Gates Nissan of Richmond

Before you buy a car, most drivers will most likely get information about all the specs and certainly take at least one test drive. But have you ever wander what a new Nissan goes through before it gets on Gates Nissan of Richmond, KY lot?

Whether you're shopping for a rugged Nissan Altima or a fuel efficient Nissan Leaf, rest assured it went through serious testing of all sorts.

To show customers all the

As much as the team here at Gates Nissan of Richmond  loves the way Nissan has design the LEAF, the truth is that American drivers expect different things from their vehicles than many European drivers do. As such, Nissan has decided to take the current model LEAF, the one that is sold around the globe, and develop a Euro-spec version. Another difference between it and the EV you'll find in our showroom: it won

Alright, Richmond area drivers, are you ready for the LEAF? Because it's here! Well, actually, as of March 1^st, it's everywhere.

That's right, this spring, the Nissan LEAF officially becomes the first EV available in every state across the country. Previously, only residents in 29 select markets, as well as the District of Columbia could order the LEAF. Not that that's stopped people from ordering the EV - globally, more than

There's a lot of hype surrounding the Nissan LEAF. And for good reason.  The Nissan LEAF represents the first EV available to consumers on a mass scale. It requires absolutely zero trips to the gas station (unless you're picking up a bottle of windshield wiper fluid or a pack of gum). It doesn't emit so much as a single gram worth of emissions. And it's cute to boot.

Gates Nissan of

As many auto maker are just starting to add Electric Vehicle to their lineup, Nissan is already spreading throughout the world market. Nissan Leaf will be coming to seven more states next year, and will then be available to Gate Nissan of Richmond in VA. Nissan  plans to make their hatchback EV available around the globe.

Pierre Loing, VP of the product planning and zero-emission business unit at Nissan International, said Nissan "had very high

Even before being available to American drivers, the new Nissan LEAF is already being recognized nationwide. Becoming the first all-electric vehicle (EV) to be rated for crash protection, the new Nissan LEAF has earned five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This achievement will, without a doubt, go down not only in the automaker's history, but in automotive history as well.

But this is not the only award the

The LEAF is already deemed a pretty green car. It is after all an EV. However, Nissan is now looking into a way to make it even greener in the future. Specifically, they're working on and testing the usage of solar power.

For those of you not familiar with the Nissan LEAF, the pure electric vehicle currently draws power from the grid. However, this isn't the only thing Nissan is concerned with. The

Checkered flags, track lines, and close calls are all things that Nissan is familiar with, thanks to their track experience. However, they're about to bring something to the track that is foreign to fans and competing automakers. We're talking about a pure-electric LEAF tuned for racing.

Created by Nissan's Global Design Center in Japan and NISMO (Nissan's motorsport group), the two-door EV racer prototype is officially dubbed the LEAF NISMO RD