Nissan Reveals New Leaf SUV, Xterra-Inspired Off-Road EV

Nissan’s new CEO is turning over a new Leaf.

CEO Ivan Espinosa said the company is working to speed up the development time for new models and it outlined several that are on the way through 2027.

Among them is an all-new third generation Leaf, which will take the form of a crossover SUV, rather than the car-like hatchback it has been since it was first launched in 2011.

The vehicle’s design was revealed in full, but no specifications have been offered other than that it will be more aerodynamically efficient and have a longer range than the current Leaf.

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It is built on the same platform as the Japan-made Ariya, but is smaller and goes on sale late this year along with an fully redesigned Sentra compact sedan and updated Pathfinder. Nissan has not confirm if the Leaf will continue to be built in Smyrna, Tennessee.

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A new Rogue is slated for 2026 and it will be offered for the first time with a plug-in hybrid powertrain it calls e-Power, which combines a 1.5-liter four-cylinder with a compact modular electric drive unit.

Things really get interesting in 2027 when production of a small rugged “adventure” EV begins at Nissan’s Canton, Miss., factory. It’s more of a rough roader, like the Rogue Rock Creek, than a true off-roader, but a teaser image of it shows that it features boxy styling and roof rails that bring to mind the old Xterra.

Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti will be getting its own version of it, which has sleeker styling, and also has a new three-row QX60 and QX65 crossover coupe models on the way in 2026.