NTCE: A NISSAN CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE
To ensure New Nissan LEAF is completely in tune with Europe, engineers from Nissan Technical Centre Europe have made significant changes
New LEAF is a more dynamic drive with...
- Revised damper settings
- More progressive brakes
- Weightier steering
Although the new Nissan LEAF is a global car, each region has distinctly different expectations when it comes to driving dynamics.
To cope better with Europe's higher average speeds and more demanding roads with widely differing road surface qualities, the all-new Nissan LEAF models built at Sunderland benefit from a package of chassis changes engineered by experts from Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, UK.
Adding feedback from existing owners to their own technical appraisals of the original car, the engineers have developed a European chassis for New LEAF that gives the car more agility and on the limit composure but without losing any of the car's impressive ride comfort.
Revised damper settings help reduce float at speed as well as give the car flatter, more dynamic cornering. More weight has been given to the steering while changes to the braking system have eliminated the tendency for the brakes to ‘grab' as the regenerative system kicks in.
NTCE engineers also worked closely with tyre companies Dunlop, Michelin and Bridgestone to fine-tune the chassis and the steering to the latest generation of low rolling resistance tyres.
But NTCE's involvement in the new car's development has not been restricted to ride and handling improvements. European engineers also had input in the latest powertrain development, the heating and ventilation system, the seats and NVH enhancements, notably repressing wind and road noise still further.
NTCE is the company's centre of excellent for the design and development of Nissan vehicles manufactured in Europe. Established in 1988 at the Sunderland factory, NTCE moved to its current home in Cranfield in 1991, a location chosen for its proximity to Cranfield University, one of Europe's largest academic centres for applied research.
Cranfield is the headquarters for the operation and is responsible for vehicle and petrol powertrain development. There are four other NTCE locations in Europe: Barcelona (diesel powertrain and vehicle development); Brussels (vehicle and powertrain research); Bonn (dynamic performance) and Moscow (customer oriented engineering, localisation and market quality).
Today, NTCE is a fully integrated element of Nissan's global operations and plays a pivotal part in the development of next-generation models and the continued enhancement of current product.
Other recent products to have benefited from the expertise at NTCE are Juke Nismo, 370Z and the new Infiniti Q50 saloon.
