A next-generation Nissan Leaf is among three new EVs recently previewed to dealers, according to an Automotive News report published Thursday.
The automaker will launch a new EV "offensive" around 2025 with the goal of launching 19 all-electric models globally by 2030, dealers were reportedly told. For the U.S., that will include the new Leaf, an electric sedan that could replace the Maxima, and a crossover based on the same CMF-EV platform as the Nissan Ariya, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
The Leaf will reportedly morph from a hatchback into a crossover coupe and gain 25% more range over the current version. A dealer who asked not to be identified told Automotive News that the new model looks like "a mini-Ariya." That sounds like the Nissan Chill-Out concept shown in 2021, when Nissan first announced its Ambition 2030 electrification plan.
Nissan Chill-Out concept
While this new model will be a big shift from the current Leaf, it's likely the name will carry over. In a 2021 interview with Green Car Reports, Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan senior vice president for global design, called the Leaf an icon, and said Nissan understands the value of the nameplate and would not discard it.
The electric Maxima replacement has been all but confirmed. Nissan showed the outline of sedan in a 2022 announcement of EV production at its Canton, Mississippi, factory, and has since confirmed plans to wind down production of the current gasoline Maxima. The new EV is expected to be based on the Nissan IMs concept first shown in 2019. A raised ride height gave the IMs a form factor similar to the current Toyota Crown, a hybrid that replaced the current Maxima's main rival, the Avalon.
Nissan IMs concept
As for the third model sharing the CMF-EV platform with the Ariya, the Nissan Arizon concept originally unveiled for China shows the platform can accommodate styling far different than the Ariya's.
Nissan Arizon concept
At the dealer meeting, Nissan also once again discussed bringing its e-Power series-hybrid technology to the U.S., according to the report. Nissan has balked to introduce e-Power, which launched in Japan in 2016, but it's reportedly coming in second half of 2026 in a redesign of the popular Rogue compact crossover.
Nissan now sees 55% of its global mix as "electrified" by 2030, including EVs and hybrids and is planning accordingly. Earlier this spring it outlined an effort to modularize hybrid and EV components, and suggested the possibility of hybrid trucks.
