Nissan redesigns Note for Japan

TOKYO: Nissan Motor Co Ltd announced that from December onwards, it will begin selling a redesigned version of its Note in Japan.

The redesigned B-segment hatchback will feature a new hybrid drive technology pinched from the all-electric LEAF in order to get a bigger slice of the pie from Toyota and Honda.

Doing so will mark the Note's first refresh after eight years and is part of the Japanese carmaker's plan to revamp its somewhat "aged" lineup of vehicles.

The company believes that this will help to bring it back into more profitable pastures by focusing their efforts on home-ground, the US and China - ditching former chairman Carlos Ghosn's past expansion plans.

The Note will feature the "e-Power" hybrid technology found in the LEAF as well as new autonomous drive functions - all compressed within a Renault platform.

According to a Nissan spokeswoman, there are no plans to sell the new Note in other markets.

(Reuters)