Blog of RENAULT NISSAN Alliance

You can tell a great deal about a company from the men at the top. And for the car lovers amongst us, that’s reassuring when it comes to Nissan: they are ‘car guys.’

For example, when the company’s chief operating officer, Toshiyuki Shiga, arrived at the Nissan 360 media event in Southern California recently, he was as keen as the invited journalists to try one rather special Nissan model: the LEAF Nismo RC.

He took it for a few quick laps around a special circuit created for the event… and couldn’t stop smiling. “The core requirement of a car manufacturer is to provide driving pleasure and cars that are fun to drive. Even if the car is electric I think it is very important that it provides the same sense of fun.”

The LEAF Nismo RC has a silhouette broadly like that of the road car and uses the same 80kW motor. But that’s where the similarities end. The Nismo RC is a two seater and the engine is placed behind the seats and drives the rear wheels. The racecar cockpit is stripped of any unnecessary features to provide a raw driving experience.

“I was blown away. If nobody told me this was an electric car I would have had no idea. It certainly feels like a normal racing car. Its movements are quick and the sound it makes when you step on the accelerator is unbelievable. How an electric car that runs with a motor, batteries and an inverter can make that racing car sound I cannot understand. It was really exciting,” said Shiga-san.