Prizegiving in Paris: electric triumph

Headquarters for L’Automobile magazine -host in turn for Car of the Year 2011 award- Paris is also one of the poles of Renault-Nissan Alliance. Pavillon Gabriel, close to Champs-Élysées, was therefore the appropriate venue for the prizegiving event. Carlos Ghosn collected personally the trophy from the hands of Car of the Year Jury President, Hakan Matson. The presence of the CEO and President of Nissan, but also of Renault, stressed the commitment of the Alliance with the future of electric cars. Nissan Leaf has marked a precedent in the history of this award with the first win for an electric vehicle, but other Alliance models will soon follow it in the market. Nissan first won a CotY trophy in 1993 with the Micra, and the second accolade comes in due time. The General Assembly of the Jury, held previously, recorded the retirement of four members, Peter Aaboe of Denmark, Christophe Bonnaud of France, Wolfgang Peters of Germany and Maria-Angeles Pujol of Spain, after long services to the Jury.

Speech by Carlos Ghosn, CEO and President of Nissan Motor Company:“Nissan Leaf stands apart as an innovative car that reflects a clear vision of sustainable mobility”

Ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor for Nissan Leaf to be recognized as the European Car of the Year - the first all-electric car to receive this distinction. Like previous Car of the Year winners, Nissan Leaf is an appealing, competitive car, with no compromise on style, features, safety, performance or handling.

Yet it stands apart as an innovative car that reflects a clear vision of the future of transportation - a vision of sustainable mobility.

For the first time, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is able to market an all-electric car on a global scale, powered by our battery technology, enabled by our motor and inverter technologies. With no tailpipe and no emissions, Nissan Leaf is reconciling the car with its environment. Nissan Leaf - and our lineup of electric cars that will follow - will change the way people fuel, operate and interact with their cars. It is a true breakthrough.

Being a breakthrough invites skepticism, which is normal. When you are the first to do anything, you are stepping into uncharted territory. But innovation is the engine of development, and the evolution of electric cars and the infrastructure they require will happen quickly.

The technologies will evolve and improve. Infrastructure will develop. We are already seeing it happen. When we announced our plans to bring the world's first mass-marketed electric car, we were alone on the stage. Now, more and more, other automakers are stepping forward with their own models. Competition is prompting more investment and development.

Our industry recognizes that many customers want cars with low or zero emissions. Governments want a solution to trade and political concerns over the dependence on oil. Cities want the positive effects that electric cars will have on air quality and urban quality of life. Societies everywhere want solutions to curb global climate change.

The time is right for this innovative technology.

I am proud that Nissan, in Alliance with Renault, is leading the way, laying the groundwork with a comprehensive sustainable mobility system and a technology that is truly meaningful to people's lives.

Nissan Leaf is a vivid expression of the innovation and excitement of the Nissan brand and of the technological power we have built within the Renault-Nissan Alliance - power that will be demonstrated again when the first model in Renault's electric car lineup launches later this year. I am proud that Nissan Leaf is the first electric car to be honored as the European Car of the Year, and I am sure it won't be the last.

This is the future of the auto industry. On behalf of everyone at Nissan, I am honored to accept this award.

Thank you for this important recognition.

Speech by Hakan Matson, President of Car of the Year Jury: “We are facing an exciting future, with electrical cars to be launched from almost every manufacturer in the world”

Ladies and gentlemen. Being first is always very special. Like Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, in 1969. Or Edmund Hillary from New Zeeland who, according to his climbing partner Tenzing Norgay, put his foot first on the top, making Hillary the first man in the history to climb Mount Everest, in 1953.

A year later Roger Bannister was the first man to run an English mile in less than 4 minutes.

And how about my rock favourite Bruce Springsteen? He was the first person to appear simultaneously on the cover of both Time Magazine and Newsweek in 1975.

Since I am from Sweden and Sweden is a very small country that nobody knows of, I have this bad habit to point out any possible Swedish success. So here it comes: Charles Lindbergh was first to fly a solo non-stop over the Atlantic Ocean. He landed, after more than 33 hours in his Spirit of St Louis, at Le Bourget, not so far from here. OK, I know Mr Lindbergh was born in Detroit, Michigan, but he had Swedish roots. At least I think.

Being first is always very special.

Tonight it is appropriate to remind us all that the first Japanese brand to win Car of the Year was Nissan – with the Micra, in 1993.

The first car to reach a speed of more than 100 km per hour was, as many of you know, La Jamais Contente, driven by Camille Jenatzy from Belgium. It was a pure electric car. Two direct drive electric engines, 25 kilowatts each, propelled La Jamais Contente to the breathtaking speed of 105,88 km per hour – or 65,79 miles per hour. The record was set in 1899 very close to here – in the city of Achères in Yvelines.

Now another pure electric car has reached – at least in a way – even beyond that. The Nissan Leaf – the first electric car to be elected Car of the Year – ever. The Leaf won the title before strong competitors like the Alfa Giulietta, and the Opel/Vauxhall Meriva, finishing close behind.

The winner was announced at a live-broadcasted press conference in Paris, and for the first time we opened the last votes live. Nobody knew in advance the result of the voting from the 57 Jury members. I can assure you that it was exciting when we started counting the last four votes, with two cars as possible winners. The room was as silent as an electric car.

On behalf of the Jury I would like to thank the organizers of that and this event, our friends at L’Automobile, a team headed by Bruno Dussourt and of course our executive vice president of the Jury this year, Francis Monsenergue.

And, of course, a thanks also to the Nissan team for this wonderful evening.

Merci!

However, a true pioneer also brings new challenges to the world – and to the Jury of Car of the Year. The Leaf created lots of internal discussions, where some members were more convinced than others about the advantages with the car. It was a completely new task to compare an electric car with a more traditional car.

Some suggested we should have a special category for electric cars. But as President of the Jury I am very proud that we still only have one category, one winner, one Car of the Year – instead of creating sub-categories for green cars, nice cars, good looking cars, fast cars, and all-you-can-think-of cars or any-kind-of-car — just because we could not handle the challenge an all electric car brought us.

The Leaf represents a big leap forward for the pure electric car. It drives and behaves very much like a modern car – and in some respects even better. The torque is impressing, the noise level almost non-existing and the handling surprisingly good.

Let me quote just a few motivations from Jury Members:

”To discover Leaf, you have to sit in the driver’s seat.”

”I’ve witnessed plenty of cynics completely change their views once they’ve got behind the wheel.”

” It’s wonderfully quiet and smooth to accelerate, supple in its ride, and well furnished. Not just a good electric car then, but a decent car.”

And a last one: “The Nissan Leaf shows what a growing share of the car market could look like in the near future.”

Indeed we are facing an exciting future, with electrical cars to be launched from almost every manufacturer in the world. Among them a French one, not so very far from here – and not so very unrelated to Nissan and no so very unknown to Mr Ghosn.

I am convinced that we, in the future, will see other electric cars named Car of the Year.

But when we do we always must remember that only one can be the first. And that is why Nissan Leaf, Car of the Year 2011, is – and will remain – so very special.

Thank You!