Nissan of Auburn
713 35th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA 98002
Contact Us: (253) 217-4678
News
Seattle Nissan Dealer Offers Nissan LEAF at Lowest Cost
December 7th, 2010
Imagine a large bundle of cash sitting on your kitchen table. You pick it up, walk over to the roaring fire that is keeping your house warm, now throw the money in the fireplace and watch it burn.
Sounds completely crazy, right? Well, that is precisely what you will be doing if you don’t call your Seattle Nissan LEAF dealer, Nissan of Auburn, and get a price quote from us. Regardless, if you’ve reserved your Nissan LEAF with another Nissan dealer, pick up the phone and at least get a price quote. It’s painless, easy, and your wallet will thank you!
If you live outside of the driving distance of our Seattle Nissan dealership, we are offer incredible shipping credit to take advantage of our pricing. So call us!
Seattle Nissan Dealer Encourages Green Driving
Imagine never having to stop at a gas station to fill up ever again. Imagine plugging your car into your home charger station just like you plug your cell phone in at night. Imagine leaving the world a cleaner place than when you entered it, doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released some pretty spectacular ratings and numbers on the all—electric Nissan LEAF.
In fact, it’s the best rating that the EPA has ever released on a car. Finally, a car that our earth will be thankful for!
The EPA has approved its fuel economy label for the 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF, rating the vehicle to be the “best” in the midsize vehicle class for fuel efficiency and “best” for the environment. The new label shows a best-in-class 99 miles per gallon (mpg) equivalent combined city/highway. The MPG equivalency rating was developed by the EPA as a way to provide a standard so consumers can compare vehicles across the spectrum and make an educated purchase.
The all-electric 2011 Nissan LEAF, coming soon to the leading Seattle Nissan dealer, was also rated best in class for the environment based on emitting zero greenhouse gases or other traditional tailpipe emissions.
The label, which will be part of the Nissan LEAF’s Monroney label, is now ready for placement on the vehicles in anticipation of the December launch. After completion of five-cycle testing, the EPA has rated the Nissan LEAF with an MPG equivalent of 106 city, 92 highway for a combined 99mpg. This calculation is based on the EPA’s formula of 33.7kW—hrs being equivalent to one-gallon gasoline energy.
In addition, the label displays a charging time of seven hours on a 240V charge and a driving range of 73 miles, based on the five-cycle tests using varying driving conditions and climate controls. Driving range on the Nissan LEAF, as with all vehicles, varies with real-world driving conditions.
Visit Your Seattle Nissan Dealer
This month is a history-making month for the United States auto industry, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of it. We sincerely look forward to helping you, regardless if you’re in Tennessee or Washington State; we’re pleased to be a part of you making history with your purchase of the Nissan LEAF.
Nissan of Auburn is part of the Rairdon Group. We are a Washington State, family-owned car group with six dealerships stretching from Auburn to Bellingham.
You save money at Rairdon’s!
Seattle Nissan shoppers interested in learning more about the Nissan LEAF should visit our website or stop by the dealership today!
New Cars For Sale at the Seattle Nissan Dealership
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2012 Nissan Rogue |
2012 Nissan Altima |
2012 Nissan Rogue |
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2012 Nissan Rogue |
2012 Nissan Altima |
2012 Nissan Murano |
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2012 Nissan Xterra |
2011 Nissan Xterra |
2012 Nissan Frontier |
Seattle Nissan Dealer is Pleased to Bring You the Nissan Townpod Concept EV Car
September 30th, 2010
Seattle Nissan Dealer is Pleased to Bring You the Nissan Townpod Concept EV Car
As our working and living situations evolve with the opportunities afforded by the digital age, our cars must adapt to the way we conduct our lives. Throughout the world, a new breed of entrepreneur has emerged. Preferring to work for themselves from their own homes or small offices, these new professionals do not work fixed hours, or have regimented schedules. The lines between their business and social lives are blurred, even non-existent, so their means of personal transportation must be equally multifaceted.
Just as a white tee-shirt is usually worn casually, but can be combined with a suit to look sharp, this genre-busting vehicle mixes the comfort and style of a passenger car with the businesslike utility of a commercial vehicle. Like the tee-shirt, Nissan Townpod can be used for business or pleasure or, as is increasingly popular, by those for whom business is pleasure.
