot F3 eKickScooter also sports many similar smart features that will surely have riders excited – especially at this lower rate.

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The designers of Segway’s Ninebot F3 eKickScooter have kept daily commutes in mind, giving it a brushless motor that can max out at 1,000W of power to tackle up to 20% inclines, while it pairs with the 477Wh battery to provide up to 44 miles of travel on a single charge at top speeds of 20 MPH. Aside from its smart innovations, you’re commute will be further enhanced by the 10-inch self-sealing jelly tires, a larger footboard, front hydraulic and rear elastomer suspension, a 6W auto-on headlight, brake lighting, turn signals, a front mechanical disc brake, as well as a rear electronic brake, and a 2.4-inch TFT smart display with navigation and caller ID – plus, the whole thing sports an IPX6 water-resistance rating.

Of course, the biggest of these new features has to be the Apple Find My capabilities and Airlock proximity locking/unlocking which can both be accessed via its companion app, with the distance for the latter feature being adjustable through the smart controls. It’s also been given the brand’s SegRange optimization that improves travel range by 20%, as well as the SegRide Stability Enhancement System that improves handling by making it far more resistant to disturbances you ride over and slipping on wet roads, even at its top speeds.

“As leaders in the personal transportation space, we’re not only innovating for the future, but innovating for every day. The F3 is the latest in our popular commuter scooter series. With each iteration of our scooters, we hope to make every ride a little bit better. Whether commuters riding to work, college students riding to class, or anyone just looking for some fun, our new F3 will deliver greater comfort, convenience and efficiency.”Tom Hebert, VP of Sales at Segway

If you’re interested in the brand’s Ninebot Max G3 eKickScooter, specifically, you’ll find the best current price on it coming from Amazon right now, where it’s $400 off over Segway’s direct $300 off discount.

Anker SOLIX F2000 Portable Power Station

Anker SOLIX weekend flash sale drops F2000 solar generator with 400W panel to $1,599

Anker is having a SOLIX weekend flash sale that is continuing some of the flash deals we saw last weekend along with some additional savings. Aside from the F3800 bundle discounts, a notable bundle is the F2000 Portable Power Station which comes along with a 400W solar panel for $1,599 shipped. These flash savings are bringing costs down from its usual $2,898 rate, with things only beaten out by the discount from Christmas sales that dropped things $100 lower. You’re looking at the second-lowest price here, which saves you $1,299 while also equipping you with a reliable means of backup power for trips and emergencies. It’s also beating out Amazon where it sits $24 higher in price.

A solid mid-tier option for keeping devices and appliances running, Anker’s SOLIX F2000 power station provides a 2,048Wh LiFePO4 capacity that can deliver up to 2,400W of output on average with the ability to surge to 3,600W for larger appliance needs. Its 12 output ports give you a versatile range of coverage, including a TT-30 port to connect to your RV while out on the road and beyond. You can regain 80% of its battery in 1.4 hours by plugging it into a standard wall outlet, with it also boasting a 1,000W max solar input that would yield the same amount in 2.5 hours (and a little over 5 hours for the included 400W panel). There’s also the option to connect it to your car’s auxiliary port, as well as the usual array of smart controls available through its companion app.

Anker’s other SOLIX weekend flash sale offers:

You can check out all Anker’s SOLIX weekend flash sale offers, as well as the usual power deals on the landing page here.

Greenworks 2,000 PSI electric pressure washer

Clean off winter grime with Greenworks’ 2,000 PSI electric pressure washer at a new $135 low

Amazon is now offering up to 33% discounts on a selection of Greenworks electric pressure washers, just in time to jump into your outdoor spring cleaning. Among the featured models, you’ll find the largest of these markdowns being on the GPW2003 2,000 PSI Electric Pressure Washer for $134.99 shipped. The 33% markdown here is taking a significant chunk off its usual $200 price tag, with all the past discounts we’ve seen only going as low as $140. You’ll be saving $65 while the savings last here, giving you a more eco-friendly means to get outdoor cleaning done at a new all-time low price.

