Nissan Leaf, Tesla 3 may hit Indian market next year; buzz in electric cars segment

Nissan has unveiled the new avatar of its electric vehicle Leaf in Japan. One of the most popular electric vehicles in the world, the new Leaf now comes with better range and advanced technologies. Promising more kilometres in a single charge and new driver-assist technologies, it might even come to India by next year, if reports are to be believed. While, the much-hyped Tesla Model 3 is expected in the country around the same time, this is set to heat things up in the growing electric cars segment in India.

The new Nissan Leaf will come with a 40-kWh battery pack which can power the car for 240 km once fully charged. The older model on the streets now comes with a 30-kWh battery, enough for a 170-km-long drive. Moreover, Nissan has plans to launch an e-Plus variant of the Leaf, which will sport a 60-kWh battery powering it and can keep the car running for more than beyond 360 km.

Along with extended travel range, the new Nissan Leaf has even received a power upgrade, now equipped with a more powerful engine than its predecessor. The new version now churns out 147 hp of power and 320 Nm of torque, as opposed to 107 hp and 254 Nm produced by the old Leaf.

Changes have been made to design language of the car to make it more aerodynamic and eye-catching. The bulging curves of the old Nissan Leaf have been done away with to make way for sharp lines. Apart from cosmetic motives, the changes in design also make the car more aerodynamic, which helps maintaining better efficiency levels. In other words, the new design helps the electric car to use its battery better.

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Nissan Leaf has also been equipped with new driver-assist technologies like ProPilot Assit and e-Pedal technology. ProPilot Assist helps to keep the car centred in the lane and avoids hitting vehicles and objects that comes in it way, giving an almost automatic drive experience. On the other hand, the e-Pedal technology is what allows drivers to brake and accelerate with the same foot. With this, releasing the accelerator slows down or stops the car, similar to pressing a brake. The brake is also present for emergency situations.

And even though the driving range offered by the next-generation Nissan Leaf is very much similar to what the Tesla Model 3 is offering, price could be a factor which gives the former a competitive edge over the latter. While the Model 3 is expected to come to India with a price tag of $35,000 (around Rs 22.44 lakh) whereas the Nissan Leaf will have a price range starting from $29,000 (around Rs 18.59 lakh).

Whereas some reports indicate that the next-generation Nissan Leaf will surface at the Indian Auto Expo next year. With Chevrolet backing out of Indian markets, taking its fully-electric car Bolt with it, and Tesla still trying to find a base of operations in the country, Nissan Leaf will only have competition from local players to worry about.

Maruti Suzuki has disclosed plans to foray in the electric car segment in near future, whereas, Mahindra and Mahindra is planning to launch fully-electric version of its flagship SUVs - Scorpio and XUV 500.

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