Last week, Nissan provided the brightest vision of its future electric vehicle product line and projects in years, as well as a very early glimpse of what a successor to the Nissan Leaf would look like in the middle of the decade.
The brief, titled Ambition 2030, marked a restart for Nissan, with a plan to introduce 23 electrified models for Nissan and Infiniti worldwide, 15 of which will be fully electric. The investment of around $ 17.6 billion will finance solid-state battery development, including a pilot plant by 2024 and production plans by 2028.
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| Image credit: Green car reports |
Among several concepts featured as part of last week's presentation, the Chill-Out concept is one that could hold the Leaf's position and market values, albeit perhaps a bit more influenced by the crossover, as the market progresses.
The automaker has suggested that the Chill-Out Concept, a hatchback with crossovers and a higher profile, be built on the same CMF-EV platform as the future Ariya and include the electronic all-wheel-drive system. Handling and handling improvements through nuanced engine controls.
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| Nissan sold-state plans |
For the time of a next-gen Leaf, or the Leaf's successor, we might consider last year's commitment to bring a next-gen AESC battery factory to the UK, with cells to use. For a "next-gen electric crossover," after the Blade that is built there ends, around 2024.
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| Nissan chill-out Concept |
In his presentation last week, COO Ashwani Gupta noted that the automaker wants to make it's Electronic Vehicles worth higher, which means both more exciting and more accessible. "We are working on several levels to make electric vehicles more competitive, including advances in batteries and manufacturing efficiencies," he said.
Part of that will be achieved through a new push to integrate core powertrain components, leading to a 30% cost reduction by 2026, the executive said. It will also take a new localized approach to manufacture, with battery production very close to vehicle production.
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| Nissan cmf-Ev Platform |
The information is welcome, as for several years Nissan's once-robust Electronic Vehicles plans had practically stalled. Company officials also pushed back arrival dates later and became increasingly ambiguous about what had been a long-awaited next wave of powertrain technology to sweep the line, its serial hybrid system, to be called e -Power for Nissan and also for Infiniti. distance. Infiniti recently confirmed that hybrid plans have been canceled.
What the Chill-Out suggests could well be two vehicles: one with a lower ride height and acting as a true successor to the Leaf, the other appealing more to crossover sensibilities but sacrificing some range and efficiency.
In support of this idea, we take a look at comments from Nissan's senior vice president of global design, Alfonso Albaisa, who, in a January interview with Green Car Reports, called the Leaf an icon and stopped hearing that while Nissan it might not be. When working on a direct replacement for the Leaf, Nissan understands the value of the nameplate and would not throw it away.!
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| 2011 Nissan Leaf |
While the gap between the launch of the original Leaf and the soon-to-be Ariya is more than 10 years, "we can only imagine five years from now, because it will accelerate," Albaisa said.
"It really changed the world," she said. “Now everyone takes it for granted… It is a name that means a lot to our family and has significant cultural value because it has changed us. "
The Ariya was never designed to replace the Leaf. Earlier this year, Nissan announced a massive price drop of thousands of dollars in the 2022 leaf, presumably with a view to being sold alongside the Ariya. And Nissan has confirmed that the two will be placed side by side, potentially for years to come.
Aditya Jairaj, Nissan's director of US electric vehicle sales and marketing strategy, recently told Green Car Reports that Nissan's knowledge of its EV customers and how they use them gives it an edge as they arrive. more electric vehicles in the future.
"You have 5 billion kilometers traveled by consumers on the road. Half a million cars sold in the world, 160,000 cars sold in the United States; we understand certain views, interests, and weaknesses of customers, all of this," said Jairaj. "So we have learned from the Leaf, and we are going to use it, we will continue to use it for the Leaf and other electric vehicles."
In April, Nissan announced its "intention" to build battery electric vehicles for more than 40% of its sales in the United States by 2030, with additional sales of other electric vehicles such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids. He also said that "all-new Nissan vehicle offerings in key markets will be electrified" by the early 2030's.
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| Nissan Chill-Out concept |
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| Nissan Chill-Out concept |
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| Nissan Chill-Out concept Bottom line: Nissan can't do this with Ariya alone. Given this information, there's a good chance there will be a successor to the Leaf, as well as several other EVs by then, even for the United States. Maybe even that versatile urban utility vehicle and that little truck. The exact form Blade's replacement will take may not yet be fully developed, even in Yokohama. Should a Leaf successor be a no-frills efficiency leader, tech showcase, or crossover? Let us know, and maybe Nissan, in your comments below. |
