Nissan Motor Co Ltd launched a revamped Leaf electric vehicle (EV) on September 6th, going head-to-head with Tesla Inc's (TSLA.O) Model 3 and hoping to blunt criticism of limited driving ranges undermining EVs' mass-market appeal. 

The automaker said it aims to "double, even triple" annual sales of the previous incarnation, jump-starting demand in major markets such as the United States, and packing new technologies to make up for a shorter driving range than rival offerings. 

"If it's successful, the Leaf will be a major part of the portfolio of Nissan," Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa said at a launch for the new version of the world's best-selling battery-powered car. "EVs will no longer be a niche product." 

The car, on sale in Japan from Oct. 2 and elsewhere in early 2018, can run for 150 miles (241 kilometers) on a single charge according to U.S. regulator estimates, up from its predecessor's 107 miles due to a bigger, 40 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery. 

Prices in Japan will start from 3.15 million yen ($28,992). 

The launch comes after luxury electric car maker Tesla made its first foray into the Leaf's more affordable price band in July with its $35,000, 220-mile Model 3. Tesla has said it has received half a million orders for the Model 3, indicating the challenge Nissan has in preserving the Leaf's number-one rank. 

Nissan, whose first Leaf was among the first mass-market EVs, has given its marquee model a sporty facelift drawing on its more mainstream designs including the Micra and Rogue, in an effort to dispel the image of EVs being only for the affluent and environment-conscious.

Reuters | www.reuters.com