Nissan Townstar: Priority for electric - farewell to diesel

Renault's alliance partner Nissan has now unveiled its new city delivery van, the Townstar, with a clear priority on electric drive for commercial users. Consequently, there will no longer be a diesel option for the compact transporter. The only combustion engine available will be the more powerful 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine (130 hp/240 Nm; 6.2 l/100 km, Euro 6D). LCV manager Berhard Hohns at Nissan Europe justified the decision by pointing to the expected boost for electric drives from the new traffic light coalition government, leading to stricter entry regulations in city centers in Germany, as is already common in Europe. Additionally, the anticipated Euro 7 standard is expected to increase the effort for exhaust gas cleaning and further narrow the timeframe for diesel engines, argued the Nissan LCV manager. The focus of the commercial version is clearly on urban use, Hohns said. The company aims to double its market share in this segment over the next few years. Light commercial vehicles are seen as a crisis-proof segment with great growth potential, in which the company wants to participate.

The conventional version will go on sale at the beginning of next year, targeting mainly customers interested in the up to seven-seater combo, a market that has not been served for some time, according to reports. Customers will have to wait at least until mid-next year for the electric variant. The electric van will then come, like its technical twins Renault Kangoo and Mercedes Citan, with a 44 kWh battery, a 90 kW motor, and a range of up to 285 kilometers, and will be available in two lengths (L2 4.9 m³, 4.91 meters length, wider sliding door 83 instead of 62 cm), with various builds and all charging options of its siblings. In addition to the standard 11 kW AC charger, a 22 kW AC charger and a 75 kW DC option will be available, which will be able to charge the battery to 80 percent capacity in 42 minutes. At Nissan too, the charging port is practically located under the recently revised logo. For driver assistance, Nissan will offer the same level of systems as its two sibling brands, including partially automated driving at Level 2, called "ProPilot" at Nissan. However, the "Open-Sesame" door without a B-pillar remains exclusive to the Kangoo. Nevertheless, the Townstar can tow up to 1,500 kilos.