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TOKYO, Japan - Nissan has won Japan's Car of the Year at the Tokyo auto show with its battery-powered Leaf model - the first time such a vehicle has picked up the award.
Electric cars and vehicles controlled remotely by a smart phone are features at the 2011 show which will run until December 11 with 179 exhibitors from a dozen countries.
The Leaf is a zero-emissions vehicle fitted with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Since its market launch at the end of 2010 about 20 000 have been sold, notably in Japan and in the US. They are a major feature of the current "global warming" conference in Durban.
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said: "All these accolades show that zero-emissions vehicles can clearly be competitive alternatives to conventional ones."
REMOTE-CONTROLLED RIDE
Nissan, part-owned by Renault, has invested the equivalent of about R40-billion in developing electric cars. Ghosn said that in five years Nissan and Renault would have sold 1.5-million electric vehicles and estimated that the world market for such cars would be 15% in 10 years.
Hybrid vehicles would also see an increase from five to 10% over the same period.
Nissan is showing several electric concept vehicles at the show, including the Pivo 3 which can be remotely manoeuvered with a smart phone.
It has installed automotive telematics in the Leaf so drivers can control the aircon and check on state of battery charge with a smart phone or personal computer.
Electric cars and vehicles controlled remotely by a smart phone are features at the 2011 show which will run until December 11 with 179 exhibitors from a dozen countries.
The Leaf is a zero-emissions vehicle fitted with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Since its market launch at the end of 2010 about 20 000 have been sold, notably in Japan and in the US. They are a major feature of the current "global warming" conference in Durban.
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said: "All these accolades show that zero-emissions vehicles can clearly be competitive alternatives to conventional ones."
REMOTE-CONTROLLED RIDE
Nissan, part-owned by Renault, has invested the equivalent of about R40-billion in developing electric cars. Ghosn said that in five years Nissan and Renault would have sold 1.5-million electric vehicles and estimated that the world market for such cars would be 15% in 10 years.
Hybrid vehicles would also see an increase from five to 10% over the same period.
Nissan is showing several electric concept vehicles at the show, including the Pivo 3 which can be remotely manoeuvered with a smart phone.
It has installed automotive telematics in the Leaf so drivers can control the aircon and check on state of battery charge with a smart phone or personal computer.