LAS VEGAS: Nissan Motor Co. unveiled a new version of its LEAF electric car after delaying its launch amid the shock arrest of former chairman Carlos Ghosn.

The new model, launched Tuesday here, narrows the driving-range gap versus Tesla Inc.’s Model 3 and General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Bolt.

The Japanese carmaker called off key events in the wake of the scandal involving Ghosn, who was the architect of Nissan’s electric-car vision and its pact with Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp, the world’s biggest auto alliance.

Ghosn was arrested Nov 19 in Japan on alleged financial crimes. He remains in a Tokyo prison as prosecutors build their case.

The auto industry’s increasing focus on automation and new-energy vehicles, along with the aggressive push into both areas by Tesla and scores of startups from China to Germany, has added to Nissan’s challenges.



The LEAF e+ boasts a more energy-dense battery that extends its range by about 40 percent, to as much as 363km.

That compares with the 354km- to 500km range (for Tesla’s Model 3, which starts at US$44,000 (RM182,000), and the 383-km range on the US$36,620 (RM151,000) Chevrolet Bolt. While the LEAF starts at about US$30,000 (RM124,000) in the US, Nissan isn’t releasing the price of the e+ until it’s closer to starting sales this spring.

Nissan has sold more than 380,000 LEAF vehicles globally since its model first went on sale in 2010, with over 128,000 in the US. The new LEAF will be available at dealerships in Japan starting this month, followed by the US, then Europe in mid-2019, Nissan said in a statement.

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