Nissan News: Upgraded European Navara and New Mobility Concept Carsharing

It’s been a pretty quiet week around the automotive blogosphere.  Most of us are waiting for the next couple of major international motor shows In November – the ones in LA and Tokyo. Chances are, we’ll start to see a steady stream of previews around the beginning of October. Until then, automakers seem to be using this time to focus their media promotion on local markets.

All that to say, we’re going to finish off the week by discussing two new and interesting developments from Nissan, although they may not be directly relevant to every single one of our readers… Keep reading to learn more.

European Market Nissan Navara SV Gets Luxurified

This is the new, more luxurious edition of the Nissan Navara LE pickup truck; it’s the SV (special version) edition and it’s exclusive for the European market. Basically, Nissan is looking to appeal to drivers who want a comfortable interior in their pick-up, and a rugged-but-premium exterior.

To accomplish these two goals, Nissan has upgraded the Navara LE SV with 18” chrome-alloy wheels, a brushed steel bar under the front fender, and chrome-wrapped fog lights. Inside, the Navara LE SV gets new Alcantara trim on the seats and accented throughout, while the rest of the upholstery gets upgraded to double-stitched leather.

According to Christian Meola, LCV European Product Manager, “The special version underlines and enhances the appeal of one of the most capable pickups on the market.  Luxurious, sporting and supremely versatile, it is the ultimate Navara.”

The Nissan Navara LE SV will be available with one of two diesel engine configurations; either a 2.5L four-cylinder with 187 hp or a 3.0L V6 with 228 hp.

New Nissan Mobility Concept EV Car Sharing Program

We’ve been keeping tabs on the Twizy-based Nissan Mobility Concept since the beginning of this year, and it seems as if the Japanese automaker is finally ready to put its urban EV to the test in the real world.  Starting next month, Nissan and the Japanese city of Yokohama will launch the first-ever EV carsharing program using a fleet of 30 Mobility Concept EV’s.

The new car sharing program will be called Choimobi Yokohama, which literally means Mega-Easy Mobility Yokohama. Nissan’s short term goal is to enlarge the fleet up to 100 NMC’s, each of which will be rented out at a rate of ~$12/hr. Rentals will be facilitated through an online reservation system and will include the free use of various parking facilities throughout the city.

This is a big step for Nissan, and if it works out well then Choimobi Yokohama could be the first of many EV carsharing programs around the world. It’s not difficult to imagine similar programs taking off in many other European and Asian markets, although it may not be appealing to U.S. customers for several years yet…  At least, not outside of the ever-trendy Northwest coast.

Thanks for reading, and come back next week for more news about your favorite Japanese cars!