Carlos Ghosn: Second-Gen Nissan LEAF To Feature ProPilot Tech

The second generation of the Nissan LEAF will feature the company’s ProPilot technology — allowing for autonomous travel on highways under many circumstances — according to Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn.

The comments, which were made during a keynote address at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, didn’t reveal when this refreshed Nissan LEAF would be arriving, though — other than stating “in the near future,” which is basically the same as comments we reported on back in November.

As we reported a moment ago, the top trim of the refreshed LEAF will apparently have 200+ miles of range, as revealed by a different company exec.

Interestingly, during the address, Ghosn noted that the Nissan Note e-Power (the series hybrid we discussed in depth a few months ago) has been selling very well in Japan — making up more than half of all Note lineup sales. This is particularly notable since the Note lineup was actually the best selling vehicle in Japan in November and has been selling quite well in general since its launch.

Here are some other interesting parts from a press release on the matter:

“To accelerate the time it will take for autonomous vehicles to get on the road safely, Ghosn announced a breakthrough technology called ‘Seamless Autonomous Mobility,’ or SAM. Developed from NASA technology, SAM partners in-vehicle artificial intelligence (AI) with human support to help autonomous vehicles make decisions in unpredictable situations and build the knowledge of in-vehicle AI. This technology could potentially enable millions of driverless cars to co-exist with human drivers in an accelerated timeline. It is part of Nissan Intelligent Integration.“

“Taking the carmaker’s autonomous drive strategy another step further, Ghosn announced that leading a Renault-Nissan Alliance engagement, Nissan and Japanese internet company DeNA will begin tests aimed at developing driverless vehicles for commercial services. The first phase of testing will begin this year in designated zones in Japan, with a focus on technology development. By 2020, Nissan and DeNA plan to expand the scope of their tests to include the commercial usage of driverless technology for mobility services in the Tokyo metropolitan area.”

As far as the new Nissan LEAF goes, we are still in the dark. “In the near future” doesn’t tell us much. Next month? During the summer? Before the end of 2017? Who knows?