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Meet Sparky, Nissan's Leaf-based, Frontier-bedded EV parts hauler [w/video]

For many enthusiasts, the concept of the ute - a car with a pickup bed - is somehow irresistibly appealing. On paper, it promises the marriage of a truck's utility and a car's superior driving dynamics, and for that reason alone, we'd love to see more of them. Yet while other parts of the world get them in good numbers, North America doesn't ever see them - at least not for long. Based on what we've seen of late, though, that's not due to a lack of motivation on the part of engineers.
BMW wowed us several years ago with an M3 ute, and earlier this year, some interns converted a Mini Paceman into the pickup-bodied Paceman Adventure. Loathe to let their rivals in Munich and Oxford have all the fun, Nissan has built its very own car-based pickup. Meet Sparky, the world's first Leaf Frontier.
Like the M3, this all-electric ute is used as a parts hauler for Nissan's engineering teams at its sprawling Stanfield, AZ tech center and proving grounds.

Full 2015 Chevy City Express details revealed

If you're thinking, "hey, that looks familiar..." you aren't alone. We've already seen photos of the 2015 Chevrolet City Express van. And before that, we've already learned everything there is to know about the Nissan NV200 upon which its quite obviously based. Now, though, the City Express is holding its official coming out party at the Chicago Auto Show, and we finally have the official details about what'll hopefully make this van attractive to work-minded buyers.
To no one's surprise, the City Express doesn't offer any mechanical differentiation from its Nissan equivalent. Power comes from a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine rated at 131 horsepower and 139 pound-feet of torque, mated exclusively to a continuously variable transmission. Of course, the purpose of the City Express is less about what's under its hood and more about what it can haul in its capacious cargo area. Chevrolet says the front passenger seat can fold flat to create a work space or accommodate longer objects in the cargo bay, there's a center console designed specifically for maximum storage capability and both sides of the van have sliding doors. In addition, there are a plethora of integrated cargo mounts, floor-mounted D-rings and roof rack mounts throughout the vehicle.
Visually, Nissan's NV200 has never exactly been a handsome thing to begin with, and this City Express doesn't really tweak it for the better - to our eyes, it might even be less attractive. Even the design of the 15-inch wheel covers have been left alone, though the Chevy shown here appears to wear chrome-finished units.

'Qashqai' so hard to pronounce even Nissan is poking fun at it

In the US, there aren't a lot of vehicle names that are very difficult to pronounce. Maybe the Volkswagen Touareg might trip up a few people, but by and large, we've got it pretty easy. Our friends in Europe, though, have a bigger challenge, thanks to vehicles like the Nissan Qashqai. Yes, Qashqai.
Like the Touareg, the Qashqai draws its name from a nomadic people. While Nissan isn't making up words, then, it's still not an easy name to pronounce. Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson routinely calls it a kumquat, for example. According to Nissan, though, it's pronounced "Cash'kai".
To get its point across as the second-gen Qashqai, the close cousin of the US market Rogue, prepares to launch in Australia, Nissan set up a little event at a coffee shop. Customers would place their orders, only to have the spelling of their names butchered rather badly. On the other side of the cup, there's a message from Nissan and the Qashqai.