Nissan’s Next Small EV Will Sit Below the Leaf

• Renault's Ampere unit reveals plans for a Twingo-based Nissan EV, as part of a line of closely linked city cars under several brands.

• The A-segment city hatch is expected after the electric Twingo lands in Europe in 2026, giving Nissan a very compact electric offering in Europe.

• Renault Group's Alpine brand is expected to enter North America in 2027 with performance-oriented models.

Nissan may have been an EV pioneer with the launch of the Leaf over a decade ago, but since the debut of its electric hatch, its EV lineup has not been trending in the direction of smaller vehicles.

This could change in a couple of years as Nissan is set to receive a small EV based on the same platform as the Renault Twingo, itself slated to land in Europe in 2026.

The French brand's Ampere EV unit revealed that Nissan has asked it to explore the development of an A-segment car, expected to be based closely on the French brand's pocket-sized hatch that has a target price of less than €20,000 ($22,000).

Intended to be based on the AmpR Small platform that underpins the Alpine A290, Renault 4 E-Tech, and the Renault 5 E-Tech, the Nissan model will be positioned below the electric successor to the Micra that is also in the works.

"This car would benefit from Ampere cost reduction roadmap and reduced development time," Ampere said regarding the Nissan model.

The Renault Twingo, meanwhile, was seen in Paris just weeks ago in concept form, offering a youngtimer if not quite retro take on a small city car.

A Twingo-sized EV would give Nissan a much-needed small hatch for the European market—a region where it has seen several setbacks—while taking advantage of its corporate siblings' product pipelines.

The Alpine brand, also part of the French automaker's lineup of marques, is headed stateside itself, but it will steer well clear of the price points and performance brackets eyed by Nissan.

Ampere, as Renault's electric division, is also readying plenty of new tech for rollout in the coming years, including a cobalt-free battery composition.

"By 2028, Ampere will be ready to deliver the next technology leap in chemistry with cobalt-free batteries, gathering the energy density of the NCM, the cost and safety of LFP, and less than 15-min charge," the company said.

It remains to be seen whether Nissan will feel compelled to field an EV of this size in North America, in light of how lower-ranged electric models have recently performed in this range-obsessed market. The current offerings in this general size category, including the new Fiat 500e, are seen as facing an uphill climb.

Will demand for subcompact EVs with shorter ranges grow in the US in the coming years, or will most of the focus still be on larger electric crossovers and sedans? Let us know what you think in the comments below.