In response to critics claims that the Nissan Leaf looks bland and awkward, Nissan is going to give the next Leaf more European styling, according to Colin Lawther, vice president of Nissan engineering in Europe.
In response to critics claims that the Nissan Leaf looks bland and awkward, Nissan is going to give the next Leaf more European styling, according to Colin Lawther, vice president of Nissan engineering in Europe.
“We’ll fine tune the car for the European customer from a design point of view,” Lawther stated.
Nissan is also going to improve the Leaf’s driving range and its powertrain will also be retuned to make it smoother. Nissan may also lower the price of the next Leaf. In Europe Nissan will begin building the Leaf in the UK for European markets instead of its Oppama plant in Japan, which will cut production costs by a third. Nissan expects 90 percent of the Leaf’s parts in Europe will actually be produced there. Lawther said the production cost savings will come partly from a combination of reduced logistics, lower import taxes and less exposure to the strong Japanese currency. By moving production to the UK, European customers will also have a shorter wait time, with order times being reduced by 6-8 weeks.
Nissan is also going to start producing the Leaf at its U.S. plant in Smyrna, Tennessee later this year.
