Nissan Motor president Carlos Ghosn said the automaker is considering launching four electric vehicles for the mass market, including a two-seater, urban-use model.
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”The time is now for zero emissions. Sustainable mobility is within your reach,” Ghosn told Kyodo News at a press preview of the Tokyo motor show.
Nissan also plans to launch a fully electric light commercial vehicle for use by ambulance, delivery van or taxi drivers and unveiled a concept sketch. A compact Infiniti luxury car that seats four people will also be released, although Ghosn did not provide any details of when the two vehicles will be marketed.
The automaker will roll out its fully electric, midsize family hatchback – the Leaf – in Japan, the United States and Europe in late 2010.
Nissan also displayed a quirky and compact concept vehicle called the Land Glider which will likely form the basis of a two-seater EV planned for the mass market.
The vehicle has unique in-line seats for two people, fitted into a cocoon-like body. It can also tilt up to 17 degrees as it takes corners like a motorcycle and is designed for urban use with its slim body capable of fitting into narrow parking spaces.
”Land Glider is a preview of the new era of emission-free mobility that Nissan intends to lead,” Ghosn said.
In addition to the EVs, Nissan also showcased the new Fuga luxury sedan, which will hit the Japanese market this autumn, and a hybrid version powered by a 3.5-litre, V6 engine and an electric motor running on lithium ion batteries.
Nissan plans to launch the Fuga hybrid in Japan next autumn, and it will become the first original petrol-electric hybrid car offered by the automaker. The Altima hybrid it builds and sells in the US uses Toyota electrics with a Nissan petrol engine.
Nissan has lagged Toyota and Honda in the competition for the best-selling hybrids, but it hopes to offer the hybrid alternative until EVs become more mainstream.
Nissan also showed off what it called a ”super spacious” minivehicle to be supplied on an OEM basis by Suzuki Motor for launch in Japan in December.
