Looks like EVs will be the treat for us all this year. The Nissan Leaf is set to make a splash in the US market and Nissan feels like it’s going to be their next cash cow.

Nissan has been focusing on performance cars for the past few years (the GT-R, the 350Z and the 370Z) so it’s nice to see that they’re keen on making this EV a mass-market thing.

The Leaf EV is powered by a 107 hp electroc motor that gets its juice from lithion-ion batteries. The car has an effective range of 100 miles and a top speed of 87 mph.

The pace of orders peg Nissan to get orders for 25,000 units. That volume is considered decent enough to make the Japanese automaker some decent dough.

How much is a Nissan badge compared to Tata’s? $1000. At least in the battle of the people’s car.

Nissan doesn’t want Tata to take the whole chunk of the third world market with the Tata Nano, that’s why the Japanese automaker tapped its Indian partner Bajaj Auto to create the Nissan Nuvu.

The Nano’s currently selling at $2,500 in India. Nissan plans to keep its pricing competitive with a $3,000 price tag. Nissan plans to sell it in emerging markets in Africa and Asia.

The Nuvu is expected to go on sale in 2011. The Indian market is dominated by sub-$8000 models. The Nissan badge and the price tag is expected to give the car an edge over its rival.

Instead of having cars and helicopters drive and fly around for a visually-stimulating advertisement, the Nissan Sentra SE-R ad simply scaled down everything.

The ad features a remote-controlled car 1/10th the size of the real one powerslide through a real street. You read that right. Powerslide.

There’s a chopper too albeit an RC one too.

It’s the Geneva motor show so we can just expect more pictures and details on the slew of debuts. This here’s the unveiled new Nissan Micra.

The Euro-spec version of the car is powered by a choice of two engines – a 1.2L 3-cylinder gasoline engine that dishes out 79bhp and 80 lb-ft of torque and supercharged 1.2L engine that dishes out 97 bhp and 105 lb-ft of torque. The supercharged version will feature a start-stop system as well.

Buyers will be able to choose between a CVT transmission and a proper manual. The car will also have a collection of add-ons like parking sensors with “parking space measurement,” touch-screen sat nav and automatic wipers.

The new version’s built on an all-new global V-platform that’s designed in Japan but will be built in various Nissan plants in Mexico, China, Thailand, and India. European sales are set to begin in Europe.

Nissan may not be releasing something new for now but updates on its existing fleet would be most welcome. We’re pretty sure that they’re still milking all the development and hype they’ve given cars such as the GT-R and the 370Z.

Anyway, here’s a special edition of the 370Z sports coupe – the Nissan 370Z Black Edition. The car’s built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Nissan’s Z cars.

Powering the car’s the same 3.7L engine from Infiniti found in the standard 370Z. The car gets some added goodies though which include red leather and suede interior, leather steering wheel, and a touchscreen sat nav inside.

Outside the car gets either a metallic black or quartz paint job while it sits on 19-inch rims. The car also gets red brake calipers for good measure.

Only 370 of these babies will be hitting Europe and would cost around $52,500 (£33,645) for a manual and $54,680 ( £35,045) for an automatic.

Source: Autocar

10. Toyota Prius

While die-hard gear- and petrolheads aren’t throwing in the towel yet in this econmentalist revolution that has affected the motoring industry, we have to admit the the impact of the hybrid. It might be slow to drive and you might look like a smug and sanctimonious bastard who likes the smell of his own farts owning one. But it did challenge the status quo regarding cars and saving the planet. And quite frankly, whether we like it or not, that’s where motoring is headed.

9. Ariel Atom

It might not be the car you can live with everyday but it’s a track day car that any middle-aged middle-class person can consider gifting himself with while contending with mid-life crisis. It melts your face and ruptures your spleen. The car redefined power-to-weight ratios. It offers more excitement than six-figure supercars.

8. Nissan GT-R

Forget about Porsches, Lambos, Koenigseggs and Paganis, as far as supercars are concerned, we’re giving it to Nissan. Why? It’s because Nissan has proven that it can shame every self-respecting supercar maker by making a car that’s arguably better at half the price. And if there’s a digital technological showcase, this is it. Makes you forget that it’s a Datsun.

7. Ford Focus Mk2

The Focus might have started its life in the late 90s but the Mark 2 made it one of the better cars of the decade. It looks good, performs well, practical, and wouldn’t make you destitute trying to own one. As a hatchback, it has got the best-ever EuroNCAP ratings for its class trumping rivals like the Renault Megane and Volkswagen Golf. The ST and RS variants made the ordinary man think that a decent fast car isn’t only for thoser who can buy supercars. And it’s available in more markets than most of its US rivals.

