2016 Nissan Maxima

Nissan hopes the all-new 2016 Maxima will reestablish its biggest and most expensive sedan as the sporty and stylish alternative to cars like the Chevrolet Impala, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Azera and Toyota Avalon.

The new Maxima just went on sale. Prices start at $32,140, excluding destination charges.

The sleek sedan looks terrific, inside and out. The exterior styling builds on the looks of the new Murano SUV with Nissan’s new “energetic flow” design theme. The profile is marked by sweeping horizontal lines, flared fenders and black A-, B- and C-pillars that give the roof a cockpit style floating appearance.

The interior features plenty of soft-touch materials and details like tufted leather upholstery and real stitching in accent colors. An 8-inch touchscreen is standard equipment, as are a backup camera and a navigation system. In addition to the touch screen, voiced recognition and some conventional buttons and dials, a multi-function dial in the center console controls some features. A high center console provides storage space and contributes to a driver-focused interior. Rear leg and head room are not bad, but smaller than most of the other big sedans offer.

Maxima’s interior features ritzy materials like optional diamond-pattern leather upholstery. (Photo: Mark Phelan/Detroit Free Press)

Nissan’s venerable 3.5L V6 has been upgraded to produce 300 horsepower. About 60% of the engines parts are new for the 2016 model.The Maxima’s EPA fuel economy rating of 22 m.p.g. in the city, 30 on the highway and 25 in combined driving is the highest combined rating in the class. Unlike most of its competitors, though, the Maxima requires premium gasoline.

Audi Sales Gain -Best Selling World Luxury Cars

Audi leapfrogged BMW to become the world’s best-selling luxury auto brand during the month of April. Mercedes-Benz made strong gains during the month but remained in third place.

Thanks to strong demand for its Q5 and Q7 crossovers, Audi managed to deliver 152,850 vehicles worldwide last month, marking an increase of 2.5 percent. BMW’s sales were up even more, 5.6 percent, but those gains only amounted to 148,896 global deliveries. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, was the world’s fastest growing luxury nameplate last month with a sales boost of 11 percent to 148,072 units. “Despite the upcoming generation changes in key model families and sales markets, we have surpassed the record figures of the previous year,” Luca de Meo, Audi’s head of marketing and sales, said in a statement. “In the coming months, we intend to continue growing worldwide.” Despite being outsold for the month, BMW remains in first place this year with 600,473 deliveries, an improvement of 5.5 percent over the same period last year. Audi isn’t far behind with 591,050 units sold (up 5.2 percent). Mercedes’ sales through April have increased 14 percent to 577,674 units.

Colorado dispute over solar power reflects national trend

The Associated Press

Posted:   06/07/2015 11:27:47 AM MDT | Updated:   105 min. ago

DENVER (AP) — A rate dispute between an electricity cooperative that serves a large swath of Colorado and its residential solar power customers is part of a national conflict between the utilities and the solar industry.

The Intermountain Rural Electric Cooperative has agreed to review its proposal to cut residential credits for solar energy, The Denver Post reported Sunday (http://dpo.st/1KiJZgd). The co-op serves a large swath of Colorado from the Eastern Plans to the central mountains.

The review comes after customers complained about cutting the credit and adding new charge based on peak demand. Among them is Tim Edmonson, who said he thought he’d save money when he added solar panels to a new home in Castle Rock.”It completely changes the economics (of solar panels),” said Edmonson, 35, who moved to Colorado from Minnesota in July.

IREA officials insist that the current rate structure would lead to a huge subsidy to solar-equipped homes.” A solar grows, it becomes unsustainable,” IREA general manager Patrick Mooney said of the rate cuts. Still, after criticism from customers, the IREA board is slated to meet before the end of the month to consider changes to its proposal — including exempting current solar homes from the new rates.

The battle is part of a larger war going on across the nation between utilities and the solar industry.There are cases in 30 states where utilities are challenging distributed solar,” said Rick Gilliam, regulatory policy director for Vote Solar, an advocacy group. “It is an industrywide effort.”

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has also been holding meetings on the net-metering costs for Xcel Energy, the state’s biggest utility. Xcel executives have said that net-metering credits overstate the value of rooftop solar to the system .IREA’s Mooney said the cooperative’s proposed rate changes are aimed at keeping the system viable and the books balanced.”We do have a business to run, and we are struggling just like everyone else,” Mooney told solar homeowners at an IREA board meeting Tuesday.

The cooperative’s solar homeowners are not convinced.”IREA makes it hard,” Edmonson said. “They don’t offer any incentives. When I spoke to solar installers and they heard I was in IREA, there were moans and groans.” The IREA board will have a working session this month to go over possible changes, Mooney said. The next official board meeting is in July.In the meantime, SolarCity has put on hold all solar projects in IREA territory, such as the one Greg Sorge was set to have installed at his home in Bennett.

Sorge, 47, has three big horses and two miniature horses and was hoping to use the panels to help heat the barn and stock tank.”We have some huge electric payments in the winter, up to $350, and we were hoping the solar panels would help even it out,” Sorge said. “But now I don’t know what’s going to happen. It is frustrating.”

Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com