Nissan Shows the New Leaf and Teases Next-Gen Sentra

After bleeding money for years and a recently failed merger with Honda, it’s safe to say Nissan is in dire straits. However, it’s not throwing in the towel. With Chief Planning Officer Ivan Espinosa taking the CEO role from April 1 and a fresh product lineup inbound, the Japanese brand is confident it can turn things around. For its most important markets, the troubled automaker has prepared a slew of products launching in the near future.

As previously announced, the third-generation Leaf is morphing from a hatchback into a crossover because, of course, it is. The newcomer borrows the CMF-EV architecture from the larger Ariya and is the first electric Nissan to feature a NACS charging port. When it goes on sale in the US in the third quarter of the year, it’ll sit on 19-inch wheels and offer a panoramic sunroof. Japan and Europe will follow. Additional details will be disclosed in June, but we do know the body has a drag coefficient of 0.26 for better range.

The Leaf is one of more than 10 new cars Nissan has planned for the US and Canada. The current-generation Rogue will become the brand’s first plug-in hybrid in North America during FY2025. Before this year ends, the wraps will come off the next-gen Sentra and an updated Pathfinder. The all-new Rogue will follow during FY26 with the company’s proprietary E-Power tech, where the gasoline engine serves as a generator to juice the battery, which in turn powers the electric motor. The fourth-gen Rogue will also be available as a plug-in hybrid and as a pure gas model.

By the end of FY27, Nissan intends to roll out a fully electric “adventure-focused” SUV, which will be built at the Canton, Mississippi factory. It’ll be slightly bigger than the Rogue and with an Xterra-esque squarish shape with a design described by Espinosa as “a little bit butch.” It won’t be as competent off the beaten path as the Xterra since it won’t ride on a body-on-frame platform.

Elsewhere, Nissan is also previewing the new Micra, an electric supermini based on the Renault 5, for the European market. Derived from the edgy Hyper Punk concept, the Juke is also getting the EV treatment, but we won’t see these two models in the US. Europe is also getting a revised Qashqai with improved E-Power tech for better efficiency.

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Japan is getting the new Leaf, an updated kei car, and other next-gen or updated products. The upgraded E-Power setup is also earmarked for JDM models, including a large minivan.

Nissan intends to roll out the Z Nismo in the Middle East. Two locally produced models are planned in India: a minivan and a compact crossover. Two EVs, a one-ton pickup truck, the latest Patrol, and the new E-Power have been confirmed in Oceania. The small Magnite crossover, Patrol, and an undisclosed SUV are on the way to Africa.

Nissan isn’t neglecting its Infiniti luxury brand, either. An update for the QX60 and a Sport Package for the larger QX80 are coming soon. These will be followed by a QX65 crossover-coupe mashup and a purely electric model inspired by the 2023 Vision QXe sedan.

As for the E-Power we mentioned, Nissan touts an efficiency increase of 15 percent at higher speeds. The revised setup will be based on a newly developed 1.5-liter gasoline engine designed specifically for this application. As before, the ICE won’t be mechanically connected to the wheels. The third generation of E-Power is also claimed to generate lower noise and vibration levels for better comfort.

Nissan’s product renaissance is ambitious and could help improve the balance sheets, paving the way for Espinosa’s dream of reviving the Silvia. The new CEO has also promised that the GT-R will return one day. In the meantime, his daily driver is the company’s sole-surviving fun car, the Z.

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