April is rolling around pretty soon, which means the New York Auto Show will be starting, which means debuts of new cars including the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder. Nissan is making sure this redesigned vehicle stands up in the elements as well as looking good in the showroom, by testing it in the Great Northwest. Come check out the Nissan Pathfinder at your 2012 Tacoma Nissan Pathfinder dealer. While the video does not reveal anything new, it does show some shots of the vehicles interior with baby seat installed.

Honda is recalling some if its most popular vehicles; the 2012 Honda Pilot, Acura MDX and some 2008-2009 Odyssey. Some 8,709 Pilot and MDX crossover vehicles have been recalled due to a possible fuel leak which according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is caused by the vent shut float valve case not meeting design specifications. In the event of a fuel leak, the possibility of a fire increases. Other vehicles that have similar parts but are not affected by the recall are Honda Accord, Odyssey, Ridgeline and Acura ZDX. Come check out the comparable Nissan Murano crossover at your 2012 Seattle Nissan Murano dealer. Although the Odyssey is not affected by this recall, it does have one of its own, due to potentially faulty gas-filled struts in vehicles with power rear lift gate. A total of 45,747 vehicles from 2008-2009 model year are being recalled because of early life failures due to a “manufacturing flaw” causing a leak of pressurized gas which can lead to injury by unexpected closing of the rear lift gate.

Europcar and Nissan have announced that the award-winning Nissan LEAF will be available for rent in Paris and London. “There are two distinct reasons for joining forces with Europcar to introduce Nissan LEAF to the short term rental market in these two busy cities,” said Guillaume Cartier, Vice President for Sales Operations at Nissan International SA. “The first is obvious: with its absence of tailpipe emissions and an outstanding driving pleasure, the Nissan LEAF is the perfect car for the inner city. The second is for drivers currently unsure whether an EV is suitable for their needs. By renting a Nissan LEAF and living with it in real world conditions they can evaluate the car in their own time,” he added. Come check out the 100% electric Nissan LEAF at your 2012 Tacoma Nissan LEAF dealer. Each customer that rents a LEAF will be helped by a Nissan-trained Europcar representative, Europcar will also take care of recharging the vehicle and will not charge for electricity to power the vehicle. For customers with questions, a Nissan hotline is available. Upon return of the vehicle, the customers will be surveyed by a Europcar representative.

Nissan has previewed the 2013 370Z at the Chicago auto show, and it now allowing fans to participate in customizing one. Using readily available aftermarket parts and accessories, fans will vote on potential modifications and can follow the progress at facebook.com/nissanperformance. “Car companies build project vehicles all the time, but we thought it’d be interesting to harness the power of social media to reach out to Z® enthusiasts – the people who are doing this to their own cars everyday,” said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Nissan Marketing, NNA. “Together we’ll create a vehicle that expands on the already outstanding performance and style of the Nissan 370Z with a balance of street and track ready modifications. Then we’ll share the finished project at upcoming Z® car enthusiast gatherings around the country.” Come check out the 370Z at your 2012 Seattle Nissan 370Z dealer. Fans comments and wall posts will be considered during each phase of voting and the modification production: power, handling/brakes, interior and exterior. The debut of the car will be at the ZDayZ event May 17-20, which is a enthusiast gathering in Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. “We’re excited to see how this group-sourced Z® will come out and how it will perform on both the street and track,” said Brancheau. “Social media has become a powerful communications tool and a great way for us to stay connected with our tremendous fan base. Immediacy, like social media itself, is another benefit of Project 370Z – which will be built from start to finish in less than four months.”

As part of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program, Honda dropped off a fleet of 2013 Honda Fit EVs to the people at Google, Stanford University and the City of Torrance, California. The participants are going to conduct tests and write logs about their experiences. “The goal of the Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program is to better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with the advancement in battery-electric technology,” said Steve Center, vice president of the environmental business development office at American Honda. “Honda’s experience and the unique feedback that Google, Stanford University and the City of Torrance will provide will be valuable to the future introduction of battery-electric technology.” Google is going to use the Fit EVs as part of their G-Fleet, an employee car-sharing program. Google’s test include carbon emissions, energy consumption and miles per charge. Come check out the all-electric Nissan LEAF at your 2012 Auburn Nissan LEAF dealer. Stanford’s test will research the psychological and physical reactions to driving an all-electric vehicle; Honda hopes to use this information to see consumer acceptance of plug-in vehicles.  Honda says the 2013 Fit EV will go 124 miles per charge using a 20 kilowatt-hour lithium battery and 92-kilowatt coaxial electric motor.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation on 06-07 models of the Chevrolet TrailBlazers. The investigation is covering over 309,000 vehicles because the potential of door fires due to faulty power window switches or some related electrical parts. So far, the NHTSA has received 12 complaints of smoke or fire from TrailBlazer owners, luckily no injuries have been reported. According to The Detroit News, GM says none of the vehicles involved have been destroyed though some have had parts melted or burned. This story is mirroring the investigation that the NHTSA launched on the Toyota Camry and RAV4 over the exact same reason, this can possibly effect 830,000 vehicles. The NHTSA is investigating where GM and Toyota got these parts to see if they sourced them from the same supplier, which could mean more vehicles being effected. Come check out the comparable Nissan Xterra at your 2012 Seattle Nissan Xterra dealer. The TrailBlazer shares its window switches with the GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Saab 9-7X, but no complaints have been received about these vehicles. No official recall has been issued pending the investigation.

