Asia's biggest car event, Auto Expo 2012 starting from 7th January at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, will play host to several auto companies showcasing and launching their vehicles. Among them is the Japan's auto giant Nissan which is all-set to give tough competition to its counterparts by exhibiting the new model, Leaf electric vehicle, at the event.
Nissan Leaf is already running on the roads of North America, Japan and Europe as these countries house sufficient EV charging stations and other related infrastructure. As part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), Nissan Leaf received a 5-star overall vehicle rating for safety. Leaf is the first 100 per cent electric vehicle to get the coveted rating. The car has also been named as the Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
It also won the 'Car of the Year' award at the Tokyo Motor Show held recently in Japan and moreover, it was for the first time that an electric vehicle got such an award. The Nissan Leaf electric is a zero-emission car having rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. It must be noted that about 20,000 models have already been sold since its launch in Japan and U.S.
As of now, the car will not be available in India as the Indian car market is deprived of enough infrastructure for electric vehicles. The high cost of manufacturing and lack of public car charging points system in India is proving to be the main hindrance. However, its success in the country will depend on Indian government's willingness to develop the infrastructure for electric vehicles in the country.
Besides Leaf, Nissan will also be showcasing its GT-R model at the upcoming car show. The car earned the tag of one of the fastest cars on the road, for its performance at Nurburgring race in Germany recently. The car can complete one round around the circuit in just 7 minutes and 30 seconds.
Apart from Nissan Leaf and GT-R models, the car maker is planning to showcase its other models as well. These include Sunny, Micra, X-Trail, Teana and 370Z sports car model. Sunny and Micra are manufactured in Nissan's Chennai plant whereas the other models are sold in India as Completely Built Units (CBUs).
The car aficionados from all across the globe are waiting for the event with bated breath and more than 1.4 million spectators are expected to visit this event.
