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2013 Nissan LEAF updated

Nissan has updated the LEAF EV in Japan for 2013 with better range, less weight and a new LEAF S entry-level model. Revealed in Japan – but likely to come to the UK from 2013 when the LEAF starts rolling out of Nissan’s Sunderland factory – there are significant upgrades to the powertrain which result in both less weight and better range. Nissan has had a play with the electric powertrain and made it both smaller and lighter with a new motor that uses 40 per cent less dysprosium (a rare earth metal) than before, and comes in 30 per cent smaller and 10 per cent lighter, and a new streamline battery case and a few other tweaks drops the LEAF’s weight by 80kg.

Maserati Kubang SUV hits the road in new video

Maserati Kubang SUV Video There was a time when we expected everyone from Ferrari to Lamborghini and Bentley to Rolls Royce to cobble together a luxury SUV to tempt buyers. That fad went away for a while, but now its back and we have the first SUV in a generation from a maker of Italian exotica – the Maserati Kubang SUV – and this video of the Kubang on the road. Interestingly, although the Kubang is supposedly the start of this video, it only turns up in the final third, with the first two thirds dedicated to showcasing Maserati’s performance pedigree – past and present.

BMW looks to patent seven-speed lockout manual transmission

The intrepid Bimmerphiles over at www.e90post.com have uncovered a few drawings from BMW's latest patent request. The drawing shows a new transmission linkage and what looks to be a seven-speed manual transmission. Like the new Porsche 911, the BMW gear shifter has six gears in standard H pattern, with a seventh gear out to the right.