* An unprecedented tool for today’s entrepreneurs
* Simple platform, which users can tailor to their own needs
* Combines benefits of a passenger car with practicality of a light commercial vehicle
* Compact external dimensions belie generous interior space
* Low, flat-floor features long sliding rear seat
* Rear hinged rear doors and split trunk doors ease access in tight spots
* Touch-screen display cooperates with user’s PDA
* Zero-emission propulsion matches modern professionals’ core values
Not so many years ago the car’s basic remit might have been to take a single occupant to work five days a week, have sufficient trunk space for a weekly trip to the supermarket and enough seats to transport a nuclear family to the coast for a long weekend. More recently, classic sedans and estates have evolved into hatchbacks, MPVs, SUVs and now crossovers, all designed for particular segments of the population, but none tailored to the specific needs of individuals who cannot be, and indeed strive to not be, so easily pigeon-holed.
Nissan Townpod provides a simple platform, which each user can individually tune to their own peculiar needs. Be they a musician transporting their kit between gigs, a delicatessen proprietor distributing their wares or an architect carrying drawings to a client, each can adapt the interior of their Nissan Townpod using proprietary as well as third-party sourced accessories.
François Bancon, general manager of Nissan’s Exploratory and Advance Planning Department, elaborates, “Only they know what is essential for their lives, so it is logical that they should be the ones who determine the ultimate specification of their cars. For them an off-the-shelf solution is not enough and the best-equipped people to tailor-make their cars are themselves. What is more revealing is that Nissan Townpod users do not appreciate stereotypes or status symbols. For them, the ultimate status is to have no status.”
Which brings us back to the functional, yet chic, but in no way pretentious tee-shirt. Just like the Nissan Townpod.
Externally Nissan Townpod consist of many familiar elements, yet it is different. It employs the same zero-emission technology found within Nissan LEAF, available in Seattle in 2 short months. Charging points can be found in the nose behind an automatically retracting cover, which appears to be backlit thanks to its electric blue painted surrounds reflecting subtly off the car’s “Stratosphere White” body paint. Similar electric blue hints are visible behind the door handles, number plate, the spokes of the alloy wheels and within the headlamp pods. The car does not need to shout that it is an EV. It more subtly suggests its ecological and economical credentials.
The headlights reflect Nissan Townpod’s philosophy of stylish utility by serving as position markers when the blue “petals” are closed and headlights when open, while the external location of the pods eases basic maintenance. Similarly, the semi-silvered coating over the indicators is not just for effect. The mirror-like finish turns them into modern reflectors when the turn signals are not in use.
The innovative position of the headlights also allows a coupe-esque bonnet line, not dissimilar to Nissan Z, for sale in Seattle, which feeds in to a visor-like wraparound, blue tinted glass house, reminiscent of Nissan Cube, while the galls to body proportions hark back to the rat-rods of the fifties.
The car is decidedly more van-like with its split rear doors. The rear features back lights on the right, a number plate on the left, and a rear-door handle set into a concave surface . Viewed from above the car’s space-maximising rectangular footprint flows into an elliptical roof, offering more graceful lines as well as increased aerodynamic efficiency.
The rear lights are designed to reflect light like cut jewels when not in use, and to sparkle rather than simply glow when illuminated. Innovative hinges allow the rear doors to slide, then open in confined spaces and then fold to the side of the car so as not to obstruct passing traffic or pedestrians. As the rear lights are positioned in the all encompassing rear doors a second set of position and indicator lights is located in the bottom sill of the doorway. A hatch-like sun roof, directly above the cargo area, allows Nissan Townpod to carry taller objects.
The idea of simple form following function continues within Nissan Townpod. The cargo area, passenger space and dashboard are remarkably uncluttered yet do not feel spartan. Just because the interior is utilitarian by design does not mean that it cannot be stylish. The driver is faced with an uncomplicated yet futuristic steering wheel and two familiar stalks to operate the lights and wipers, but other than these controls – which are beautifully simple in their own light – the flowing dashboard is devoid of mechanical switches. Forward or rearward drive is selected using an uncomplicated joystick set into the right-hand side of the driver’s seat base.
