Nissan Leaf Gets Sliced in Half, Still Drivable

NissanNissanJapan, 1932 > present159 models
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has built special LeafNissan LEAFJapan, 2009 > present29 versions
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with half of the body removed to reveal the over 100 changes it has made for the 2013 car. The latest car offers a range of 124 miles (199km) and can be pre-heated or pre-cooled from the owner’s smartphone.

One of the biggest changes to the Leaf is its CarWings telematics system that uses an on-board SIM card and a 7in touchscreen display. It allows owners to send destinations to the car’s navigation system, and the car will predict the remaining battery range at the end of the journey. The car can also be set to be a specific temperature when the driver returns. CarWings will also read the news to drivers from their RSS feeds. The Leaf uses a new Bose stereo with lighter components that uses less energy with the same sound quality. It also has four on-board cameras to provide a 360-degree view during parking.

New algorithms also learn the way drivers behave to create more accurate estimates of the car’s remaining range.

Other smaller changes include an LED light on the charging flap for better night visibility. It also has LED headlights.

"Technology is becoming increasingly important for our customers and Nissan is keen to ensure all the technology we bring to the Nissan LEAF is innovative and adds excitement.

 "We do not put in gimmicks. All technologies give a true value for the customer and all of the features and functionality we have placed in the all-new Nissan LEAF genuinely increase driving pleasure,” said Malcolm Holmes, head of Nissan Audio, IT, Instruments and Switch Design.

Since introduction, Nissan has sold over 65,000 Leafs worldwide and over 10,000 of them were in Europe.