Nissan LEAF 2016 News

The battery-powered compact, which is set for Australia in 2012, has just claimed the Japanese Car of the Year contest to complete a triple treat in 2011. It is also the winner of the World Car of the Year and European Car of the Year awards. The Nissan Leaf's victory makes a three-year run for green cars in the Japan COTY judging, as the Honda CR-Z won the top prize in 2010 after the latest Toyota Prius was champion in 2009 - repeating the car's success in 1997. This year's Import COTY winner in Japan is the Mercedes-Benz C Class, which claimed the crown from Volkswagen after victories - identical to the Carsguide COTY results - for the Polo in 2010 and Golf in 2009. A special prize went to the Mazda Demio - Mazda2 - for its use of the company's latest Skyactiv engine technology. This year's Leaf victory was one of the most overwhelming results in the history of the Japan COTY, as the car polled 522 votes from a possible 600. Each of the 60 jurors can award a maximum of 10 votes to any car and 46 jurors did that with the Leaf. It is the first success for an all-electric plug-in car, and a major breakthrough for the Leaf and - ironically - the award came on the first anniversary of the start of sales in Japan. It is designed from the ground up as a battery car - not a conversion like the Mitsubishi iMiEV or Mini E - and is well into trials in Australia ahead of full-scale sales in 2012. It will eventually be joined by the Renault Fluence Z.E. in 2012 although Australians are showing little interest in electric cars with less than 150 iMiEVs in the official sales results for the past two years and only five delivered in October.

Despite heading the company which lays claim to being the first to get an affordable electric vehicle to market, Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn won’t be happy until the electric Leaf is a mass market success. Ghosn says that having tackled the technical hurdles of engineering and manufacturing an electric vehicle, the company’s efforts would now be focussed on making Leaf a mass market success.  “I don’t think the electric car is finished because now we have to demonstrate that it is a mass market, popular car. We think the car has the potential, this company has the potential. But we’ve sold 20,000 Nissan Leafs which makes it already the most sold electric car in the history of the range."But next year we’ll sell a lot more, we’ll probably double this number, or even above this. So the next challenge is making it a mass-marketing success, and making the electric car an obvious choice for consumers.”Ghosn said Nissan and its alliance partner Renault which is also working on a range of EVs want to move the electric car from the status of a niche curiosity and firmly into the mainstream. He pointed to the fact that the cars are still too expensive for emerging markets such as India and China and indicated efforts would be made to reduce the cost of the vehicles.  The electric Leaf arrives in Australia next July and Nissan Australia CEO Dan Thompson told Carsguide he expected growth to be “very organic”.“It will take many years for the momentum to take hold,” says Thompson, adding that Nissan has a big job ahead of it to educate Australians on the merits of electric vehicles. “Our biggest job will certainly be education. I think it will take us many, many years and we’ve seen even with Toyota’s presence with hybrids, (after) probably 10 years and three generations there still isn’t a great appreciation for what hybrid is. So it’s certainly a long-term investment.”However, Thompson believes electric vehicle uptake will be faster than it was or hybrids, partly because a variety of manufacturers are preparing to enter the space.“I think electric certainly will have a faster uptake over the next five to 10 year horizon than hybrid did 10-plus years ago. There’s a lot more brands that are staring to enter the space of alternative power trains and I think we’ll all play a role in educating consumers about hybrid versus electric versus range extenders.”Nissan’s long-term goal is for EVs to make up 10 per cent of its total vehicle sales and Thompson says that figure is realistic for Australia, but not from the outset.“In a more medium or longer term perspective we fully believe EVs should represent 10 percent of our sales mix by 2020. How fast we get up to that mass market level, a few things will determine that. One is we know that government support hasn’t been there, we don’t plan on that, so that will delay a bit of the uptake."But as Nissan gets more scale in the business both from a production perspective and sales perspective, that’ll bring the pressure out of the channel for pricing and we’ll be able to bring Leaf and future EV products into the mainstream from an affordability perspective. And that’s when I think we’ll hit the sweet spot, with second generation technology also improving whether it’s range or durability or just even the weight of the packaging. "

Just as the ageing Woodstock generation took to the Toyota Prius hybrid, they will also take to EVs, says Nissan regional electric vehicle manager Michael Hayes.

