Nissan Leaf EV to Become NACS-Ported Compact Crossover in Third Generation

Nissan Leaf can rightfully be considered a long-liver of the electric car market, since the production of the first generation cars started back in 2010, when there were still about two years left before the start of serial production of Tesla Model S. Nissan Leaf is now ready to return to the American market in the third generation, having acquired a popular crossover form factor and a NACS charging port from the same Tesla.

Image source: Nissan Motor

The struggling Japanese company has chosen the United States and Canada as regional markets where the third-generation Nissan Leaf will debut next year. The car will receive not only an advanced CMF-EV platform and a body with high aerodynamic characteristics, but also a panoramic glass roof. The presence of a NACS charging port will allow the crossover to recharge at Tesla Supercharger stations, of which there are plenty on the North American continent. The Leaf will inherit the main units from the Nissan Ariya crossover.

According to eyewitnesses, the new generation of Nissan Leaf is a quarter smaller in volume than Tesla Model Y. The creators promise a significant improvement in the power reserve compared to the previous generation model, which was forgiven a lot for its moderate price, but the electric car market has changed significantly, and now the new Nissan is simply obliged to offer more. In the previous generation, the power reserve of the Leaf barely exceeded 300 km. By the middle of this year, additional details will be revealed about the new product. In the next year and a half, Nissan and Infiniti will also roll out a decent range of hybrids and classic models with internal combustion engines on the North American market. Later, production of a new electric car for the local market will be launched in the United States. Nissan will receive traction batteries for its hybrids and electric cars of American assembly from a local plant of the Korean SK.

The compact Nissan Micra will return to the European market this year, and an electric version of the ultra-compact Nissan Juke crossover will be presented later.