Oct 23, 2019

Nissan unveils electric crossover concept

The Nissan Ariya Concept. Photo: Courtesy of Nissan

Nissan unveiled its Ariya electric crossover concept at the Tokyo Motor Show today.

Why it matters: SUVs and crossovers are immensely popular, especially in the U.S. so new electrified offerings are attention-grabbers.

But, but, but: It's unclear when it might join Nissan's nearly decade-old Leaf EV as a mass-market product.

"[T]he crossover EV's bold styling and unconventional interior and exterior elements could make it into production in the near future," Nissan said in a release.
Car and Driver reports that it's a "a close preview of the production car that could arrive as soon as next year."

The intrigue: The company's announcement offered no information on expected range or price, but Automotive News reported last month that they've been previewing a crossover EV to dealers with a 300-mile range.

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Sara Fischer

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Snapchat will no longer promote Trump's account in Discover

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Snapchat will no longer promote President Trump's account on its "Discover" page of curated content, a spokesperson tells Axios, after Trump tweeted comments that some suggested glorified violence amid racial justice protests.

Why it matters: Snapchat is taking action on the president's account for comments he made elsewhere. That's going farther than other big tech firms and signals a commitment to aligning content served to users with core values, rather than making moderation decisions based narrowly on each post made on its own platform.

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Axios

Updated 57 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Esper catches White House off guard with opposition to military use, photo op

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at a press briefing Wednesday that he does not support invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that permits the president to use active-duty troops on U.S. soil, in order to quell protests against racial injustice.

Why it matters: President Trump threatened this week to deploy military forces if state and local governments aren't able to squash violent protests. Axios reported on Wednesday that Trump is backing off the idea for now, but that he hasn't ruled it out.

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Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Zach Dorfman of the Aspen Institute

1 hour ago - World

Chinese coronavirus test maker agreed to build a Xinjiang gene bank

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

A leading Chinese gene sequencing and biomedical firm that said it would build a gene bank in Xinjiang is supplying coronavirus tests around the world.

Why it matters: U.S. officials are worried that widespread coronavirus testing may provide an opportunity for state-connected companies to compile massive DNA databases for research as well as genetics-based surveillance.

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