When Nissan showed its Leaf NISMO RC concept at the 2011 New York auto show, we scratched our heads as we gazed upon the full-blown electric race car. The RC was a seriously built machine, complete with a carbon-fiber body, shortened wheelbase, double-wishbone suspension, and more. Heck, Nissan even moved the Leaf’s 107-hp, 207-lb-ft electric motor behind the driver and routed power to the rear wheels. But at the 2011 Tokyo auto show, Nissan is taking a much simpler approach (one we would have expected to come first) with the Leaf NISMO concept.
Comprised merely of a body kit, LED lights in the front bumper, blue exterior accents, and 18-inch wheels, NISMO’s Leaf is otherwise identical to those silently cruising streets worldwide. Nissan calls out the fact that the electric drivetrain was untouched, which makes us extremely skeptical of the concept’s claimed 0-t0-62-mph sprint of less than 7 seconds. Each time we’ve tested a Leaf, it’s needed 10 to get to 60 mph. Must be the NISMO badges.
While we don’t see the point of this car, it’d be easy for Nissan to fit these pieces to a production Leaf. Either way, it’s a quick and easy way to make an EV at least look cooler to some, a perception Nissan needs to foster. In addition to the Leaf, the company will produce an Infiniti luxury EV and a commercial EV in the near future. Shiro Nakamura, senior vice president in charge of design, says that, in another five years, the company hopes to add to that stable an electric commuter car (the next step after the Pivo 3 concept) and/or a “sporty” EV. Whether that comes in the shape of something like the ESFLOW concept or the tamer NISMO Leaf, the company already seems to be priming the market.
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