Nissan Leaf EV Set to Be Trimmed From Lineup Soon
Nissan is leaving the Leaf behind to focus on new EVs.
It looks like the Titan truck isn't the only model Nissan is looking to cut from its lineup. According to a report fromAutomotive News, Nissan is saying goodbye to the Leaf EV. Nissan bet big on the EV market when it first brought the Leaf to the American market back in 2010, but the small hatchback didn't make enough of an impact. With its battery only able to muster a paltry 76 miles of driving initially, it did nothing to curb the growing concern of range anxiety. The world wasn't quite ready to ditch dino juice for electricity at that moment in time.
0:00 / 0:00
Then, just a few years after the Leaf made its debut, cars like the Chevy Volt and then the Tesla Model S made Nissan's offering seem unimpressive to say the least. Regardless, Nissan stuck with the Leaf by moving production to the United States and making incremental improvements to range. However, it was never quite able to keep up with its competitors, especially the juggernaut that is Tesla.
While it is true that the Nissan Leaf is one of the cheapest EVs on the market right now, it still has less range than other EVs in its segment. In our buyer's guide we noted that we appreciate the Leaf's value for money; especially considering its quiet cabin and semi-autonomous driving tech. However, its small size, uncompetitive driving range, and comfortable seats had to be called out.
The report fromAutomotive Newspredicts that Nissan will end production on the Leaf sometime around 2025 with no plans for a next-generation replacement. However, by then Nissan will have added several new EVs to its line up. The 2023 Nissan Ariya SUV, set to go on sale later this year, is the first example of Nissan's strategy to have at least 15 EVs in its line up by 2030.
Can the Ariya SUV and Nissan's other future EV offerings be enough to accomplish what the Leaf couldn't? When we drove the Ariya prototype back in March, we were fairly impressed with the natural feel of its brakes, precise steering, and its comfort with a wet driving surface (it rained during the prototype drive). Though, that was just a prototype. If the Ariya looks to correct the mistakes of the Leaf, the final product needs to be exceptional.
Andrew Beckford’s passion for cars started as a middle schooler when his friend Richie explained how an internal combustion engine works. He was bitten by the bug and the rest, as they say, is history. He dug deep into the tuner scene and eventually wrote for Turbo Magazine, Import Tuner, Super Street. He covered car shows, feature builds, and reviewed racing games for those magazines in addition to covering motorsports including Formula Drift, Indy Car, and F1 for his personal blog. Eventually Beckford joined MotorTrend to cover the daily automotive news beat. Besides being a gearhead, Beckford has been a gamer since the ’80s and is a huge fan of the arcade racing games of the ’90s like Daytona USA, SEGA Rally, and Ridge Racer. Beckford’s a movie buff as well, especially comic book films from DC and Marvel. When car culture crosses over with gaming and entertainment, rest assured Beckford is aware of it. In addition to serving as a consultant on a “triple A” racing titles, he’s reviewed major racing games such as Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo, F1, and more. He’s also interviewed blockbuster directors including Steven Caple Jr. (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Neill Blomkamp (Gran Turismo). His biggest profile to date was with Robert Downey Jr. on his love affair with cars and his show Downey’s Dream Cars on MAX. Beckford’s profile of Downey Jr. was the first print cover story written by an African American in MotorTrend’s history. Along with KJ Jones, Andrew Beckford also heads up MotorTrend’s celebration of Black History Month by spotlighting diverse voices in the automotive industry and motorsports. Beckford’s first car was a 1982 Nissan Stanza affectionately named “Stanley” by his late mother.
Read More
