At the New York auto show today, Nissan’s luxury brand, Infiniti, unveiled the LE Concept, a car sharing many of the same drivetrain components as the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle.
Likely to be produced alongside the 2013 Leaf in Nissan’s Smyrna, Tennessee plant, the model provides an alternate option for shoppers seeking an EV with luxury appointments. It joins the ranks of other new and upcoming luxury electric-drive vehicles including the Tesla Roadster, Fisker Karma, BMW i-series, and Cadillac ELR.
A 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack (the same size as the pack in the Leaf) provides juice in the LE to a 100 kW electric motor. The LE Concept’s design yields 134 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque, slightly more in both categories than that of the Leaf.
While concept models often never make it to showroom floors – rather, they serve to hint at powertrain options or design cues to come – in this case, most of what you see is what you’re going to get. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn commented at the model’s unveiling that the LE Concept is 85 percent of the way to its final production form, and will be on sale in the next 24 months. Let the waiting lists begin…