Turn Over Leaf, and You’ll Find Nissan Innovation

The picture is starting to come into focus for those trying to figure out where Nissan’s brand stewards are trying to take the company in the U.S. market.

The first clue was the carmaker’s launch last year of Cube, a quirkily designed small car that goes one better on the box styling of Toyota’s Scion brand – with touches like an asymmetrical wraparound rear-window treatment. This stroke reminded auto buyers of Nissan’s design-first mentality which previously had been manifested mainly in the streamlined shapes of models by Nissan’s luxury arm, Infiniti, such as the FX crossover.

The second sign of the new brand direction was the company’s decision to introduce Nissan Leaf, which will become the first all-electric vehicle to hit the mainstream U.S. market when it is introduced in a few weeks. Even more bold than its design is the unapologetic stance the company is taking on the fact that Leaf will require several hours of plug-in time to run – and even then it will only go as far as 100 miles before the batteries are depleted.Continue reading...