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In
a historic moment for Nissan and
zero emission vehicles, the 100%
electric Nissan LEAF has been
awarded 2011 European Car of the
Year.
The world’s first mass-marketed,
affordable, zero-emission
vehicle for the global market
beat 40 contenders to win
motoring’s most important
accolade. This is the first time
in the 47-year history of the
annual competition that the
award has gone to an electric
vehicle. Nissan LEAF’s rivals
included vehicles from brands
such as Alfa Romeo, Citroen,
Dacia, Ford, Opel/Vauxhall and
Volvo. The jury included 57
leading motoring journalists
from 23 European countries.
“The jury acknowledged today
that the Nissan LEAF is a
breakthrough for electric cars.
Nissan LEAF is the first EV that
can match conventional cars in
many respects,” said Håkan
Matson, President of the Jury,
Car of the Year.
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s
President and CEO Carlos Ghosn
said: “This award recognises the
pioneering zero-emission Nissan
LEAF as competitive to
conventional cars in terms of
safety, performance,
spaciousness and handling. It
also reflects Nissan’s standing
as an innovative and exciting
brand with a clear vision of the
future of transportation, which
we call sustainable mobility.
With three other electric
vehicles in the pipeline from
Nissan – and with the imminent
market introduction of four
additional electric vehicles
from our Alliance partner
Renault – Nissan LEAF represents
a significant first step toward
a zero-emission future.”
Nissan LEAF is powered by a
compact electric motor in the
front of the car, which drives
the front wheels. The AC motor
develops a power output of 109PS
and 280Nm of torque, enough for
a maximum speed of 90mph. The
electric motor is powered by a
Nissan-developed laminated
lithium-ion battery with an
output of more than 90kW. The
car has a range of more than 100
miles (New European Driving
Cycle) between charges making it
a practical proposition for many
urban drivers.
The vehicle is fully equipped
with features such as
regenerative braking, air
conditioning, satellite
navigation, parking camera and
advanced on-board IT and
telematics systems. Innovative
connectivity will allow an owner
to set charging functions to
monitor the car's current state
of charge and the remaining
battery capacity, as well as to
heat or cool the interior of the
car remotely via mobile phone or
computer. The Nissan LEAF will
be available in five colours in
Europe - blue metallic and
pearl, white pearl, silver
metallic, black solid and red
pearl. The single option is a
solar panel mounted in the rear
spoiler that supports charging
of the car's 12V battery used
for powering accessories.
Deliveries in Japan and the
United States begin this
December. The first UK customers
will get their LEAFs in March.
The zero-emission car is
currently being built in Japan,
but will also be produced –along
with its batteries - in
Sunderland, England from early
2013.
Nissan’s innovative thinking
extends beyond zero-emission
mobility. Under the PURE DRIVE
label, Nissan manufactures an
extended line-up of
environmentally friendly,
internal combustion engine
vehicles offering class-leading
fuel efficiency supported by
advanced green technologies. In
Europe, the company will soon
launch an advanced
petrol-electric hybrid luxury
sedan wearing the Infiniti
badge, while hugely popular
crossover vehicles, such as
Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Juke,
have created new and exciting
vehicle segmentsdominated by
Nissan. Next year will also see
the arrival of the fourth
generation Nissan Micra powered
by a supercharged version of an
all-new 1.2-litre three cylinder
direct injection petrol engine
with an Idling Stop system to
offer spirited performance and
CO2 emissions of just
95g/km.
Nissan has won the CoTY award in
Europe before. In 1993, the
UK-built Nissan Micra became the
first car from a Japanese
automaker to win the accolade
and started Europe’s love affair
with the little car that
continues today with the recent
launch of the newest Nissan
Micra model. |