Spring has sprung and now there is cleaning to be done – whether that entails cleaning the grime off your home, walkways, driveway, patio furniture, and more – and this 14A Greenworks pressure washer is ready to help. It provides you with up to 2,000 PSI alongside a 1.2 GPM flow rate to efficiently clean – plus, there’s no gas or oil required, meaning no emissions. A nice little addition here is the onboard soap tank that lets you easily switch between a standard power wash to using the cleaning detergent of your preference. The device also comes with 25 feet of kink-resistant hose and four nozzle attachments.

More Greenworks electric pressure washer deals:

If you are looking for an affordable means to remove thatch and aerate your lawn’s soil to get it back to health after this winter, Greenworks’ 13A 14-inch Corded Dethatcher/Scarifier is down at $128 right now.

LG WasCombo all-in-one electric washer/dryer with ventless heat pump inverter

Score $1,050 in savings on LG’s all-in-one electric washer/dryer combo with a ventless heat pump design at $1,999

Right now you can find LG offering its WashCombo All-in-One Electric Washer/Dryer with Ventless Inverter Heat Pump for $1,999 shipped. You’d normally be shelling out $2,999 for this model, which would be bumped up to $3,049 would it not be for the free delivery, installation, and haul-away services. We’ve mostly seen it come down to $2,000 on average, with today’s rate only beaten out by the $1,500 low that dropped during the brand’s July 4th sale last year. You’ll be getting $1,050 in savings here at the second-lowest price we have tracked, complete with additional savings options in the form of possible trade-ins, as well as discounted premium care plans. You’ll find it sitting $1 higher at Best Buy right now, though there are more costs to be considered, as delivery and installation would cost you an extra $65.

The LG WashCombo arrives as an ENERGY STAR-certified all-in-one model that brings more intelligence to your laundry routine. It offers an array of smart controls through its companion app while also having been given a built-in smart system that not only recognizes the soil levels of any fabrics thrown inside but then adjusts its settings to provide optimal cleaning. You won’t have to stress over perfectly memorizing what cycles/settings work best for each. It’s also worth noting that due to its 2-in-1 design, you could double up to replace your separate washer and dryer units to do double the laundry loads at the same time – washed and dried simultaneously in each.

There are two standout features that take this model to more convenient heights, with the first of them being the ventless design, allowing you to install it anywhere with access to a standard 120V plug – plus, there’s the inverter heat pump that increases efficiency “using up to 60% less energy with every load” over other models. There’s also the ezDispense reservoir that holds up to 31 loads worth of detergent so you can just load and go, there’s even an option to split its capacity between detergent and fabric softener. You’ll also find available accessories that you can bundle to expand its functionality, all on the same landing page, including a pedestal washer or the storage drawer.

Best New Year EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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Check out Honda’s funky new electric SUV and Prelude on the road for the first time [Video]

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April 2, 2025

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Check out Honda's funky new electric SUV and Prelude on the road for the first time [Video]

Honda's-SUV-on-road

Honda’s next-gen EVs are finally coming. On Wednesday, a Honda 0 prototype made its global debut in Tokyo, giving us our first look at the electric SUV in action. Honda’s new electric SUV and the upcoming Prelude were shown on public roads for the first time. Although still a prototype, the new SUV looks pretty… boxy?

Honda’s new electric SUV hits the road for the first time

The 0 SUV will be the first of its upcoming “0 Series” lineup, kicking off a new generation of Honda EVs. We got our first look at the electric SUV and Saloon in concept form last January.

Dubbed the “Space-Hub” concept, Honda’s electric SUV is just that. Earlier this year, Honda unveiled the 0 Series SUV and Saloon EV prototypes at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), giving us a closer look at what we can expect to see when they actually hit the street.

On Wednesday, a prototype of the Honda 0 SUV was shown on a public road for the first time at a Formula One event in Tokyo.

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Honda used a specific wrap with geometric lines, calling it “a visual representation of the company’s new approach to EV development.”

Honda-new-electric-SUV-on-road
Honda-new-electric-SUV-on-road

Although the prototype has a slightly better shape, what’s up with the rear? The initial concept shown last year looked like a minivan from space. Now, the Honda 0 has more of an SUV-like shape, but it still seems out of proportion.

