London - When the Nissan Leaf first hit the scene back in 2010 it was touted as the world’s first mass-market electric vehicle, and since then more than half a million have found homes in 59 countries around the world.
However, as we all know the electric car market is expanding rapidly and Nissan is going to have to come up with something more than an odd-looking hatchback to keep up with the pack.
The solution, it appears, is a sleek-looking crossover. Nissan Europe boss Guillaume Cartier has confirmed to British media that the new crossover that’s scheduled to be built in England’s Sunderland plant from around 2025 will in fact serve as the Nissan Leaf replacement, Autocar reported.
The upcoming crossover was previewed by the design rendering that you see above, when the company announced the £1 billion (R20bn) investment back in July. The company also confirmed that the new vehicle would be built around the Alliance CMF-EV platform, which also underpins the Nissan Ariya and the new Renault Megane E-Tech. The latter offers a range of around 470km when fitted with the 60kWh battery option.
Furthermore, Nissan said it would not be developing any new internal combustion models for the European region, but it appears the company will still offer new models based around Alliance platforms as is the case with the current Nissan Micra.
“Strategically, we bet on electrification. If we invest in (upcoming emissions regulations) EU7, the ballpark cost is about half the profit margin per car, around €2000 (R34 000) you would have to pass onto the customer. So we bet on EV, knowing it will decrease in cost,” Cartier was quoted as saying, by Autocar.
According to Auto Express, Nissan is still mulling over the future of its Micra hatchback, and it’s possible that the vehicle will receive an electric-only replacement.