Nissan rolls out electric car

Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn drove quietly out of the Japanese carmaker's soon-to-open headquarters today in the first public viewing of its new zero-emission vehicle.

It was the first time the external design was shown of Nissan Motor Co's environmentally friendly car, set to go on sale in Japan, the US and Europe next year. The blue hatchback had a sporty design and a recharging opening in the front.

Designer Shiro Nakamura said the vehicle was intentionally designed to avoid a stereotypical futuristic design.

"This is not a niche car," he said. "We didn't make it unusual looking. It had to be a real car."

Nissan has promised that the Leaf, which goes into mass-production as a global model in 2012, will be about the same price as a petrol-engine car such as the Versa, starting at about £6,000 (€7,000) in the UK.

The car has a range of 100 miles (160km) on a single battery charge, with a top speed is 140 kph (about 87 mph), according to Nissan. The company is targeting initial annual production of 50,000 units for the Leaf at its Oppama plant in Yokohama, including export models.

Ghosn drove out on stage with former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi sitting next to him, and a Yokohama governor and mayor in the rear seats.

"This car represents a real breakthrough," Ghosn told reporters and guests in the new headquarters' showroom.

He said the new car and new office building in Yokohama, south west of Tokyo, marked two fresh starts for Nissan, which hopes to take the lead in zero-emission vehicles.

Nissan, which has an alliance with Renault, has fallen behind Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda in gas-electric hybrids that have become increasingly popular.

Nissan said the new 22-storey headquarters was designed to be energy-efficient to qualify as one of the most ecological buildings in Japan. The company, which is losing money amid the global downturn, is selling its old Tokyo headquarters as part of efforts to cut costs.

Koizumi said environmentally friendly car technology holds the key to Japan's economic growth.

"It was so unexpectedly smooth and quiet," he said after getting out of the car. "I am sure this car is going to be popular."