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Nissan's Leaf gets the Nismo treatment, more power and now it's one hot electric vehicle

The Nissan Leaf is one of the world’s leading electric cars and will, in a couple of months, make its return to the South African market.

But while we know how the car looks, Nissan’s Nismo division took it upon themselves to recreate our impressions of both the Leaf, and how electric cars should look.

How? By adding their own sporty touch to the car - watch the video further below.

Nissan says that the changes to the Leaf resulted in the car having a 40% increase in range when fully charged. The car continues with Nissan's ProPilot technology, as well as the e-Pedal.

The latter allows drivers to operate the car using only the throttle - releasing the throttle will brake the car.

Quick fact: Nissan has sold more than 450 000 Leafs worldwide since 2010.

nissan leaf,nismo,rc,

                       Image: MotorPress

Increased power

The Leaf Nismo RC, as it’s known, is equipped with all-wheel drive to handle the increased power of its battery. According to Nissan, the Leaf Nismo RC produces 240kW and 640Nm. And let it be known, the torque is available from the get-go, given that an electric car’s power is available from 0r/min.

Nissan says that the Leaf Nismo RC will run from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds. Top speed is not rated.

READ: Leaf, i3, I-Pace driven on a SA electric road trip - Here's what could go wrong

Michael Carcamo, Nissan Global motorsport director, says: “Nissan's experience as a pioneer in electric vehicles for the road, combined with Nismo's 60-plus years of motorsport innovation, led to the conception of a unique car.

“For Nissan, the ‘E’ in ‘EV’ also stands for ‘Exciting’. Putting this philosophy front and centre, we created the Leaf Nismo RC. It amplifies the fun-to-drive aspect of electric mobility, raising the thrills offered by EVs to a new level."

Watch the video below:

Compiled by: Charlen Raymond

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