That is the all-new Nissan Leaf, and it’s now a crossover with 373 miles of vary

“This is a vital second for me,” stated incoming new Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa. The person previously in control of world product planning will quickly transfer into the Massive Boss Chair, and from the Massive Boss Chair will current a brand new, invigorated Nissan line-up he and his crew hopes will reverse the Japanese carmaker’s fortunes.

The primary of which is that this. Welcome to the brand-new, third-generation Leaf. It’s Nissan’s longstanding electrical automobile – certainly one of many early pioneers of mainstream electrical mobility – right here reimagined as an embiggened, upright, aero-efficient crossover with a great deal of vary and a great deal of tech.

Platform fanatics can be delighted to know this new Leaf is spun off the identical bones that underpin the Ariya EV – the ‘CMF-EV’ base – however Nissan is being coy at this stage on any extra technical particulars like battery measurement or energy outputs or acceleration. And even pics.

Powertrain fundamentals and vary nevertheless, we do know. The previous is the corporate’s ‘3-in-1’ setup, which modularises the motor, inverter and reducer. Whereas on the latter, Nissan’s car program boss Francois Bailly informed TopGear.com we will count on 600km – or 373 miles – on a single cost. That’s… first rate.

A “assured EV drive”, he defined, was one of many core guiding rules behind the brand new Leaf’s building – not drive as in ‘oh expensive, I look like on the doorhandles’, however travelling lengthy distances with out fear. “Freeway is the important thing for us,” he stated, however not on the expense of every part else, thoughts.

The opposite guiding drive behind the brand new Leaf was the styling, and it’s actually grown up from its humble 2010 beginnings. It’s shorter by round 15cm versus the present automobile, however in fact is far more upright, with an enormous emphasis on aerodynamic effectivity due to that glossy entrance and swoopy roofline. It additionally appears far more NewNissan just like the Ariya. Solely these two footage to go on at this early stage, however you get the… image.

Outdoors of the shiny new go well with, it’ll include 19s (19in wheels on a Leaf!), a panoramic “moonroof”, and within the USA, a NACS charging port permitting it to sneak onto Tesla chargers, vastly opening up its long-haul enchantment.

And naturally, its common enchantment. Like we stated, it is a part of a brand new line-up Espinosa and his crew hope will reverse Nissan’s fortunes, which you’ve got little question been conscious of. “There’s a number of issues that we have now to work on,” he informed TopGear.com concerning the firm’s present predicament and challenges. “One is the steadiness of our income stream. The second factor is price – price must be improved. The third is velocity, shortening our improvement cycle.

“And fourth is the extra measures of the turnaround. You’ll hear about that in the end. There’s a variety of work to be accomplished in communications externally and internally, worker morale additionally must be improved. 

“As you see I’ve received a bunch of issues to deal with,” he added.

Nissan’s world efficiency boss Guillame Cartier informed TG: “The idea within the turnaround is right here. What’s vital is how we will talk, how we could be understood. The noise on Nissan was not at all times optimistic, whereas there’s a variety of positivity to offer, beginning with the product.”

This explicit product can be made in England on the Sunderland plant – a plant that’s turning into the model’s “flagship EV hub” – and can be launched in Europe later this 12 months. Alongside the ‘audacious’ new Micra – now a full EV – and an incoming new Juke (each previewed beneath).

“To our passionate followers and constant house owners world wide, I can guarantee you, that is just the start of an thrilling journey forward,” Espinosa stated.