Nissan Leaf NISMO confirmed for home market

Till date, the name NISMO has been synonymous with performance. Proudly worn by many performance oriented machines from Nissan, the NISMO moniker was celebrated by petrolheads. Now, another car from Nissan’s stable has worn the same badge, but this time there will be no firepower as it is electric. Welcome the 2019 Nissan Leaf NISMO, which will debut in Japan.

If it’s electric and a NISMO, there must be a shock instead of the fire. Nissan says that the Leaf NISMO gets “a custom tuning computer for more responsive acceleration, custom tyres, and suspension for improved handling and ride comfort, and stylish exterior and interior design.” These changes, according to the NISMO standards, are not that aggressive. The Leaf NISMO is more about the visual updates with a slight slant towards performance. No shock here this time.

The aesthetics of the Leaf NISMO has received several updates that make it look more focused than the normal model. The front bumper, headlamps, and grill get updated. The lower part of the front bumper gets a red highlighting, just like other NISMO models. At the rear, the bumper, diffuser, and fog lights flaunt changes in them.  NISMO emblems are plastered on the front and the back of the Leaf. The interior gets red accenting on different components.

The performance of the Leaf NISMO gets improvements in the form of a custom-tuned computer which should provide a smooth yet strong acceleration. The updates to the suspension, steering, and tires along with the Intelligent Trace Control (cornering stabilization system) complement this power.

The 2019 Leaf NISMO will make its debut in Japan but the increasing popularity for the electric cars around the world will certainly lure Nissan into shipping the NISMO to other countries as well. A 60 kWh version of the Leaf is also on the cards. It will be interesting to see a NISMO version of the Leaf makes it to the UAE later. We have yet to see a regular version of the Leaf here.