Nissan has revealed a sleek, new-look Leaf with an increased range of 200 miles NEDC and featuring the latest autonomous driving technology.
The new and improved Leaf aims to “embrace the early steps of advanced driver assistance” with the introduction of Nissan’s ProPilot autonomous driving system, ProPilot Park and the brand’s e-Pedal concept, which allows drivers to control the car using a single foot pedal.
ProPilot can automatically control distance to the vehicle in front at a pre-set speed – even in stop start traffic – and will maintain the Leaf’s position within a lane.
ProPilot Park will give the vehicle autonomous parking capabilities while the e-Pedal, which will come as standard on all new Leafs, allows drivers to accelerate and brake using one pedal thanks to the 0.2g of regenerative braking power.
The bigger 40kWh battery offers 200 miles NEDC on a single charge (an estimated 150-160 miles of ‘real world’ driving) and a higher power version with increased motor power and battery capability is due to be released at the end of 2018.
Prices have not yet been released, but the new Leaf will go on sale across Europe in January 2018, according to a statement issued by Nissan.
Nissan’s president and chief executive officer, Hiroto Saikawa, said: “The new Nissan Leaf, with its improved range, combined with the evolution of autonomous drive technology, such as ProPilot Park and the simple operation of the e-Pedal, strengthens Nissan’s EV leadership, as well as the expansion of EVs globally. It also has the core strengths that will be embodied by future Nissan models.”
The new Nissan Leaf replaces the first-generation model, which has become the world’s best-selling electric vehicle. Nissan reported that more than 283,000 customers have chosen the Leaf since the model went on sale in 2010.
