Right now, the amount of all-electric vehicles available to consumers is rather limited, and the ones that are available — or on the horizon — range from moderately expensive (Nissan Leaf), unfortunately expensive (Tesla Model S), and so expensive that we should totally be friends so we can borrow your (Audi R8 e-tron).
That said, automakers are slowly getting behind EVs. And one of the leaders in this field happens to be Nissan. The company played a key role in the resurgence of the modern electric car when production of the Leaf kicked into gear back in 2010. And now, it looks like the Japanese automaker will debut another battery-powered car — only this time it will be of the SUV variety and is set to debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show.
Speaking to motoring.com.au, Jeff Fisher, Nissan Australia’s General Manager of Media Inquiries, revealed the company’s plan for the upcoming show.
“At Paris…[Nissan will] have an SUV concept, with zero emissions; so an electric SUV concept vehicle,” said Fisher.
Right now, the electric car market is primarily three-tiered, with compact, midsize, and sportier performance-based electrics the only true choice for consumers. If Nissan is indeed contemplating an all-electric crossover it would fill a much needed void in the current EV market. Ironically enough, though, the introduction of an all-electric CUV from Nissan would see it lose its position at the vanguard of consumer-bound electric vehicles, and follow in the footsteps of upcoming 2012 Toyota RAV4 EV and Tesla Model X crossover. The former will enter limited production later this year, while the latter will begin shipping out in 2013.
While nothing has been confirmed, the notion of Nissan introducing a more utility-centered electric vehicle makes sense. The Japanese automaker already showed off its Hi-Cross hybrid concept (pictured) at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, which featured a direct-injected 2.0-liter gasoline engine backed by an electric motor. A purely battery-powered model would by all measures scrap that motor for the 80-kilowatt variety found in the Leaf. Needless to say, we should gain a clearer picture of things to come at this year’s Paris Auto Show.
