New Nissan Leaf likely to get Nismo performance package

The new Nissan Leaf could be offered with a Nismo styling pack to enhance its appeal and attract younger buyers. Design chief Alfonso Albaisa told our sister publication, Autocar UK that adding a “racier version” with Nismo trim could help the second-gen hatch reach image-conscious buyers — something its predecessor struggled to do.

“The previous Leaf’s design wasn’t popular with the majority of people,
so its look couldn’t contribute to sales,”
 he said. “The new car
 is lower, wider and sportier, with the point
 of this design being to
 get greater accessibility of the market.”

Albaisa said it would be easy to develop Nismo parts for the new Leaf. Such a practice isn’t new to Nissan because it offers Nismo trim on several models, including the Juke.

A hotter Leaf E-Plus is also due in 2019. It will have higher-capacity batteries and a stiffer structure. A Nismo pack could make such a model constitute a performance variant.