Euro COTY falls to LEAF

Nissan scores a coup in Euro Car of the Year voting by being the first EV to score top spot, but the judging was far from unanimous
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A divided jury has named Nissan's all-electric LEAF as the European Car of the Year.

Significant in that a pure EV came home ahead of an impressive list of rivals, the LEAF's scoring of the highest vote from 57 jurors from 23 countries comes as surprise given the car's limited availability and questionable affordability.

The jury was astoundingly divided in its judging of the LEAF. One of the jurors, from the Irish Times in the UK, said in an article that some members of the panel awarded maximum points to the Nissan, while others put it in last place in the final shortlist of seven vehicles.

The five-door electric hatch is larger (about the size of Nissan's Tiida) than Mitsubishi's i-MiEV and is claimed to have a cruising range of about 160km. It is powered by an 80kW motor delivering a healthy, instant 280Nm of torque. An eco mode curbs initial acceleration to help extend the LEAF's range.

In the European Car of the Year judging, the Nissan EV came home ahead of Alfa Romeo's new Giulietta, Vauxhall/Opel Meriva, Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max, Citroen C3/DS3, Volvo S60/V60 and the Dacia Duster.

Australia is on the waiting list for LEAF, with an expected arrival in 2012 at a price expected to top $40,000 even if Nissan Australia does manage to score a government incentive deal. Chances of government help looked fragile earlier this year, but this could change by 2012, given Australia's shifting political climate.

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