When President Barack Obama was a candidate he promised by 2015 that there would be 1 million plug-in vehicles on the road. In his 2011 State of the Union address he again said 1 million plug-in vehicles as well as proposing turn the $7,500 tax credit into a point-of-purchase rebate. This has not happened yet, but in his proposed budget, which was release this week, he called for the tax credit to be upped to $10,000. Come check out the all-electric Nissan LEAF at your 2012 Tacoma Nissan LEAF dealer. In addition to promoting EV vehicles the budget calls for cutting more subsidies for Big Oil companies. With the current Presidential race underway, of course some are calling this budget a “campaign document” and others are calling for the tax credit to be eliminated all together. With the four plug-in vehicles on the market right now: the Nissan LEAF, Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi i and Tesla Roadster, that leaves about 980,000 or so more vehicles to be sold.

The Kia Soul has been a big hit for the company since its arrival in 2009, due largely to its style, which Kia has enhanced with Special Editions. Kia introduced the Red Rock Special Edition last year at the New York Auto Show and has now confirmed it for production and is now taking orders for it. Named after the famous southwest rock formation, the Red Rock comes in a brown color that Kia is calling canyon, which is accentuated by a glossy black trim in the fascia and mirror housings, inside the theme continues with black leather trim on brown cloth seats. The package starts at $20,600 and comes standard with automatic climate control and heated seats. Come check out the new 2012 Nissan cube Indigo Limited Edition at your 2012 Seattle Nissan cube dealer. “The wildly popular Soul has been a game-changer for Kia since it arrived in 2009, and our series of special editions over the past three years have added individualism and exclusivity to an already fun and youthful vehicle,” said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing and communications, KMA. “Style and flair are key to Soul’s success, and the Red Rock Special Edition, which has plenty of both, will help drive sales into 2012.”

The Kia Track’ster Concept was a huge hit at the Chicago Auto Show, one that has many people thinking it may be influencing the next generation Kia Soul.

Kia spokesman Scott McKee repeatedly said the Track’ster was just a concept and not intended to be production feasible, all the while issuing the standard auto company disclaimer, “Every concept car we do is about gathering information from consumers and media.”

Kia is looking at what body styles resonate with consumers, what they have gathered is people are looking for a variation that is more aimed at performance or a two door variant, Schreyer also mentioned another hit on the wish list was all-wheel drive. Come check out the quirky and fun Nissan cube at your 2012 Seattle Nissan cube dealer. Some things Schreyer says he hopes will be on the next-gen Soul are blacked-out A-pillar, the softer roofline, Track’ster’s uphill C-pillar, and the taillights. What should not be expected are the Soul to look like the rest of the evolving Kia line, Schreyer wants the Soul to keep its uniqueness saying, “In a positive way, the Soul is like the black sheep of the family”.

A University of Michigan study is showing how far a little regulation can go. The study shows that in the last four years, the fuel economy of new vehicles has increased 14%. In 2007 Congress, for the first time in ages, raised the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, which is set at 34.1 miles per gallon by 2016 and a new proposal is trying to raise it to 54.5 mpg by 2025. The study showed that the average light-duty vehicle got 21.5 mpg versus 18.9 in 2008; for vehicles that are actually purchased the number is 22.5 mpg. The study shows how consumers are focusing on vehicles with better mileage. Come check out the 38-mph highway, Nissan Versa at your 2012 Tacoma Nissan Versa dealer. The biggest jump in the study comes from diesel vehicles which jumped 9.8 mpg, because more passenger diesel vehicles are being offered. Surprisingly, hybrids saw their numbers drop 3 mpg, which is caused by the number of SUV hybrids. Light trucks (pickups, minivans, vans and SUVs) increased 1.6 mpg.