All controls for ancillaries such as climate control and media playback are accessed through two centrally mounted digital screens. The upper monitor serves as an instrument panel, displaying car speed, battery status and remaining range as well as a satellite navigation system. This system is also equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing it to communicate with the driver’s Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
Masato Inoue, Product Chief designer of Nissan, explains, “Today, the first thing many people do when they climb aboard their car is program the navigation unit with a phone number, address or other details. This step will be unnecessary in Nissan Townpod as the car will communicate with your PDA’s scheduling function to find out where you are due to be and at what time. Accordingly, the navigation system will not only plot a route to your next meeting, but will map out a plan for all your appointments that day. If, due to unexpected traffic delays for example, one appointment appears likely to clash with another, the car will let you know so you can take appropriate action. It will also be able to suggest the most convenient time and place for you to recharge its lithium-ion batteries.”
The lower touchscreen provides all controls for the navigation system, allows users to perform system checks on the whole car and operates Nissan Townpod’s audio system.
“Who knows how we will store music in 2020?” says Bancon. “Not so long ago cars were fitted with cassette players, then CD players and now we must be iPod compatible. This will not remain the same for long, so Nissan Townpod must be forwards compatible with whatever must-have device sits in our future.”
Just as Nissan Townpod can connect wirelessly with the driver’s PDA, so it will also be able to access occupants personal music collections, or what ever device they use to receive Internet radio. “These devices may remain in passengers’ pockets, but it is also beneficial to keep them in within view, in some kind of bracket. But we do not know what these devices of the future will look like, let alone where passengers will want to keep them. So, we have developed The Puck”, Bancon concluded.
Access to the cargo area from the rear is unobstructed, thanks to the ingeniously hinged back doors, while gaping apertures on either side mean that cumbersome loads, or wriggling toddlers, can be placed in the car with ease at the curbside. These ultra wide doorways are possible because there is no “B-pillar” set between the traditionally hinged front doors and the sliding doors at the rear, with the locking mechanism of the former set into the leading edge of the latter.
Disappearing Long Sliding Rear Seat
The rear seat itself has an interesting trick incorporated into its design. While it is not uncommon to find rear seats that slide or fold, enabling passengers to either prioritise leg room or luggage space, the ultra-slim design of the seats means that the rear bench can fold and slide right into the back of the front seats, freeing the entire, flat-bottomed space behind to carry bulky cargo.
The dichotomy of having a stylish, professional cabin coupled with utilitarian cargo capabilities is accented by the use of soft artificial suede in front, but super-light, yet hard-wearing blue weave in the rear. The blue reflects Nissan Townpod’s professional, businesslike capabilities, while the yellow reminds the user that the car can be used for fun, too.
The Puck
The Puck is a rubber ball, about the size of a squash ball, with a wide groove cut into it.
This groove can accommodate drink holders, cell-phone rests, hand-bag hooks or other items Nissan or third-party manufacturers think will be useful as the tools we use in our daily lives evolve. The Pucks themselves slot into rounded troughs set into the car’s dashboard, doors and centre console. Their position and orientation are ultimately decided by the user, not the car’s designers. “In this way, owners can easily customise the interior of Nissan Townpod to suit their particular needs. The system is completely open source – we encourage individuals or other organisations to come up with accessories to complement this platform, ” Inoue said.
We have only begun to scratch the surface of the possibilities for the system.”
Conclusion
While Nissan Townpod has been created with the world’s entrepreneurs in mind, its appeal is likely to go beyond this expanding demographic to new families building their first home or retirees turning a hobby into a business. In other words, anybody who appreciates the customisable utility of its van-like abilities coupled with a chic and stylish cockpit designed with the future and not just today, in mind.
“The self employed tend to have very high expectations. They need to make the most of every investment. They will be early adopters of the possibilities made available through the convergence of electric-vehicle innovations and information and technology.” Bancon said. “At its core, a car is a means to transport people or goods from one place to another as simply and easily as possible. Nissan Townpod’s design supports the essence of its function. It is a smart car for people who demand more.”
We are the Rairdon Automotive Group. We are a local, family-owned dealership group with 6 locations stretching from Auburn to Bellingham. Our locations:
Kirkland
Monroe
Bellingham
Smokey Point
Also in our family of cars is Hyundai of Bellingham and Seattle area Nissan Dealer, Nissan of Auburn.
[Source: Nissan]
Live photos copyright ©2010 Chris Paukert / AOL
Test Drive Nissan LEAF in Seattle: Nissan LEAF Review
September 29th, 2010
Seattle Nissan consumers will have the opportunity to drive the Nissan LEAF throught the Seattle streets when Nissan takes the LEAF on tour November 12-14th at Southcenter Mall in Seattle. Seattle Nissan dealer, Nissan of Auburn, will start recieving the first shipments for confirmed reserved Nissan owners in December.
