Desira Nissan will be unveiling the 2011 European Car of the Year, the Nissan Leaf at a special preview event on Thursday.

For one day only Nissan's award-winning model will be on show at the Vulcan Road North dealership in Norwich, giving customers the chance to get an exclusive glimpse of Nissan's new 100pc electric vehicle (EV).

Orders for the Leaf can be placed on the day, via the Nissan website – www.nissan.co.uk/leaf – with deliveries starting from March.

The Nissan Leaf is a compact, 100pc electric five-passenger family car that comes fully equipped with features such as climate control air-conditioning, satellite-navigation, parking camera, rapid charge socket and internet connectivity.

Desira Nissan has been selected as one of only 24 dealerships in the country that will be fully equipped to take Leaf deliveries from March. A specialist EV relationship manager will act as a single point of contact for all Leaf customers and will be on hand to provide expert knowledge and advice on owning and driving an electric car.

The Leaf has a compact lithium-ion battery pack that, when charged to full capacity, will give the vehicle a range of 110 miles. The Leaf can be charged from a normal plug socket at home but each EV dealership will have a rapid battery charger fitted where customers will be able to charge their Leaf up to 80pc capacity in 30 minutes. This network of rapid chargers will mean that more than 90pc of the UK population are no more than 50 miles from a rapid charger.

Chris Atkins, dealer principal at Desira Nissan, says: 'We've already seen a massive interest in the Nissan Leaf but this is the first time that most customers will be able to see the car first-hand – we're confident they will be impressed.

'The Nissan LEAF is brand new to the car market and it cements Nissan's place as an innovative, futuristic, thoughtful car manufacturer.

'We're thrilled to have been selected as one of the first EV dealerships in the country. We look forward to welcoming customers to the dealership for the launch event and we are confident that the Nissan Leaf will not disappoint.'

For more information about the Nissan LEAF, contact Desira Nissan on 01603 481800 or visit the Nissan website at www.nissan.co.uk/leaf