Nissan Leaf Voted European Car Of The Year

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Thu, 02 Dec 2010

The Nissan Leaf has been named the 2011 European Car of the Year, making it the first electric vehicle to be nominated win the annual award in the competition's 46-year history.

The battery powered car saw off competition from 40 new contenders launched this year, including the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Vauxhall Meriva, which came in second and third place respectively, to take the 2011 title.

COTY jury president, Hakan Matson, described the Nissan Leaf as a "breakthrough for electric cars ". "It is the first electric vehicle that can match conventional cars in many respects," he said.

Trevor Mann, senior vice president of manufacturing Nissan Europe, commented: "It's fantastic news to have a car which has really got the backing of the main European automotive journalists - it's the icing on the cake, really."

The Nissan Leaf is the world's first mass produced all-electric family car . It can travel 100 miles on a full charge - as long as air conditioning or heating are not used, has zero emissions and can reach a top speed of 90mph.

The Leaf is currently built in Japan but production of the car will be moved to Nissan’s UK plant in Sunderland in early 2013. Batteries for the car will be produced at the factory from 2012.

The five-door family hatchback will cost eco-friendly motorists £23,990 when it officially goes on sale in the UK in March.

Nissan said that each of the 24 dealers in the UK that have been chosen to sell the Leaf will be equipped with a fast charge facility, allowing owners to charge their car to 80 per cent capacity in 30 minutes.

According to the carmaker, this will ensure that 90 per cent of Britain’s Leaf owners are never more than 50 miles away from a fast charge point.