Nissan Debuts Zippier Leaf

Nissan Motor Co. debuted its new Leaf e+ electric sedan in Las Vegas yesterday, roughly two months after its planned unveiling was delayed by the arrest of Chairman Carlos Ghosn in mid-November.

The stylish e+ boasts a more powerful battery that hikes the car’s range by 40%, making its performance comparable to that of the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3 electrics. The Leaf’s new propulsion motor is 45% more powerful, which raises the top speed by 10% and improves acceleration at highway speeds.

The car comes with a new 8-inch touchscreen display, nav system that links to a smartphone and over-the-air software update capability. Among the other standard features are Nissan’s semi-autonomous ProPilot Assist system, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert and around-view display.

Nissan says the new model will be called the Leaf Plus in North America and Leaf e+ elsewhere. Sales will begin in Japan this month, in the U.S. by spring and in Europe in mid-2019, according to the company.