Convertible with electric variant is certainly the best combination and Nissan has worked for it as it has produced a convertible version of the world’s best-selling all-electric car, although it’s a one-off creation designed to celebrate the milestone of 100,000 sales of the Leaf in its native Japan. If asked what could be done to make the Nissan Leaf EV more attractive to the mass market, it’s probably fair to say most people would say longer battery life and not many would come up with the idea of making it a convertible.
But an alluring model that goes by the name Leaf Open Car, as unveiled to the world in front of a forum of 100 people in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. And there are no plans whatsoever to put the Leaf Open Car into production, which now having seen it seems a bit of a shame.
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From the image released by Nissan of the convertible Leaf it’s hard to tell if the roof folds into the trunk or if it’s been removed completely. It probably doesn’t matter either way though, as practicality isn’t really an issue for a one-of-a-kind concept.
The Leaf was launched in 2010, and the world’s most famous EV recently entered its second-generation with improved battery capacity and more conventional styling than the original. More than 300,000 units have now been sold worldwide since its introduction, and the car remains an integral part of Nissan plans for an electrified future where the brand intends to be selling more than a million all-electric cars per year by as soon as 2022. The company’s Infiniti luxury sub-brand is also going to start introducing EVs into its portfolio in 2021.
Over the next five years Nissan has plans in place to launch eight all-new electric models, although four of them are planned as China-only models at the moment. We know one will be a new crossover using the same platform as the current Leaf, and if it retains a healthy portion of the styling of the IMx concept it’s said to be inspired by it could be something pretty special when it reaches production in 2020.