Marketing Scoops: The Nissan Leaf Lives On As A Compact SUV With a Tesla Charge Port

Nissan

The Nissan Leaf is back, and it’s not a frumpy looking hatchback anymore. The Japanese automaker is dusting off its pioneering EV and giving it new technology and a new form factor. The Leaf will return as a crossover SUV with a Tesla plug (!!), casting off its outdated appearance that previously led to rumors of its inevitable demise………Continue reading….

By: Andrew J. Hawkins

Source: The Verge

Critics:

Nissan’s volume models are sold worldwide under the Nissan brand. Datsun: Until 1983, Nissan automobiles in most export markets were sold under the Datsun brand. In 1984 the Datsun brand was phased out and the Nissan brand was phased in. All cars in 1984 had both the Datsun and Nissan branding on them and in 1985 the Datsun name was completely dropped.

In July 2013, Nissan relaunched Datsun as a brand targeted at emerging markets. However, due to sluggish sales, Nissan ended sales of Datsun-badged vehicles in 2022. Infiniti: Since 1989, Nissan has sold its luxury models under the Infiniti brand. In 2012, Infiniti changed its headquarters to Hong Kong, where it is incorporated as Infiniti Global Limited. Its president is former BMW executive Roland Krueger.

From 2014 to 2020, the Japanese-market Skyline (rebadged Infiniti Q50) and Fuga (rebadged Infiniti Q70) were sold with Infiniti emblem. Nismo: Nissan’s in-house tuning shop is Nismo, short for “Nissan Motorsport International Limited.” Nismo is being re-positioned as Nissan’s performance brand. Nissan has produced an extensive range of mainstream cars and trucks, initially for domestic consumption but exported around the world since the 1950s.

It also produced several memorable sports cars, including the Datsun Fairlady 1500, 1600 and 2000 Roadsters, the Z-car, an affordable sports car originally introduced in 1969; and the GT-R, a powerful all-wheel-drive sports coupe. In 1985, Nissan created a tuning division, Nismo, for competition and performance development of such cars. One of Nismo’s latest models is the 370Z Nismo.

Nissan also sells a range of kei cars, mainly as a joint venture with other Japanese manufacturers like Suzuki or Mitsubishi. Until 2013, Nissan rebadged kei cars built by other manufacturers. Beginning in 2013, Nissan and Mitsubishi shared the development of the Nissan DAYZ / Mitsubishi eK Wagon series. Nissan also has shared model development of Japanese domestic cars with other manufacturers, particularly Mazda, Subaru, Suzuki and Isuzu.

In China, Nissan produces cars in association with the Dongfeng Motor Group including the 2006 Nissan Livina Geniss, the first in a range of a new worldwide family of medium-sized cars. In 2010, Nissan created another tuning division, IPL, this time for their premium/luxury brand Infiniti. In 2011, after Nissan released the Nissan NV-Series in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Nissan created a commercial sub-brand called Nissan Commercial Vehicles which focuses on commercial vans, pickup trucks, and fleet vehicles for the US, Canadian, and Mexican Markets.

In 2013, Nissan launched the Qashqai SUV in South Africa, along with their new motorsport Qashqai Car Games. It is the same year when the Datsun brand was relaunched by Nissan after a 27-year hiatus. Nissan launched their Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision in 2016 by revealing the IDS Concept at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. Most Nissan vehicles like the Dayz, Rogue and Leaf are equipped with Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology. In 2018, Nissan launched the sixth-generation Altima at the 2018 New York Auto Show.

Nissan introduced its first battery electric vehicle, the Nissan Altra at the Los Angeles International Auto Show on 29 December 1997. Unveiled in 2009, the EV-11 prototype electric car was based on the Nissan Tiida (Versa in North America), with the conventional gasoline engine replaced with an all-electric drivetrain. In 2010, Nissan introduced the first-generation LEAF as the first series produced, all-electric vehicle launched globally. As of 2014, the Nissan Leaf was the world’s best selling highway-capable all-electric car ever.

Global sales totaled 100,000 Leafs by mid January 2014, representing a 45 percent market share of worldwide pure electric vehicles sold since 2010. Global Leaf sales passed the 200,000 unit milestone in December 2015, and the Leaf continued ranking as the all-time best selling all-electric car. Nissan’s second all-electric vehicle, the Nissan e-NV200, was announced in November 2013. Series production at the Nissan Plan in Barcelona, Spain, began on 7 May 2014.

The e-NV200 commercial van is based on the Nissan Leaf. Nissan plans to launch two additional battery electric vehicles by March 2017. In June 2016, Nissan announced it will introduce its first range extender car in Japan before March 2017. The series plug-in hybrid will use a new hybrid system, dubbed e-Power, which debuted with the Nissan Gripz concept crossover showcased at the September 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show.

As of August 2016, Nissan electric vehicles were sold in 48 world markets. Nissan global electric vehicle sales passed 275,000 units in December 2016. In 2018 Nissan sold its battery unit AESC to Envision in order to focus on the production of vehicles. The second-generation Nissan Leaf was launched by Nissan in Japan in 2018. By December 2020, 10 years after its introduction, cumulative global deliveries had reached 500,000 Leaf cars.

In February 2023, Nissan announced its intent to produce electric vehicles with solid-state batteries by 2028. In November 2023, Nissan announced its intention to build electric versions of the Qashqai and Juke at its plant in Britain. Nissan’s central research is inside the Oppama Plant site, Yokosuka, which began its operation in 1961, at the former site of Imperial Japanese Navy’s Airborne Squadron base. In 1982, Nissan’s technical centers in Suginami, Tokyo and Tsurumi, Yokohama were combined into one:

Nissan Technical Center (NTC) in Atsugi, Kanagawa, at the foot of Mount Ōyama of the Tanzawa Mountains. At its 30th anniversary, in 2012, NTC employed 9,500 employees in product development, design, production engineering, and purchasing. Nissan Technical Center works closely with its overseas operations: Nissan Technical Center (NTC)/North America, NTC/Mexico, Nissan Design America, Nissan Silicon Valley Office, and Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE).

In 2007, the company opened Nissan Advanced Technology Center (NATC), near the NTC site. It works in close contact with the central research, the Silicon Valley office, the technical office near the Nissan headquarters in central Yokohama, and the overseas offices in Detroit, Silicon Valley, and Moscow. Nissan’s test courses are in Tochigi (two courses), Yokosuka and Hokkaido.