Franklin-based Nissan North America is still trying to convince consumers that electric cars can be fun to drive. One way it’s doing that is by showing off a souped up version of the all-electric Leaf.
The Leaf Nismo RC looks a lot like a car you might see in a NASCAR race. But there’s no revving, roaring engine. In this Nissan video, the car sounds a lot like a jet airplane as it whooshes down a racetrack in Japan.
The RC has the same power train as a standard Leaf, but its speed comes from its weight, about a thousand pounds lighter than the street model.
However, the RC’s maximum is speed is just 100 miles an hour.
Peter Lyon is Japan editor at Motor Trend. He says the RC has plenty of torque and handles great, but it far from being a true race car.
“What the RC really needs is another 100 horsepower.”
The Nissan Leaf Nismo is now for sale in Japan. Image Credit: NJO/Wikimedia Commons
Nissan engineers say they do hope to someday design an electric vehicle that could compete in auto races. Nissan has released a new Leaf model in Japan. It has some of the RC’s sporty touches, like a spoiler and high performing tires. Nissan has no plans to market that model in the US. In fact, the automaker has started building a stripped down, less expensive Leaf at its Smyrna plant.
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