YOKOHAMA, Japan–Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn made a quiet entrance yesterday at the Japanese automaker's new headquarters building – driving the company's zero-emission vehicle on stage for its inaugural public viewing. Nissan Motor Co.'s environmentally friendly automobile – a 
blue hatchback with a sporty design and a recharging opening in the front – is set to go on sale in Japan, the U.S. and Europe next year. Designer Shiro Nakamura said the vehicle was intentionally designed to avoid a stereotypical futuristic design. "This is not a niche car," he said. "We didn't make it unusual looking. It had to be a real car." Nissan has promised that the Leaf, which goes into mass-production as a global model in 2012, will be about the same price as a gas-engine car such as the 1.5 million yen, or $15,000 (U.S.) Tiida, which sells abroad as the Versa, starting at about $10,000. The car has a range of 160 kilometres on a single battery charge, according to Nissan. The company is targeting initial annual production of 50,000 units for the Leaf at its Oppama plant in Yokohama, including export models.
For further details visit as : http://www.thestar.com/business/article/675454
blue hatchback with a sporty design and a recharging opening in the front – is set to go on sale in Japan, the U.S. and Europe next year. Designer Shiro Nakamura said the vehicle was intentionally designed to avoid a stereotypical futuristic design. "This is not a niche car," he said. "We didn't make it unusual looking. It had to be a real car." Nissan has promised that the Leaf, which goes into mass-production as a global model in 2012, will be about the same price as a gas-engine car such as the 1.5 million yen, or $15,000 (U.S.) Tiida, which sells abroad as the Versa, starting at about $10,000. The car has a range of 160 kilometres on a single battery charge, according to Nissan. The company is targeting initial annual production of 50,000 units for the Leaf at its Oppama plant in Yokohama, including export models.For further details visit as : http://www.thestar.com/business/article/675454
