NISSAN is recalling more than 800,000 cars worldwide, nearly 134,000 of which are in Britain, because of a possible steering wheel glitch. The Japanese car maker said the recall will affect 133,869 models of the Nissan Micra, which were produced in Sunderland, north-east England, between 2002 and 2006. The global recall also affects the Nissan Cube, a model which is not sold in Britain, the BBC reports. Nissan says a bolt in both models may not have been properly tightened and could cause the steering wheel to fail to function. The car-maker is planning to fix the issue by tightening the bolt in a repair that will take around 15 minutes for most customers. Some, however, will have the entire steering wheel replaced. The company sayS there is no risk of the steering wheel suddenly failing. "There is a very, very small risk that there are any 2002-2006 Micra models that require attention, but safety is our upmost priority which is why we are recalling all vehicles potentially affected," a UK spokesman for Nissan said. So far Nissan says no injuries or deaths have been reported as a result of the glitch. The recall comes just a month after Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Mazda recalled around three million cars over an airbag fault. This is another global recall, with cars in Japan, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East all affected. Source: The Week UK
Nissan recalls more than 800,000 cars over possible steering wheel glitch
Nissan Resonance Concept is a Futuristic Design Proposal Hinting at the Next Murano
Created by Nissan Design America in San Diego, California under the direction of chief designer Shiro Nakamura, the Resonance concept that was unveiled today at the Detroit Motor Show hints at the design philosophy that will be adopted by the Japanese automaker in its future crossovers and especially the Murano. The concept features a “floating” roof and what its designers call a “V-Motion”, which starts from the grille, moves through the bonnet and “resonates” with the boomerang-shaped headlights that extend almost to the base of the steeply-raked A-pillars. The bodywork is full of aggressive lines that are accentuated by the “Flair Orange” golden paint and the satin-chromed 22-inch alloy wheels. “When the designers were first working on the Resonance, they were inspired by scientific advancements in technology and material innovations”, said Francois Bancon, Nissan general manager for product strategy and planning. “They were also inspired by the aspirations of those people who embrace innovation”, he added. “It was 
about serving those people a concept vehicle that is forward-looking and fuses style with an athletic ride.” We, on the other hand, venture a guess that the initial brief was about designing a possible replacement to the next-generation Murano that will be manufactured in the U.S.; but then, that’s just our two cents… In crafting the cabin Nissan wanted to explore “what the future of first-class space travel might be”. Admittedly, they were pretty restrained, since there is a proper steering wheel, normal seats and even a center console. In fact, take away the “VIP lounge” holographic infotainment experience, put in some conventional controls and it could very well make it into production. The same stands for the hybrid powertrain that comprises a 2.5-liter internal combustion engine, two high performance electric motors, a next-generation continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a compact laminated lithium-ion battery pack. Source: Carscoop
about serving those people a concept vehicle that is forward-looking and fuses style with an athletic ride.” We, on the other hand, venture a guess that the initial brief was about designing a possible replacement to the next-generation Murano that will be manufactured in the U.S.; but then, that’s just our two cents… In crafting the cabin Nissan wanted to explore “what the future of first-class space travel might be”. Admittedly, they were pretty restrained, since there is a proper steering wheel, normal seats and even a center console. In fact, take away the “VIP lounge” holographic infotainment experience, put in some conventional controls and it could very well make it into production. The same stands for the hybrid powertrain that comprises a 2.5-liter internal combustion engine, two high performance electric motors, a next-generation continuously variable transmission (CVT) and a compact laminated lithium-ion battery pack. Source: CarscoopQ3 roundup of global retail leaders
In the third of this year's regular series of updates, IGD retail have rounded up the main developments at the leading global grocery retailers - Carrefour, Tesco, Metro and Walmart - since August. Divestment has been key feature for Carrefour: (1) In the fourth quarter Carrefour announced the sale of its business in Colombia to Cencosud, and of its Malaysian operations to Japanese retailer Aeon. Carrefour is clearly prioritising resource allocation to more mature markets where it holds a strong position, and emerging markets where it can harness growth potential (2) At the first half results presentation, when a 0.9% increase in net sales was reported, CEO Georges Plassat also outlined three areas of future focus: assets, merchandise and people (3) A survey by French trade magazine Linéaires revealed that Carrefour significantly lowered prices over the first half, closing the gap with price leader Leclerc and showing that in France, the group is well on the way to delivering EDLP. The price initiatives are beginning to kick in, and Q3 results indicated signs of improvement in French hypermarkets, especially in food sales (4) Carrefour has identified e-commerce as an area where it can accelerate in 2012. In line with this, it launched trials of virtual shopping walls at train stations in Lyon and Paris, during September and October, Tesco: improving UK performanceTesco: In China, Tesco closed four stores to concentrate on fewer regions and on key strategic areas. In South Korea, a sale and leaseback deal generated GBP300m which is likely to be invested back into the development of Tesco's business in the country. First half results revealed modest group sales growth and improving UK performance, alongside a fall in group trading profit, as the retailer invests in its plan to build a better Tesco. Performance from international operations was mixed, impacted by local economic conditions. Online has been a focus, both at home and internationally. Tesco is growing its network of dark stores in the UK, and plans to open two more over the next 18 months. In China, Tesco became the first supermarket retailer to launch a website offering recipe ideas, nutritional information and food education. Slovakia became the latest country to welcome online grocery shopping this year, following the launch of the service in the Czech Republic and Poland. Metro confident on positioning: Third quarter sales, reported last week, were up 2%, but EBIT was down 39%. European performance was mixed, with a sales fall of 2% in Germany, and divestments (Makro UK and Saturn France) impairing growth in western Europe. In Asia/Africa, sales were up 32.2% (+19% in local currency). Despite the difficulties and the uncertain economic outlook, Metro CEO Olaf Koch is confident that the group is on the right track with the strategic measures taken so far. The group continues to expect a rise in sales for the full year. In central and eastern Europe, Metro is to continue expanding the Real hypermarket business in Ukraine, while there have been rumours that it is considering the sale of operations in Russia. Metro revealed a new management structure at Real, as it attempts to realign the business and improve its profitability. Further east, more cash & carry outlets are expected to open in India by the end of the year, taking the total to 15. Metro sees potential for more than 100 Indian stores in the long term. Walmart's multichannel developments continue: At the annual analysts' meeting in October, Walmart outlined its plans for growth. These include accelerating small format store growth in the US, investing in price and e-commerce. Multichannel developments have continued apace. The launch of an advanced search engine for Walmart.com, tests of a self-scanning app and same-day delivery for online, and this week's collaboration between Mattel and Walmart Canada all reinforce the importance of e-commerce, in which CEO Mike Duke has said "we will play to win." Second quarter results, at the end of August, indicated ongoing momentum at home, with four successive quarters of positive comparable sales growth delivered in the core US stores. Although international growth slowed, these operations continue to be Walmart's main growth engine. Source: Fresh-Plaza
