By Al Vinikour 
MotorwayAmerica.com

Many things will make a believer out of someone but the best way I know of is to experience something first-hand. Thus, when tasked with “field testing” the 2011 Nissan Leaf, dubbed the world’s first affordable, zero-emission car, I was skeptical because all one hears is “Green,” or "Environmental Friendly.”

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Over the past three years Nissan has reinvented its truck lineup, and it now holds the bragging rights to the most up-to-date fleet in the industry.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

The wild success of the new Altima in 2002 turned Nissan from a troubled Japanese automaker at the turn of the century into one of the success stories in modern automotive history.

Nissan sold more than 200,000 of its mid-sized family sedans that year, and reached an all-time high in 2005 with 255,000 sales.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Perhaps one of the biggest yet overlooked story lines of the 2007 model year is Nissan’s new and maybe somewhat controversial transmission decision.

The Japanese auto company has dropped conventional automatics from several models in favor of its version of the continuously variable transmission or CVT. Unlike a conventional transmission, the CVT has no shift points.

By Jim Meachen

CANTON, Miss. — Nissan officials want to get the message out — quality at their newest U.S. plant in Mississippi has improved dramatically and customer satisfaction has increased proportionally.

As an example, they rolled out the 2007 Quest minivan inside the 3.5-million-square-foot plant in a visual demonstration of how far things have advanced since Quest Job One on May 23, 2003.

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Small cars have much to offer.

Most obvious, of course, is their fuel economy. Using less gas is a good thing. Frugality is a good thing for the pocketbook — and the environment.

A low purchase price is another advantage.

A small car’s ability to zip in and out of traffic and make use of the slimmest parking spots is yet another plus.