Business
21:24, 06-Sep-2017
Nissan unveils new electric car in bid to drive off competition
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Japanese giant Nissan unveiled on Wednesday a new electric car with an extended range and semi-autonomous driving functions, as it seeks to fight off competitors in a sector it once pioneered.
The second-generation Nissan Leaf has a potential range of 400 kilometers between charges, compared with 250 kilometers for its previous version.
It also boasts semi-autonomous driving capabilities, such as keeping the vehicle automatically in one lane on the motorway or parking without human intervention.
Hiroto Saikawa, President and CEO of Nissan, said in a statement that the new vehicle "strengthens" the firm's "leadership" in the electric car sector.
Nissan was an innovator in the sector seven years ago when it unveiled its first Leaf, which has sold 280,000 units, but has since had to contend with fierce competition from General Motors and Tesla among others.
Faced with tighter global environmental regulations, most car makers are investing heavily in the electric car sector, sparking fierce competition in creating the next green vehicle.
The new car will be available next month in Japan, followed by the US and Canada in January 2018.
The price tag in Japan will be 3.15 million yen (around 29,000 US dollars).
Source(s): AFP