The Nissan Leaf has been awarded the maximum crash rating by independent vehicle safety advocate, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). It is the first five-star safety rating for an electric vehicle after the Mitsubishi i-MiEV scored four stars. ANCAP also announced five-star ratings for the Hyundai Elantra and Ford Focus. ANCAP Chair, Lauchlan McIntosh, said the five-star rating for the Leaf, based on EuroNCAP tests, once again confirmed that green can also be safe. "Electric vehicles are a genuine option for todays new car buyers - it is good news for consumers to see the Nissan Leaf record this top safety rating, " he says. "The 2011 Leaf comprises a full suite of air bags, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake distribution and electronic stability control and intelligent seat belt reminders among other standard features." "It performed very well in crash testing, with the passenger compartment holding its shape and thus offering superior protection for the occupants." McIntosh says the top result for the Hyundai Elantra reflects the continued emphasis on safety in Hyundai design and production processes. "Hyundai has made a clear decision to make safety a priority in the production and marketing of their vehicles, and the Elantra joins a range of other five-star models in their fleet," McIntosh says. Ford has also continued the five-star performance with all variants of the soon to be launched Ford Focus awarded the top ANCAP rating. "Consumers are now regarding five stars as an entry point for their vehicle choice, so these manufacturers should be congratulated for bringing these cars onto the Australian market," McIntosh says.

...that previews a number of ‘green’ technologies, with particular focus on electric vehicles (EVs). The EV and Green Technologies Showcase is jointly sponsored by the Department of Business and Innovation and the Department of Transport, with support from the Federation of Automotive Products Manufacturers. The Victorian Minister for Manufacturing, Export and Trade, the Hon Richard Dalla-Riva MLC presented the EV and Green Technologies Showcase to about 70 international automotive visitors as part of the 2011 Automotive Week activities. There are 14 participants involved in the showcase, with three EVs as the centrepiece of the exhibit – the Nissan LEAF, EDay’s E15 and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. These three vehicles are all participants in the Victorian Government’s EV Trial. The three EVs are supported by 11 Victorian-based component suppliers and R&D organisations, highlighting the excellent range of Victorian designed and engineered green technologies. There’s also an opportunity for AIMS attendees to test drive the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan LEAF. Interested patrons should visit the Mitsubishi and/or Nissan stands where they will be given a token to take to the Test Drive event reception in the foyer. Australian International Motor Show event director Russ Tyrie says the government showcase is an example of the technology focus at this year’s show. “With the amount of spectacular technology on show at this year’s event, a display like the EV and Green Technologies Showcase is a perfect complement. “Motor shows these days are as much about educating visitors as about exciting them,” he said. “This showcase exhibits the sort of cutting-edge technology – like super lightweight wheels and manufacturing materials – that Australian companies are currently working on, while highlighting ‘green’ cars that the government is genuinely looking to introduce to its everyday operations.” For more information on the EV trials, click on the Department of Transport’s website: http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/evtrials The Australian International Motor Show runs through until Sunday 10 July at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. For all of the latest news and information surrounding the Australian International Motor Show, follow @themotorshow on Twitter.

….were handed to the Victorian Government at the Melbourne Motor Show today. The Leaf EVs will be trialled over five years with the cars in 180 households for three months at a time. Nissan boss Dan Thompson says he hopes it will be the beginning of similar co-operation with other governments around Australia ahead of the launch of the Leaf early next year. "It's important to get feedback on what it's like to live with a 100 per cent electric vehicle," he says. The Leaf will be available early next year with a price tag a bit over $40,000. Nissan also showcased the fresh face of its 2012 Murano SUV, arriving in September. It features newly designed grille, bumper, headlights, 18-inch alloys, roof rails and the addition of rear privacy glass. They come with rain-sensing wipers, while the ST model adds fog lamps, Bose sound system, reversing camera and heated front seats as standard. The ST will cost $47,990 and the Ti $58,930.

The carmaker has turned its electric Leaf into a race concept, the Leaf Nismo RC, revealed this week in New York.Nissan says it hits 100km/h in6.85 seconds and has a top speed of 150km/h. It can recharge up to 80 per cent capacity in 30 minutes, and has an estimated race running time of 20 minutes - which looks to make for some very short races or very long pit stops.Wrapped in a in a lowered lightweight carbon-fibre body, the lithium-ion battery pack, 80kW electric motor and inverter are mid-located, with drive to the rear wheels rather than the front as in the Leaf.Created at the Nissan Global Design Center in Japan, the concept's three-piece bodywork includes removable front and rear sections, fixed windows, LED headlights and taillights and driver-adjustable rear wing.It sits on a shorter wheelbase than the Leaf, but is slightly longer and wider - and about 35cm lower, with a ground clearance of just 6cm (10cm less than the production car). It also weighs 40 per cent less at about 940kg.

