New Leaf, Micra, Juke to lead Nissan revival

Nissan will ramp up its EV presence in Europe this year with the arrival of the third-generation Leaf reinvented as a crossover with more than 590km of range and the revived Micra hatchback.

- ■JAMES ATTWOOD

The two models, which have now been shown in production form for the first time, will be joined next year by the radically styled Juke EV. The Leaf and closely related Juke will be built at Nissan's Sunderland factory.

When launched in 2010, the Leaf was one of the first mass-market EVs and took the form of a hatchback for its first two generations. But now it has undergone a major shift to cash in on the trend for crossovers.

The third-generation version will sit on Nissan's CMF-EV platform, which is also used by the larger Ariya and a number of vehicles from Renault, Nissan's Alliance partner.

The new Leaf is marginally shorter than its predecessor but has been raised to achieve a crossover stance. It takes styling cues from the Ariya and its body has been developed with a focus on boosting efficiency, resulting in a drag coefficient of 0.25. European planning boss François Bailly said it will have a range of more than 595km and hinted the focus is on "real-world range".

Nissan global design boss Alfonso Albaisa said the new Leaf is "about democratising technology". He added: "It's very modern, simple and nice. We wanted something tailored, handsome, well proportioned with a super-tech interior that feels open and cool. We are confident we have something that is unique and we're really happy with this car."

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