Honda said it aims to offer more value with its upcoming 0 Series EVs as a “space” rather than just a way of getting from point A to point B. Love it or hate it, the chunky backside on Honda’s electric SUV is designed to maximize interior space.

The production model is expected to launch in North America next year. It will be built at Honda’s EV Hub in Ohio (which we got to tour).

After that, Honda’s new electric SUV will roll out to other global markets, including Japan and Europe. Later this year, a hybrid electric Prelude will join Honda’s lineup.

What do you think of the electric SUV prototype? Would you buy one over its current Prologue? Let us know in the comments.

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NYC to sue Tesla over Elon Musk’s alleged breach of fiduciary duties

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April 2, 2025

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NYC to sue Tesla over Elon Musk's alleged breach of fiduciary duties

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has asked the city, which is a major Tesla shareholder, to sue Tesla and CEO Elon Musk over alleged breaches of fiduciary duties.

Lander asked the New York City Law Department to pursue securities litigation against Tesla on behalf of the New York City pension systems, which owns 3 million shares in Tesla.

The comptroller said:

“Ever since Elon Musk took over DOGE and became best-friend-in-chief with President Trump, Tesla—where Musk is supposed to be CEO—has suffered financially, causing enormous losses for Tesla shareholders. In less than three months, Tesla stock has lost nearly 40% of its value, with losses over $300 million for the New York City pension systems. We have long expressed concerns that the Tesla board has failed to provide independent oversight, or to require that Musk – or someone else – serve as a full-time CEO. Now, it appears that material misstatements from Tesla misled investors about his role at the company. That’s why I’m calling on the Law Department to file securities litigation: because Elon Musk is so distracted that he’s driving Tesla off a financial cliff and taking down shareholder value with it.” 

It echoes other recent concerns regarding Musk’s fiduciary duties to Tesla shareholders.

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Last summer, Tesla shareholders sued Tesla over an alleged breach of fiduciary duty regarding Musk’s AI funneling threats.

In the lawsuit, the shareholders argue that Musk has breached his fiduciary duties to Tesla shareholders by funding xAI, a private AI company, poaching Tesla employees, threatening not build AI products at Tesla unless given more control over the company, and for funneling resources from Tesla to his private companies.

Now, the NYC comptroller is piling on by adding that Tesla and Musk have been misleading about the CEO’s role at the company over the last year:

Despite stating in Tesla’s December 2024 SEC filing that “We are highly dependent on the services of Elon Musk, Technoking of Tesla and our Chief Executive Officer” and claiming that he “spends significant time with Tesla,” Musk has clearly abandoned Tesla in favor of DOGE and President Trump’s MAGA mission. By wreaking havoc on the Inflation Reduction Act, he is taking actions that are harmful to the market for electric vehicles. In addition, he alienated Tesla’s consumer base, causing Tesla’s vehicle sales to severely decline. Since 2017, the New York City pension systems have put the Tesla Board of Directors on notice over concerns regarding corporate governance and leadership, including the lack of a full-time CEO.  

As a representative of a major shareholder in Tesla, Lander has officially asked New York City’s law department to file “a 10b-5 shareholder lawsuit against Tesla, on behalf of the New York City pension systems, for their material misrepresentations regarding the leadership of the company.”

Electrek’s Take

If there’s still justice in the US, I think it’s inevitable that Musk will be found in breach of his fiduciary duty to Tesla shareholders.

There are so many examples from poaching Tesla employees for his private companies, to threatening not to build AI products, which he claimed were critical to Tesla, to literally funneling resources from Tesla to xAI.

And now he makes this deal with himself for xAI to buy X.

I expect that he will push for Tesla to invest in xAI at Tesla’s upcoming shareholders meeting right after he artificially inflated the price with an overpriced acquisition of Twitter – for a second time.

It’s all madness. I would think that the breach of fiduciary duties would be fairly clear, but with the lack of checks and balances in the US these days, I’m not sure justice will prevail.

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