ZED’S NOT DEAD, BABY
Nissan’s transformation of its pioneering Leaf EV into a high-riding crossover for its third outing should come as no surprise, given how much success the firm has had in this sphere with the Juke and Qashqai.
Indeed, until recently, with the GT-R and Z bowing out of Europe, it seemed Nissan was to go all-out on accessible SUVS, drawing a line under several decades of sublime sports cars. Not a particularly enticing ideal for anyone who’s ever seen a 350Z take a corner at 100mph and 90deg or jumped clear of an R33 GT-R’S flaming exhausts.
But with solid-state battery technology throwing a lightweight lifeline to niche sports cars, Nissan looks primed to come back to the segment with its arms swinging. It’ll need to: Toyota recently showed off a new EV sports car in the vein of the MR2, Porsche’s 718 duo will go electric by 2025 and Lotus and Alpine are working on nimble two-seat EVS of their own. The sporting renaissance is on, for sure, and the more brands taking part the merrier.