Nissan Reveals New Leaf

The car maker will launch a pilot run of the new Leaf in India to explore its feasibility here.

The company has taken the wraps of its new Leaf in Japan. The company has sold around 2.83 lakh units of the first-generation Leaf EV, and the second-gen Leaf will go on sale internationally next year. To explore viability for India, the carmaker will look at bringing the Leaf here as India paves its way towards an electric future.

The Leaf promises a range of around 379km - other mainstream rivals such as the BMW i3 and Volkswagen e-Golf don’t promise over 300km on a single charge yet. The car’s higher density lithium ion battery pack has helped improve its range. The electric motor sends 140hp to the front wheels and the car is claimed to be able to hit 100kph in about eight seconds.

The new car’s design should appeal to far more people, and looks influenced by the well-received new Micra that’s sold abroad. The new Leaf’s sleeker shape makes it more aerodynamic, thereby aiding fuel efficiency. On the inside, there are many features from the all-New Micra - the steering wheel and several dashboard lines are familiar. The first-gen Leaf’s blue-accented rotary switch to control the drive direction continues to feature.

This car comes fitted with a raft of new autonomous features – a Propilot system that’s based around adaptive cruise control and can bring the car to a stop, and (a first for Nissan) an automatic parking function, called Propilot Park.

The e-Pedal system, which is a world first, encourages you to drive with one pedal. With e-Pedal on (it can be switched off if you want to drive the car in a more conventional manner) the Leaf decelerates with enough force to bring the car to a complete stop, negating the use of the brake pedal in almost 90 percent of city driving conditions.