Nissan Leaf Might Make Its Way To Indian Roads Very Soon

Nissan Leaf, claimed to be the world’s largest selling an electric car by the manufacturer, might make its way to the Indian roads very soon.

As reported on The Mint, Nissan Motor Co. is in talks with government bodies and private sector firms to have an overview of the potential market for an electric car, Leaf in India.

According to Nissan India Boss Guillaume Sicard, the company will start a pilot project for Nissan Leaf in 2017 to assess the viability of electric cars in the country. So far 250,000 units have already been sold globally.

The Japanese automaker plans assemble or source parts locally, once the demand is stimulated.

The local assembly might prove beneficial for the company as this electric car will bolster up government’s plan to have an all-electric fleet by 2030. Earlier, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has made attempts to woo the likes of Tesla Inc. to manufacture electric vehicles in India by offering land near a major port to facilitate exports. However, there has been no response to that.

Currently, Nissan’s biggest hurdle is the functionality Leaf’s battery in Indian conditions.

Deepesh Rathore, co-founder of London-based Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors, suggests that Nissan should rather look at forming a consortium, and then approach the government to create the infrastructure for electric cars.