Best of 2012 – Technology & Design

YOKOHAMA, Japan – Technological expertise and innovation is part of Nissan's DNA.

Over the last 12 months we've covered a wealth of fascinating stories about technology and design – everything from easy-to-fill tires to choosing the perfect taxi yellow to engineering wizardry in the iconoclastic Nissan DeltaWing.

Here are a few videos for you to enjoy:

A Geneva Show Walk Around
Nissan's deputy division general manager for product strategy and planning, the inimitable Francois Bancon, took the Global Media Center for a walk around the stands at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Check out some of his bon mots on the show highlights, including the Ford B-Max, Peugeot 208, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Fiat 500L, and the Audi A3.

Taking the Wheel of Intelligent Transport
Back in October the Global Media Center's Roland Buerk tried out two of Nissan's most unusual and advanced technologies – a LEAF fitted to automatically steer around pedestrians that step into the road, and a Infiniti G37S with a next generation steering system that uses ingenious electronics to smooth out even the bumpiest road.

Easy-Fill Tire Alert
Here we covered another application of technology to improvement safety. A study in the US showed that underinflated tires triple the risk of an accident. That is one reason why Nissan recently introduced an “Easy-Fill Tire Alert” system on its 2013 Altima, a way to help motorists maintain optimum tire pressure.

It has been named a finalist for the 2012 Automotive Technology of the Year Award by AOL Autos, and the Grand Prize winner will be announced in January at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The Perfect Yellow
You might think that yellow taxis are just yellow. Not so for Nissan designers in San Diego California working on the 2014 Nissan NV200 Taxi of Tomorrow. They spent a whole year investigating different pigments before coming up with the perfect shade.

More photos of the New York City Taxi of Tomorrow here.

In the Winner's Circle
In this video from Le Mans, Jerry Hardcastle, Nissan's Global Chief Marketability Engineer, explains some of the technology in three very special cars indeed: the Nissan Juke-R, Nissan DeltaWing, and the all- electric Nissan Leaf NISMO RC.

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