Nissan eyes electric car segment in India, plans testing of Leaf features

Nissan is reportedly looking at the possibility of bringing its electric car, the Leaf, to India to capitalise on the growing acceptance of electric models locally. Although there is no confirmation on the move, reports indicate the Leaf could be one of the eight products in the Japanese automaker's launch plans for the country by the year 2021.

The Leaf in all likelihood would come as a CBU (Completely Built-up Unit), ETAuto reports. However, this will be subject to the company finding a willing partner in India. Nissan is also considering localisation of its production, and if that happens, it will bring about a balanced price tag for the Leaf. The report also notes that Nissan could hit the Indian roads for testing of the model in the coming days.

Going forward, Nissan is upbeat at the prospect of launching a "high technology brand" in the Indian market. "We want to position Nissan as a high technology brand," Guillaume Sicard, president, Nissan India, said. "Compact market is not the main focus for Nissan in India. It does make sense of Datsun, we need to work on smaller cars."

A glance at its plans for the Indian market in 2017 further reveals the strategy. Nissan is expected to launch the X-Trail hybrid by May. Also, rumours abound that the new Micra may not come to India. These developments further the claims that Nissan is focusing on bringing premium offerings to the country.

The Leaf gets power from a lithium-ion battery-driven electric motor, which can generate 107bhp and has a range of 160km. It takes up to 8 hours to charge the battery. It also features regenerative braking system. When braking, the regenerative braking system will generate electricity and that can be used to recharge the car's batteries.

According to the latest report, the Leaf is likely to see a price tag of around Rs 35 lakh in India. If Nissan brings Leaf to the country, the electric car would benefit from the FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of hybrid and Electric vehicles) scheme launched by the government of India, which is offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles.