This is a truly historic day for the electric vehicle - Nissan's Leaf has become the first zero emissions vehicle to win the European Car of the Year competition.
COTY jury president Håkan Matson explained, "The jury acknowledged today that the Nissan Leaf is a breakthrough for electric cars. It is the first EV that can match conventional cars in many respects."
Billed as the world's first affordable, mass-market zero emissions vehicle, the Leaf beat 40 new contenders launched this year to take the 2011 title, decided by a jury comprising 57 leading motoring journalists from 23 European countries.
The Leaf is unlikely to come to South Africa any time soon, and even if it did we doubt it would make big waves. While the Leaf clearly cuts the mustard in Europe, its 175km range (calculated on the New European Driving Cycle) would not suffice for most South African motorists.
That said, the Leaf was found to be quite competitive in other respects. It has a spacious interior, equipped with features such as sat nav, parking camera and an advanced on-board IT and telematics system.
On the open road, it manages a top speed of 145km/h thanks to its front-mounted electric motor that produces 80kW and 280Nm - roughly the same as a good 1.6-litre turbodiesel in power terms, but without the top-end.
The Leaf is just the beginning for Nissan's 'electrification'. Nissan has three other electric vehicles currently in the pipeline and its Alliance partner Renault has four waiting in the wings.