This time, Nissan is going head-to-head with General Motors and Tesla.
Nissan unveiled a new, more powerful version of its Leaf electric car Tuesday that will compete more directly against cars like the Chevrolet Bolt EV and, eventually, the base version of the Tesla Model 3.
While a major selling point for the Leaf has been its relatively low price, at thousands of dollars less than the Bolt EV, it also offered less power and driving range. The new Nissan Leaf Plus (or e+, depending on where it’s being marketed) will be closer to the Bolt EV in range and, presumably, in price. The final price of the car will be announced later.
The Nissan Leaf Plus can go 226 miles on a single charge, which is much closer to the Chevrolet Bolt EV’s range. It can also go faster and accelerate more quickly than the base model Nissan Leaf.
The new Nissan Leaf Plus will offer more range and more power at, presumably, a higher price.
The new Nissan Leaf Plus will offer more range and more power at, presumably, a higher price.
Its price will probably be considerably closer to the $36,000 starting price of the Bolt EV. (The Tesla Model 3 has a theoretical starting price of about $35,000 for a version with a range similar to that of the Leaf Plus, but Tesla has not yet started producing that entry-level car.) Read more