Nissan LEAF is World Car of the Year
Electric car takes out global motoring awardThe modern electric car has received another boost – the Nissan LEAF EV has won the 2011 World Car of the Year award.
The announcement was made at last week's New York motor show; it is the first time an electric car has taken out WCOTY.
The previous two WCOTY winners were the Volkswagen Polo and Golf small cars.
Nissan's fully electric hatchback defeated 39 other contenders including the new BMW 5 Series and Audi A8 limousines and is the seventh vehicle to take out the top WCOTY prize.
The award is voted on by 66 automotive journalists from 25 countries – including Carsales contributor Joshua Dowling.
WCOTY founder and chairman, Japan-based Australian Peter Lyon, said: "This is the way of the future. With the price of petrol skyrocketing, more and more people are going to be looking at cars like the LEAF and Volt. The awards reflect the way that motoring is heading. But it's also good to see there's space for performance and passion, thanks to Ferrari and Aston-Martin."
The Nissan LEAF is similar in size to the Nissan Pulsar hatchback but can drive up to 160km on battery power alone. The charging system can be operated via a smartphone application.
Nissan Australia is in the process of delivering 16 LEAF cars to the Victorian government for an electric car trial before the end of this year and the LEAF is due in showrooms for the Australian public to buy next year.
Price is yet to be confirmed but the company expects a RRP close to $50,000, similar to the top-end Toyota Prius hybrid.
The Chevrolet Volt – which turns the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept on its head – won the WCOTY Green Car Award. It will be sold in Australia from next year as a Holden and likely cost in excess of $60,000.
The World Performance Car of the Year, the Ferrari 458 Italia, was praised for delivering Enzo supercar performance for a sportscar price.
The World Car Design of the Year, the Aston Martin Rapide, was praised for successfully creating a sedan with coupe-like proportions.
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