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2014 Nissan Dayz Roox is the littlest high-roof van you ever did see

Even average production cars from Japan often seem very conceptual to US eyes. Throw in typical, nonsensical-quasi-English-words name like "Dayz Roox" and you'd be forgiven for thinking this Nissan box on wheels was still a designer's dream. But the fact is that the Nissan Dayz is a model currently on sale, and this Roox version is the latest take on the micro-van, which is a popular segment in Japan.
In fact, this generation of Dayz is the first minicar that Nissan has developed completely in-house, and the thing has been selling astoundingly well in its first stint on the market (30k units in month one month, says Nissan). So it's unsurprising that the company is looking to expand the range with a model that is more fully featured.
The Roox (we have no clue as to where that name came from, or what it means) would appear to be a high-roof version of the three-cylinder Dayz minicar - in fact Nissan goes so far as to call it an "Impressive Super Height Wagon." Features like automatic sliding doors, Around View Monitor and UV-insulated glass are all luxuries in kei-class car. The press release also specifies that the Roox is tall enough to swallow a 27-inch bicycle.

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.

Nissan could have bought a stake in Aston Martin as early as 2012

Aston Martin has a very interesting future ahead of it. While the British brand appeared to be struggling with aging tech for a while, fresh investment from Daimler may have shown a light toward the future with the brand getting engines and electronics from them. Also, former Renault-Nissan top exec Andy Palmer has jumped ship from the French/Japanese automaker to become CEO of the much smaller sports car company. Interestingly, though, new reports from unnamed Nissan sources have indicated that Palmer has been pushing to work with AM for years.
Three unnamed company insiders told Reuters that Palmer made attempts to convince Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in 2012 and 2013 to invest in Aston Martin, but his proposals were shot down both times for unspecified reasons, according to Automotive News. "We looked carefully at the proposal but we passed on it," said one of the sources.
You can easily see why Palmer was eying Aston Martin even back in 2012. It's no secret that the British sports car mavens were in need of extra funding, well before the Daimler investment. Building vehicles these days is only getting more expensive with stronger safety and emissions requirements. Just look at the brand's desperate hope to get a side-impact crash exemption to keep selling its models in the US as an example.