The upcoming Nissan LEAF electric car has reportedly had its initial unveiling delayed amid the recent Carlos Ghosn scandal that occurred late last month.
On November 19th, Carlos Ghosn, the former CEO and Chairman of the Franco-Japanese strategic partnership Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, was arrested alongside Nissan director Greg Kelly for “reporting compensation amounts in the Tokyo Stock Exchange securities report that were less than the actual amount, in order to reduce the disclosed amount of Carlos Ghosn’s compensation.” Shortly after their arrest, Ghosn and Kelly were unanimously discharged by Nissan’s board of directors on November 21st.
As a result of the scandal, Nissan has delayed the release of their upcoming long-range electric LEAF. The Japanese automaker allegedly intended to showcase their new Nissan LEAF electric car at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show which began on November 30th, but rumor has it that the Ghosn scandal may be the reason for its absence.
A recent report from Reuters states:
“While the automakers have stressed that operations and business are proceeding as normal, Nissan has postponed the launch of its high-performance Leaf electric car ‘to ensure that this important product unveiling could receive the coverage it merits,’ a Nissan spokesman said.”
It appears as though Nissan feared that the recent scandal involving their former chairman would potentially overshadow the launch of their latest electric LEAF model and chose to delay its unveiling as a result.
The upcoming 2019 Nissan LEAF electric car has been rumored to feature a 60 kWh battery pack as well as a 160 kW electric motor on top of an 11 to 22 kW onboard charger. The improved battery pack in the new LEAF model will allegedly enable a range of over 225 miles and a DC fast-charging rate of approximately 100 kW if the leaked specifications are to be believed.
At this time, we have no reason to believe the actual production or availability of the vehicle has been delayed, only its initial unveiling.
Source: Reuters
