Nissan LEAF to become an SUV
The rise of the SUV claims another scalp as Nissan confirms LEAF hatchback will be scrappedThe pioneering Nissan LEAF electric hatchback is out. But the Nissan LEAF SUV is in.
One of the first mass-produced EVs from a mainstream car-maker, the Nissan LEAF – which was launched way back in 2010 – will undergo a transformation by around 2025.
The news comes from Europe today after Nissan’s regional chairman, Guillaume Cartier, told Autocar that the all-new small SUV announced earlier this year would carry the LEAF nameplate.
Cartier, who presides over the Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania (AMIEO) region, confirmed the LEAF hatchback would become an SUV following the company’s $1.85 million investment to upgrade the Sunderland factory in the UK where the EV is built.
It’s not clear whether the third-generation LEAF will retain any of the current model’s styling cues, but teaser images released by the company during its UK factory upgrade announcement in July previewed a sleek new design.
Expected to be underpinned by a newer CMF-EV platform shared by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, the next-gen LEAF will sit below the forthcoming Nissan Ariya SUV.
The LEAF has been one of the top-selling EVs globally, amassing 500,000 sales by the end of the 2020, and while the design may change, the name and brand equity it carries will live on.
The current second-generation Nissan LEAF is available in Australia from $49,990 plus on-road costs for the standard version with a 40kWh battery, which enables a 270km range (WLTP).
The Nissan LEAF e+ costs $60,490 plus ORCs and has a bigger 62kWh battery and a 385km range.
Cartier also confirmed that a replacement for the Nissan Micra would become an EV, which opens up the prospect for a cut-price electric hatch – and a return to the Australian market – for the compact city car.
While other brands are investing heavily in alternative fuels and plug-in hybrids, Cartier said Nissan had “bet on EV, knowing it will decrease in cost”.
Just as Hyundai, Toyota and Mazda have recently released their mid-to-long-term EV plans, Nissan will confirm its next-generation EV strategy later this year.
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