Can’t wait to test drive one yourself to know what the LEAF is all about? Thanks to one of the best websites around, Autoblog, we’re able to get a taste:
We’ve met the Nissan Leaf before. First at its coming-out party in Japan, followed by an all-too-brief stint behind the wheel of a Versa-based prototype late last year. Now we’ve had a chance to sample Nissan’s first foray into the world of electric vehicles in production form and the automaker picked one of its most important markets – the heart of Silicon Valley – to give us some seat time.
If there’s any area ripe for early-EV adoption, it’s San Jose, CA. And during a quick test loop through the tight confines of Santana Row and a run through the city’s suburban surrounds, it’s obvious that the first mass-produced EV is officially ready for prime-time.
If you’re anything like the 16,300 people who have reserved a Leaf for lease ahead of its December launch, you’ve already devoured all the salient details in the run-up to its release. For those of you late to the party, here’s the quick and dirty version of what you get for your $32,780 – or just over $25,000 after you factor in applicable state and federal incentives.
The Leaf is a five-door, five-passenger city car fitted with a 24kW lithium-ion battery pack complete with 48 separate modules housing four cells a piece. We’re pointing out the number of cells because if one fails, Nissan can replace the individual modules without having to replace the entire battery pack – further proof that the Japanese automaker is keenly aware of the issues that could plague a mass-market EV.
All those crazed electronics get routed to the front wheels through a front-mounted motor producing 107 horsepower and 208 pound-feet of torque. Top speed comes in at just under 90 mph and Nissan claims a 0-60 mph time under ten seconds. Neither figure matters much in this particular slice of the auto world, but both numbers suggest this isn’t yet another four-wheeled electric toy.
What arguably matters most is range, and with the Leaf, Nissan contends the slippery hatch (.29 cD) is good for 100 miles per charge – a reasonable amount for its target demographic of urban dwellers and inner-city commuters. When the juice does run out, you can plug one of three different cables into one of two front-mounted ports: 110-, 220- or 440-volt.
The first option is available to anyone who can plug in a toaster, but it provides barely enough juice to top up the batteries after 20 hours of charge time and it doesn’t do bagels.
The two other options are far more advantageous. An electrician can adapt your existing 220-volt clothes dryer outlet, thus reducing charge time to around seven hours total. The cost of the in-house charger runs around $2,200, but the Feds will take care of half that amount and Nissan will not only arrange for the installation, it’ll allow you to roll the cost of the setup into your monthly payments. If you’re lucky enough to live around one of the 440-volt “Quick Charge” stations, you can get up to 80 percent of the battery’s capacity in around 30 minutes. Expect to see these popping up all over the U.S. – from California to New York – in the coming months and years… assuming all goes according to plan.
On the subject of cost, the aforementioned $32,780 sticker is the base price (again, not including any government rebates), but if you want the backup camera and spoiler-mounted solar panel, you can option up for the SL model at a $940 premium. The rearview camera is a reasonable accessory, much more so than the solar panel, which simply trickle charges a 12-volt battery to supply electrons to the headlights, clock and a few low-power accessories. Nissan officials admit it’s more of a marketing ploy than a functional addition, but that hasn’t stopped 85 percent of pre-order customers from optioning up for the SL trim. And for just under a grand to burnish your soon-to-be unassailable green halo, why not?
So, with the facts and figures out of the way, what’s it like? To begin with, bigger than we expected.
On our initial approach, we thought the Leaf was sitting on a podium. Once we got a clear view, it was obvious that not only is the greenhouse expansive, but it’s on the large side of the B-segment. The footprint is like any other subcompact, but the beltline rises high and there’s copious quantities of glass expanding from the windshield back.
Although aerodynamic efficiency is a top priority, it’s not immediately obvious that the Leaf is anything other than a standard around-town runabout. The only tell-tales are the panel up front that hides the two charging ports and the rather rotund rump that protrudes several inches past the rear wheels in a rather Gallic fashion (fitting, considering Nissan’s Renault ties). The taillamps are thin and long, running from below the functional spoiler to halfway down the hatch, and a quartet of diffusers at the rear tip you off to the smooth underbody tray beneath.
