The world’s first mass produced electric car, the Nissan Leaf, has already been handed the European Car of the Year award and now it has been honoured with the World Car of the Year title.
During the announcement, made at the New York motor show, it was also disclosed that the runners up were the BMW 5-Series (a co-winner in South Africa’s COTY competition) and the Audi A8.
The World Car Awards jurors observed that, “The LEAF is the gateway to a brave new electric world from Nissan. This five-seater, five-door hatchback is the world's first, purpose-built, mass-produced electric car. It has a range of over 160km on a full charge claims Nissan, takes around eight hours to recharge using 220-240V power supply and produces zero tailpipe emissions.
“Its low centre of gravity produced sharp turn-in with almost no body roll and no understeer. The good news? It feels just like a normal car, only quieter.”
The World Car of the Year competition was launched in 2004, with winners chosen by a panel of automotive journalists from Asia, Europe and North America.
Nissan LEAF is available in Japan, the United States and select European markets and will be released in other global markets in 2012.