In northern Japan, 230 meters above sea level, Nissan invited more than 60 automotive journalists to test drive its electric Leaf vehicle to prove that it can operate under cold weather conditions.

The event took place on the northern island of Hokkaido and, despite below freezing temperatures of -9 degrees celsius, the Leaf's battery managed to maintain a temperature of between five and 10 degrees celsius. While Nissan is happy to point out the Leaf's cold weather prowess, it does offer a cold climate package available in countries like Canada and Norway.

The journalists took the Leafs out for drives across three test courses and, in a promotional video released by Nissan, their responses were largely positive.

"I was highly impressed by the key message here," said Takayuki Kinoshita, a race driver and journalist, "that the Leaf can drive normally in hot or cold weather throughout the world."