2021 Nissan Ariya is built on LEAF's reputation, and it sounds promising

The global debut of the 2021 Ariya is one of the milestones of Nissan as a car brand. More than the actual reveal of its first all-electric crossover SUV, it signals the brand’s direction as it enters a new chapter accompanied by a new Nissan logo.

From the looks of it, Nissan will further increase its commitment to developing more sustainable mobility and the Ariya gives us a glimpse of things to come.

2021 Nissan Ariya

The Ariya’s electric DNA is built on the reputation established by the Nissan LEAF, an electric vehicle (EV) that made its debut a decade ago. The success brought upon by the LEAF is what catapulted Nissan to be one of the brands to have a good reputation when it comes to EVs.

Since its inception, the Nissan LEAF surpassed sales of more than 450,000 units in 2019 and is considered as one of the best-selling EV globally. The LEAF is also regarded as the world’s first mass-marketed EV, which means that it’s fair to say that Nissan paved the way for introducing EVs in the automotive industry.  

The Nissan LEAF surpassed sales of more than 450,000 units

However, Nissan has serious competition when it comes to the EV game. Tesla and BAIC are two automakers that are also putting huge efforts into developing and marketing EVs.

In 2019, Tesla clinched the crown as the best-selling EV globally as it tallied more than 300,000 units sold for its Model 3. The American brand is followed by BAIC, a Chinese brand, with EV sales of more than 100,000 units. Nissan comes in at third with sales of almost 70,000 LEAF EVs.

Today, the Nissan LEAF available in the global market is already the second-generation model. It debuted in 2017 and comes with a power output of 214 hp and 339 Nm of torque for the LEAF S Plus variant. The said LEAF variant is also equipped with a 62 kWh lithium-ion battery and comes with an estimated range of 364 km.

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The LEAF is equipped with Nissan's ProPilot assist tech

In terms of tech, the LEAF is integrated with Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility system such as the ProPilot assist that’s meant to reduce driver fatigue as it can maintain speed and lane position of the vehicle while you’re driving on the highway.

Nissan added that the ProPilot assist enables the LEAF to maintain a safe distance from the car ahead based on the traffic flow. It can even come to a full stop and it can accelerate again once traffic starts moving.

The 2020 Nissan LEAF also comes with Nissan’s e-Pedal, which allows the driver to start, accelerate, decelerate, and stop using only the accelerator pedal.

The Nissan LEAF is set to arrive in PH market...soon

So, will the Nisan LEAF arrive in the Philippine market? Yes, it will. Last March 2019, Nissan announced that it will bring the LEAF in the local market, as well as in the Indonesian market.

However, the exact launch date was not announced and from the way things are going now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it might take a bit longer for Nissan to bring in the LEAF here in the Philippines.

The biennial Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS), usually held in October, could be a great platform to announce the LEAF’s arrival in the local market but reports are leaning towards the idea that the said car show will not push through this year. And yes, it could be because the Philippines is winning against the coronavirus pandemic.

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