Can you hear a Leaf falling?

General Guides  Low Emission Vehicles 

Well, OK, some artistic licence there, because you certainly wouldn't want to hear a Nissan Leaf falling...but you'll certainly be able to better hear the latest 2021 model year all-electric Nissan Leaf at lower speeds.

That's because the car now features a new safety feature called Canto, which is a new Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System - acronym at the ready - or AVAS.

Canto is automatically activated at speeds up to 18mph to provide an audible warning to vulnerable road users, because electric vehicles are much quieter than those powered by petrol or diesel engines at low speeds. Canto was created by sound designers and engineers at Nissan Japan and adapted for Europe at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe.





The Nissan audio boffins say the sound has been purposely designed to ensure it varies in tone and pitch depending on whether the vehicle is accelerating, decelerating, or reversing without being unduly alarming.

“Customer safety is paramount, not only for those behind the wheel, but those surrounding the car as well,” says Marco Fioravanti, Regional Vice President, Product Planning at Nissan. “As the world becomes more and more electrified, this sound will soon become part of the soundscape of our roads as Nissan's signature EV sound moves us closer to our goal of a zero-fatality driving experience.”

As well as Canto, the 2021 model year Leaf is also equipped with in-car Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other standard equipment includes Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention (IBSI) as standard. Intelligent Rear View Mirror (IRVM) is also available as an option on N-Connecta and Tekna grades.

More to the point, business users can expect to pay just 1% benefit in kind company car tax on the latest Leaf - music to the ears of any company car driver...

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