CES 2017: Next-Gen Nissan Leaf To Be Equipped With Semi-Autonomous Technology

At the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show, Nissan revealed that the new Leaf will be equipped with the semi-autonomous driving system which made its debut on the Serena minivan in Japan.

Renault-Nissan CEO, Carlos Ghosn stated that the second-generation Leaf will feature Nissan's ProPilot system which will allow autonomous drive functionality on single lane highways.

Ghosn did not reveal when the new Leaf would make its way to the global markets, but it is expected to launch by 2018. The car will also share components from the next-gen Renault electric vehicles.

Nissan stated that its strategy for bringing self-driving cars to the masses is based on four stages. The first stage is an autonomous drive for single lane highways, which keeps the car centered by reading lane markers, measuring the distance between the vehicle ahead and providing steering assistance.

Stage two is expected to be introduced in 2018 and will bring autonomous technology on multi-lane roads. Similarly, stage three is autonomous city driving. According to Nissan, the stage three should be available in 2020.

The fourth stage is the fully autonomous and driverless vehicles. Nissan did not reveal that when will the fourth stage will be introduced.

Nissan also plans to extend the autonomous driving technology to other models in Europe, Japan, China and United States.

The next-gen leaf is expected to be revealed by late-2017 and go on sale in the global markets in 2018. According to reports the Leaf will be launched in the Indian market as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and will be priced at around Rs 35 lakh ex-showroom.