Nissan is currently considering the development of a small all-electric vehicle based on the Renault Zoe (the Renault-Nissan Alliance was created for just such reasons), and the development of an all-electric SUV/CUV, according to the longtime head of Nissan’s European EV operations, Gareth Dunsmore.
The decision to do so could lead to some interesting changes, because while European electric vehicle buyers have the option of purchasing a Renault Zoe (which just got a lot more compelling), that option isn’t available in the US — a smaller (than the LEAF) all-electric Nissan could probably sell pretty well in the US if the pricing was aggressive.
This is presuming that, if Nissan does develop a compact all-electric vehicle (EV) based on the Zoe, it will be offered for sale in the US.
The model could also prove interesting to those who don’t like Renault’s push for battery leasing, or who just prefer the brand for whatever reasons (local production in the UK, etc.).
In an interview with Auto Express, Dunsmore commented: “We’ve invested $5.4 billion in electric cars such as the Leaf, so we need to ensure we’re satisfying as many types of customer as possible. In Europe, that could mean looking towards B-segment hatches and SUVs or crossovers. If we look towards crossovers or the B-segment for the next car, those could make perfect sense.”
Maybe all of this is a moot point, though, and Nissan will be pursuing a more aggressive approach to pricing with the LEAF, as we’ve often speculated may be a possibility in the near future. We’ll see.
I hope they add battery cooling so the car can stay working for 20-30 years instead of the 6-8 they now get. All the other plugins have cooling and batteries seem to last a lifetime.
Nissan should have done this several years ago. And I hope they use what they learned with the Renault EOLAB Concept:
https://www.renault.co.uk/discover-renault/innovation-and-technology/concept-cars/eolab.html