There are two directions automakers can go to produce a vehicle with electric propulsion – be it a hybrid or an outright EV: make it look the same as any other car, or make it stand out. Like Toyota (for example) did with the Prius, Nissan made the Leaf look (for better or worse) unlike a conventional sedan. But while Toyota answered the call for more space with the equally “distinctive” Prius V, Nissan has gone a different route in producing a bigger brother for the Leaf.
That route is called the e-NV200, pictured above in concept form. And while the nose, unique shade of blue and electric powertrain are conceptually borrowed from the Leaf, the rest is nearly identical to the existing NV200 van that is being rolled out in New York as the city’s new taxi of choice.
Nissan has just announced the production of the e-NV200, set to start next year at the same plant in Barcelona, Spain, as the conventionally-powered NV200. As a result, Nissan will hire 700 more workers at the plant and invest some €100 million (U.S. $126 million at today’s exchange rates).
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