The headlights are more compelling, bulging out from the fenders more than some concepts displayed on the auto show circuit every year. Predictably, they serve a functional purpose. When Nissan was testing the Leaf, they noticed a fair amount of wind noise coming off the side mirrors. And with any EV, exterior noise is amplified due to the lack of racket emanating from under-hood. So the lights were redesigned to split the air leading towards the mirrors, eliminating buffeting and drawing a clear line through the atmosphere.
However, noise had to be added back in. To assuage the fears of the sight-impaired, Nissan fitted a small speaker to the left-front side of the Leaf that emits a subtle tone up to 18 mph. After that, Nissan believes wind and tire noise will be enough to warn pedestrians of an approaching Leaf. And no, customized sounds aren’t in the cards, but when you shift the drive selector into Reverse, it does emit a faint, commercial truck-like beep.
Our first stint inside was in the back seat, and after throwing our camera bag and coat into the commodious trunk (despite the fact that 900 pounds worth of batteries are mounted behind and under the rear seats), we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of space in back. Nissan claims you can fit three people in the rear, but as always, make sure the person in the middle is suitably malnourished and amiable.
Situated behind the driver, the ride was suitably smooth thanks to an independent suspension up front and a torsion beam in the rear, while 16-inch wheels wrapped in low-rolling resistance tires soaked up what little bumps were found in and around the city.
The materials inside are a few degrees better than what you’d find in an economy car of similar size, with cloth seating as the only material (dead cow wouldn’t be P.C.) and a combination of plastics that ran the gamut from mildly plush to the high side of acceptable.
From behind the wheel, the seating position is surprisingly elevated, necessary to see over the acres of dash in front of you. A two-tiered instrument cluster is front-and-center, with a digital speedometer up top, flanked by a clock, exterior temperature gauge and an LCD “tree” to let you know if you’re being a good boy with the electric throttle.
The second display, nestled in the traditional space behind the steering wheel, provides more information, including temperature and range, a power indicator and the normal assortment of trip and transmission information. It’s relatively straight-forward, as is the navigation screen at the center of the dash that can display a myriad of power, charge and travel information. Taken as a whole, it’s technofabulous, but the learning curve doesn’t seem out of reach of your average iPhone user.
To get things underway, you press a small, glowing button to the right of the steering wheel, release the electronic parking brake, then move the silver, ‘hockey puck’ drive selector to the left and then down to select Drive. Release the brake, press the accelerator and you’re whisked forward to the sound of… nothing.
As we experienced in the Tesla Roadster, this initial lack of noise is slightly unnerving at first, but as speeds increase, the sound of wind and the low rumbling of the tires take over. The steering is commuter-friendly light, slightly overboosted, but perfect for running around town.
Give the throttle a determined shove and the Leaf gets moving with authority. It’s not blazing, certainly but it’s adequately quick, with plenty of punch to motivate the Leaf’s portly 3,700-pound curb weight. In Normal mode, throttle resistance is minimal, but switching to Eco stiffens things up to promote lighter inputs. However, if you take it to the floor, the Leaf responds with the same amount of thrust you’d get in the standard mode.
On the other hand, braking was slightly less endearing, with a wooden feel accentuated by the minimal amount of travel before things get biting. With the system set back to Normal, the regenerative brakes provide a subtle amount of “engine braking,” but in Eco it becomes more pronounced, slowing the Leaf down quicker and giving the batteries a minimal jolt of energy. We were expecting something akin to what we enjoyed in the Tesla – the regenerative braking remained one of our favorite driving features – but it’s decidedly less aggressive in the Leaf. And considering the application, it should be.
If there’s any overarching sense from behind the wheel, it’s that the Leaf is simply a car. The gadgetry is impressive, but no more so than some of the hybrid options available from Nissan’s competitors. The interior is comfortable and spacious, with more than enough room for four people and their assorted trappings. Few things stand out, and that’s exactly its point. Nissan isn’t out to change the driving experience, it’s just changing the method of motivation. And more than anything else, that’s what’s going to bring electric vehicles into the mainstream.
Nissan of Auburn is part of the Rairdon Group. We offer the most competitive pricing in the entire United States on the Nissan LEAF, so please contact us today for more information on the LEAF.
In addition to Nissan of Auburn, the Rairdon Group is the largest volume Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram dealer in Washington, Oregon and Montana with locations in:
Kirkland
Monroe
Bellingham
Smokey Point
Also, in our family of cars is Hyundai of Bellingham in beautiful Bellingham, Washington.
[Source: Autoblog]
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