Nissan Leaf EV Hatchback Drags Mighty Jet Aircraft; Someone Takes a Fake Beating

Back in 2010, the electric vehicle revolution was a relatively new term, and only a few automakers dared a leap of faith into the sector. Of course, Nissan was among the fastest to adopt the fresh lifestyle with the original Leaf EV.

Always offered solely as a five-door hatchback, the Nissan Leaf evolved from a quirky model titled the world's first mass-market electric vehicle with zero emissions into the second-generation iteration that no longer needs eccentricity to capture people's hearts easily. At one time, it was even the world's best-selling EV. Still, that title is long gone as the Japanese automaker failed to adapt to the brisk pace of changes brought upon the EV sector by a particular American automaker.

Of course, many more Teslas have been sold since Nissan bragged about having the nameplate with the most significant EV sales worldwide. Still, even today, the company offers the Leaf across the US market with two battery pack versions – 40 kWh and 62 kWh. Indeed, these specifications clearly show how the world of EVs evolved around them – a lot faster than Nissan could adapt. Maybe that's why they also took so long before introducing the Ariya compact EV crossover SUV.

Anyway, the Nissan Leaf can be had in America from $28,140, which is not a very bad deal when the Hyundai Kona electric starts at $33,550, for example. However, a 60-kWh Nissan Leaf SV Plus with the 160 kW (215 hp) electric motor starts from $36,190, and that's dangerously close to Tesla territory – a Model 3 RWD has more power, more range (272 miles), and a $40,240 starting price. If you also factor in the $7,500 IRA Federal Tax Credit, then a Model 3 RWD is suddenly a lot cheaper than the smaller, less powerful Leaf SV Plus!

Alas, this time around, we are not here to discuss the trials and tribulations of the Nissan Leaf in America. Instead, let's take a moment to see how far the age-old car versus jet trope has gone into oblivion that the Japanese automaker thinks it can get away with something like this. But what is this? Well, what you are about to see in the short clip embedded below (we hope you know Japanese to help us translate some of the details) is a jet aircraft – most likely a sub-sonic trainer, not a fighter – duking it out with the Nissan Leaf in a classic drag race confrontation.

We will not spoil the result, but instead, we will retreat in our little corner to laugh or cry (depending on our fleeting emotional states) the fact that Nissan thought it could get away with something like this. Well, it's obviously fake marketing, and the professional videographers couldn't even cover the gimmicks despite their best efforts. Nissan, we really hope you try better next time!