Nissan

It’s the dream of any motorist: free fuel for life – and Nissan Australia is poised to find out if it’s possible and practical. Nissan has unveiled three electric-car charging stations at its head office in Melbourne powered by solar panels on its roof. They are part of a 200-day trial to find out if solar-powered charging stations can provide truly emissions-free motoring.

Nissan is poised to give its Patrol V8 another boost following its recent sales surge – with plans for a special edition designed to appeal to hardcore off-roaders. Buoyed by a new partnership with a local engineering firm that will overnight unveil a rival to the Toyota Rugged X and Ford Ranger Raptor – based on the top-of-the-range Nissan Navara – the company says it is keen to explore options on other models across the range.

The board of directors at Nissan have selected a new CEO: Makoto Uchida, the current head of the company's operations in China. Aside from heading up one of Nissan's more successful divisions, Uchida also has extensive experience with alliance partner Renault. The relationship between Nissan and Renault has become fractured since the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO of both companies, and this year's failed merger between Renault and Fiat Chrysler.

The Nissan Patrol has been given a major makeover with a bold new look, advanced safety technology, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto the headline acts. The 2020 Nissan Patrol was unveiled in the Middle East overnight – its biggest market – and it will be in Australian showrooms by the end of this year. This is the second facelift since the model went on sale in 2013; the previous update arrived in 2017.

Nissan’s electric vehicle range is branching out from the Leaf, with US dealers getting a preview of a new electric crossover last month. Automotive News reports the unnamed two-row crossover has been described by dealers as being the size of an X-Trail but as spacious as the larger Murano.