Nissan has revealed that its second-generation Leaf electric vehicle is set to be launched in seven markets in Asia/Oceania over the course of the coming year. The vehicle will be introduced in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea as well as Australia and New Zealand.
The announcement was made earlier today at a Nissan Futures symposium in Singapore, a three-day event engaging in various discussions about how to create a sustainable future through vehicle electrification and how to make advanced driving technologies more accessible, under the theme The Future of Mobility – Electrification and Beyond.
According to Nissan regional senior VP Yutaka Sanada, the introduction falls in line with the automaker’s aim to bring the second-gen zero-emission vehicle to as many markets as possible. He added that the company is studying demand in Indonesia and the Philippines for the vehicle’s next launch phase.
For Malaysia, the Leaf is expected to make its way in towards the end of Q4 this year, reaffirming the announcement made late last year that the EV was to be launched here in 2018.
Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) sales and marketing director Chris Tan revealed to paultan.org that the plan is to give the car its first public showing at the 2018 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS 18) in November, with pre-sales events set to follow after that.
Pricing has not been determined, and it remains to be seen how much it go for. As previously mentioned, the Leaf would have to be locally assembled in order to qualify for incentives under the current Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) scheme, so ETCM would either have to invest in its assembly plants to build the car as a CKD, or work out a deal with the government to avoid a hefty price tag that a CBU electric vehicle would be strapped with.
To recap, the new Leaf features significant gains in performance and range over the first-gen model, with the electric motor now producing 38% more power and 26% more torque at 110 kW (148 hp) and 320 Nm respectively. A higher-capacity 40 kWh lithium-ion battery also increases its operating range on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) to 378 km from the 195 km of the original (later, 250 km).
Domestic Japanese deliveries of the Leaf, which was unveiled in September 2017, began in October last year, followed by the US and Canada in January. The car is set to be launched in in Europe this month, and will eventually be available in more than 60 markets worldwide.
GALLERY: Nissan Leaf at Nissan Futures symposium, Singapore
