In a move certain to divide consumers into love-it/hate-it groups, Nissan Motor Co. will introduce a convertible version of its Murano crossover next year.

The crossover, which already has a polarizing bulky rear-end design, will be offered as a two-door with a droptop, company officials confirm.

Nissan showed the convertible to dealers at a meeting in Las Vegas this month. It is not clear when retailers will receive it, but it is likely to arrive in 2011.

One Nissan retailer, who asked not to be identified, commented that the design is "kind of unusual." He added: "It actually looks better with the top down than up."

 

A 305-horsepower Mustang V6 for $22,995. A killer 412-horsepower Mustang GT V8 that starts for barely 30 grand. And coming soon, a 440-horse Mustang Boss 302 that will spark '60s flashbacks and almost surely start below $40,000. Hurry, remind me again: What exactly is the point of a $50,000-plus Mustang called the Shelby GT500?

 

As Sunday's ceremony fades away into the upcoming week -- and all the stresses, errands and fun that entails -- let's take one last look at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, shall we? It's a quick look, just two minutes long, at the entire awards ceremony via time-lapse video.

And you know what? It also marks the one-year anniversary of the "Exhaust Notes" blog, and the time-lapse video from last year's ceremony was the very first post we ever published here.

Enjoy the weekend.





 

Mazda's recall for power-steering issues is set to exceed half a million worldwide, and James B. Treece over at Automotive News wants to know: Why aren't people more angry about this?

Recalls happen all the time and affect all automakers, so that's not the sticking point. Treece's point is that this particular issue for the Mazda3 and Mazda5 is not new, and in fact comes a full year after Mazda remedied the problem for models sold in Japan. If Toyota had dragged out the process in the same way, Treece argues (correctly, I think), it would have been pilloried. Why not Mazda? 

You may know the name Martin Eberhard: one of the founders of Tesla, now the electric-vehicle engineering director at Volkswagen’s Electronics Research Lab in Palo Alto, Calif. Suffice it to say that with plenty of work put into the Audi e-tron supercar (pictured) and the VW E-Up city car, among others, the man is on the cutting edge of battery technology.

Eberhard has good news for those eager to see the widespread adoption of EV technology: Range anxiety, widely agreed to be a major hurdle for most everyday consumers, may be virtually nonexistent in just 10 years. Eberhard says that at the current rate of progress, an EV's range could be up to 500 miles on a single charge within 10 years. 

The history of Fisker's Karma hybrid -- it of the head-turning design and the impressive credentials of its eponymous designer -- is hurry up and stop. The company has delayed the sleek plug-in three times, despite $828.7 million in backing from the government and private sources. So what has the company produced?

A commercial.

And while the manufacturer says its factory in Finland will go online in February, with a sales goal of 15,000 units in 2011, given the company's history, this may be all you'll see of the Karma for some time to come. Check out the commercial after the jump. 

Coda's self-titled debut sedan is small in statue but carries ambitious goals for the upstart California electric-car maker.

The five-passenger ride is expected to launch this December in California, and Coda Automotive wants to sell the cars across the nation by the end of 2013. It's the first product for a company that is banking on the battery: the 33.8-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion unit powers a small motor for a range of 90 to 120 miles.

Coda brass are candid: It won't be the only car for most people, but it can meet the daily needs of most people. And in plain English, it's a “real car.” There's a trunk. It has fairly bland, universal styling and is roughly the size of a Chevrolet Cobalt. The ambitious goal is to sell 14,000 Codas next year with a sticker in the mid-$30,000 range after the $7,500 federal tax credit and other potential incentives.

 

"Top Gear's" silent masked racer, known only as the Stig, is the subject of many rumors, mysteries, and fables -- mostly put forth by the show's co-hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. Now the mystery driver, whose real identity is reportedly known only by the three presenters and a handful of top British Broadcasting Co. execs, wants to write a book -- and the BBC is set to throttle him with a lawsuit if he does.

The issue, according to the BBC, is that the Stig is under contract to keep his identity a secret.