Nissan details Europe launch plans for new Micra, Leaf, Juke EVs
Nissan will launch three key full-electric models in Europe in the next two years, starting with the next-generation Micra, which will be sold only as an EV, later this year.
It will be followed by a new version of the compact Leaf, which moves to a crossover body style from a hatchback.
A new electric Juke SUV, on the same platform as the Leaf although smaller, will follow at some point between now and March 31, 2027, the company told journalists at an event in Atsugi, Japan.
Nissan showed the production versions of the Micra and Leaf after a long period of teasing the cars with concepts and detail shots of sections of the car. It also showed the silhouette of the Juke.
Nissan has previously committed to increasing its electric share to 40 percent of its total sales in Europe by March 2027.
In recent months, however, the company has been critical of the speed that manufacturers are being forced by legislation to shift to electric vehicles in the U.K. — its largest European market — and the EU.
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A recent analysis by JATO Dynamics found that through February this year, Nissan had a 9 percent share of EVs in 25 EU countries plus the U.K., Norway and Switzerland.
The Micra is based on the new Renault 5 and will be built by Renault Group's EV unit, Ampere, at its plant in Douai, France.
The new model keeps the Micra name Nissan has traditionally attached to its small cars and will 'remain true to the DNA of its predecessors,' Nissan said in a statement. Nissan halted sales of the combustion-powered Micra in 2023.
The new car was styled at Nissan Design Europe in London using Ampere's AmpR Small platform. Like the Renault 5, it will be available with two battery options: 40- or 52-kilowatt-hours, providing a maximum range of more than 400 km (248 miles), Nissan said.
The Leaf will be built in Nissan's Sunderland plant in northern England on the same CMF-EV platform as the Ariya midsize EV.
Nissan has been reliant on sales of the Ariya to reduce the brand's overall emissions in Europe since production of the second-generation Leaf ended in 2024.
Nissan gave no new technical information for the Leaf, although previously the company said it will use a new battery from supplier AESC that is said to be 30 percent more energy dense than the 62-kWh pack in the previous-generation Leaf.
The Renault Scenic compact SUV on the same platform is quoted as traveling up to 610 km (379 miles) with its most powered battery pack, which is 87 kWh.
The Leaf is now a coupe-styled crossover in line with both customer tastes and the need to improve aerodynamics, Nissan said.
A low nose and sloping roofline help airflow hug the body, which ends in a high tail.
The car's interior has been created as a 'sanctuary,' Nissan design boss Alfonso Albaisa told Automotive News Europe sister publications Automotive News.
The dashboard is anchored by a glass slab that integrates the instrument cluster and central display.
The Nissan Juke electric SUV, meanwhile, will be built on the same CMF-EV platform as the Leaf, according to a report from Autocar. The current ICE Juke received a face-lift last year.
Nissan confirmed in 2023 that the small EV would be manufactured in Sunderland alongside the Leaf and the two cars are likely to share a production line. The combustion-engine Juke will continue to be manufactured at the factory.
An electric Qashqai compact SUV — also planned for production at Sunderland and announced at the same as the Leaf — has been delayed, according to Autocar, quoting global chief planning head Francois Bailly.
Nissan used the Japanese event to announce a new electric crossover for the U.S. described as being slightly larger than the Qashqai. The model pays homage to the original U.S.-model Pathfinder off-roader, replicating its three-slot hood design with a light signature. No date was given, and Nissan did not say if it was related to the electric Qashqai planned for Europe.
Nissan has announced plans to introduce its third-generation e-Power hybrid system to the Qashqai built at Sunderland. Not date was given for its introduction. The drivetrain is also available in the larger X-Trail SUV.
Nissan has also announced a plug-in hybrid for the X-Trail in U.S., where it is known as the Rogue, but it has said that it will not launch PHEVs in Europe.
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