6. Aston Martin DB9

Being Aston fans, we know there should be an Aston somewhere in the list. We were really going for the DBS but realized that the DB9 was the car that Aston Martin got right. Without their achievement with the DB9, the DBS would’ve been horrible. The DB9 showed that Aston can make a great-looking great car.

5. Audi R8

Out of almost nowhere, Audi decided to join the supercar fray with the R8. And that’s really something especially since the Volkswagen Group already has Lamborghini to make insane supercars. The thing is, apart from the LED headlamps and that silver thing running down its the side, the R8 isn’t really insane. Sort of a sensible man’s supercar but better in almost (if not all) respects than a Porsche 911. The R8 is one of the best-driving supercars (performance and ease of driving it) our there in the market.

4. Ferrari F430 Scuderia

I know what you’re thinking. If there’s a Ferrari to make this list, it should be the flagship Enzo. But no. The Scuderia is probably the best example of the stripped-down super car by far – proof that you can make a car better by subtracting and not adding. Just take note of the fact that this car is faster than the Enzo around Ferrari’s own track. At less than half the Enzo’s price. And yes, it’s a Ferrari.

3. Fiat 500 Abarth

In a decade that saw people lose jobs and money, Fiat has given us the best cheap and cheerful vehicle – the 500 Abarth. You can now forget the Mini when thinking of small zippy cars because the 500 Abarth is definitely “it.” The real driver’s alternative for owning and driving a great performing car without requiring you to acutally rob a bank. Too bad there’s a long waiting list before you can get one if you decide to.

2. Honda FCX Clarity

We’re really putting it all on black with this one. Notice there’s not one pure electric vehicle in the list? That’s because we think that waiting hours for a car to get back on the road again has sent motoring back into… oh we don’t know. Not even horse-drawn carriages needed 8 hours to get going again. Sure, hydrogen tech has yet to be perfected but the car really is fit for the future. As James May said, “The reason it’s the car of the future is because it’s just like the car of today.

1. Bugatti Veyron

The essence of engineering – taking Newton’s laws of physics and throwing them out the window. Oh sure, Shelby Supercars decided they can build the faster Utimate Aero but nothing trumps the pantomime-effect of the Veyron. It’s fast all right. But you know you’re looking at something different. Something majestic.

No major changes to the Nissan GT-R here but the few changes they made are sure to delight buyers and piss off those who already bought one.

The car gets rear diffuser cooling ducts as part of the standard car. Those ducts were only previously found in the Spec-V GT-R. The car also gets improved low and mid-range responsiveness which should make the car just a bit quicker.

And for those who are looking to use the GT-R as an everyday roadgoing car, this update tweaked the suspensions so that the performance is retained but the ride comfort is enhanced.

These, however, are for JDM GT-Rs which we hope are only for now.

Source: Autocar

Check out the video showing some of the Tokyo debutantes below:

For Nissan, which isn’t making any major changes to Godzilla this year, it’s all about green zero-emissions vehicles this year. So they’ve already launched the Leaf which will be shown at the show stands but next to it is another EV concept – the Land Glider.

Just check out the funky design. It’s only good for one person and is Nissan’s “new proposal for urban mobility that can be enabled by zero-emission car.” Forget the Segway and Winglet, I think I’d rather still be in a car even if it looks like a snazzy bumper car.

Nissan claims that the narrow body can help deal with traffic congestions and help with parking spaces. Well, they might want to take a look at the number of cars without any passengers and do some fancy math and statistics to ascertain those claims but yes, the car has potential.

All 2010 Rogues pack the 170 hp 2.5L 4-cylinder engine that’s mated to Nissan’s Xtronic Continuously Variable Transmission. The car has options for both front-wheel and all-wheel drive cars. As for fuel economy, front-wheel drives go for 22/27 mpg (city/highway) and all-wheel drives get 21/26 mpg.

The MSRPs for the trim levels:

• Rogue S FWD: $20,340
• Rogue SL FWD: $21,930
• Rogue S AWD: $21,540
• Rogue SL AWD: $23,130

In a saturated crossover market, the Rogue has its job cut for it. With many opting for smaller Korean-made cars, it’d be amazing if Rogue actually sells big.

Source: Nissan