The E-Plus extended-range version of Nissan’s LEAF has been hotly anticipated on the market, but now it seems consumers will have to wait. The automaker has postponed the model’s launch, which was scheduled for November 28, this coming Wednesday, during simultaneous events in Amsterdam and Yokohama.
This is according to a report by Reuters, which adds that a Nissan spokesperson declined to provide a reason for the postponement, other than to say that the launch would be re-scheduled at a later date
This new LEAF would benefit from a bigger 64 kWh battery that would provide the car with 53 additional hp. More importantly, it would increase range to around 325 km (compared to the current 2019 LEAF’s 242 km).
The decision would appear to be a direct consequence of the arrest of Carlos Ghosn last week in Japan. The now-former head of the Nissan-Renault Alliance is accused of under-reporting his revenue in that country and of having used company funds for personal purposes. It’s alleged that the executive allocated company money to set up a research centre in Amsterdam, but actually used the funds to buy several luxury homes. Ghosn is also accused of having employed his sister as a consultant at a $1.7 million salary, and whose consulting related purely to the homes being bought.
Ghosn has denied having intentionally made false income declarations, saying any misdeeds were in fact errors.
Stay tuned - we'll be hearing a lot more about this whole affair.
Our review of the 2019 Nissan LEAF