Nissan, which withdrew from car making in Australia in 1991 and has mostly flown under the radar since that time as a manufacturer of aluminium components, has just landed a massive deal that will protect the jobs and earn more than $150 million over the next five years. It won a global tender for cast aluminium parts for the company's new worldwide flagship, the battery-powered Leaf. It will earn more than $30 million a year by exporting three cast aluminium parts in the Leaf's inverter box, and is also tendering for a fourth piece. "We now have a very aggressive and growing business in Australia," says the head of Nissan Australia, Dan Thompson. "We've been able to compete with some very, very aggressive neighbours, whether that's Thailand, China or Mexico." Nissan Casting in Dandenong won the business, which will add more than $30 million a year to Australia's automotive exports until 2015. The new deal saved the Nissan factory at Clayton in Melbourne from closure and will provide the foundation for a local development program on aluminium accessories including bull bars for Nissan's four-wheel drives. Nissan stopped making the Pulsar at Clayton in 1991 - in a giant factory complex that now houses Holden Special Vehicles as one tenant - but its casting plant survives and has now been operating for more than 30 years. It gets a major update under the new deal, with $13 million for tooling and another $8 million for upgrading of the factory. Nissan also landed a $3.5 million bonus from the Federal government's Green Innovation Fund, which has since been chopped, to help fund the deal. Thompson admits the Dandenong casting plant was close to closure last year, but a change of management and the aggressive export drive has secured the jobs and kept the factory operating on three shifts, seven days a week. "Manufacturing in Australia has never been tougher," Thompson says.

Despite the fact it has not even gone on sale in its key markets it is a sell-out in the United States and Japan.  Nissan dealers in the US hold 13,000 pre-orders for the cars, with customers putting down $US99 refundable deposits to reserve a vehicle.  In Japan 6000 people have put deposits on cars. The plug-in Leaf goes on sale in both countries later this year and is due to hit local Nissan showrooms some time in 2012.  The company is aiming to sell 50,000 electric cars in the US, Europe and Japan next year.  It is currently installing fast-charging stations at all 2200 Nissan dealerships in Japan, which allows the car to be charged to 80 per cent capacity in 30 minutes. The Tiida-size Leaf hatch is the first of several Nissan and Renault EV vehicles planned.  By 2013, the company has plans to build eight electric vehicles, including sedans and commercial vehicles. Nissan has just announced pricing for the Leaf in Europe.  In most of its European launch markets it will cost under $45,000 after government incentives, about the same as a comparably-equipped diesel or hybrid car. The Leaf uses a lithium-ion electric motor to produce 80kW/280Nm. It has a range of about 160km and top speed of 140km/h.  The Nissan-Renault chief executive officer, Carlos Ghosn, told the Detroit Economic Club last week that it wants to sell 500,000 electric cars by 2012. However, some critics argue that he is being overly optimistic, given obvious shortcomings of pure-EV cars like their higher cost and range compared to conventional petrol or diesel vehicles.  "We understand that when you go into innovation or new technology, some people are more bullish and some are more bearish," Ghosn says. "Five hundred thousand units is only 0.8 percent or 0.9 percent of the car market."  Ghosn is trying to sell more electric cars through both companies than the sales forecasts of its rivals. General Motors is aiming to built 45,000 of its Volt electric car, which also uses petrol, annually by 2012. California-based start-up Tesla Motors Inc, which already builds the electric Roadster, wants to sell about 20,000 of its Model S family sedan in 2012.

But Nissan boss, Dan Thompson, warns that without some level of government support Australian buyers could be forced to pay more than Japan or US buyers."We've just announced pricing in Japan and the US and they’re both around the mid-$30,000s and then with government incentives it’s about US$25,000," Thompson says."Certainly the whole strategy behind EV is to deliver an affordable proposition to the consumer. It's too early to talk about local pricing for Leaf but what you've seen in Japan and the US is very much aligned with global positioning and strategy for the car."Nissan Australia has signed memorandums of understandings with the ACT, NSW and Victoria governments to explore how best to adopt EV cars. Thompson is keen to get federal support too.