Nissan, Japan's third largest carmaker, has been slower than rivals Toyota and Honda to embrace hybrids, which run on petrol and electric engines, and is instead pinning its hopes on solely battery-powered cars.

Electric cars have struggled to become mainstream because of limited battery life and high costs. But Mr Ghosn insisted that the Leaf would not be a niche-market vehicle. "We need to invest a lot of money to build the car plants and the battery plants at a moment where all the auto companies are saving investments," he said.