Good question. Many cars used in specialty markets are outfitted with incredibly detailed diagnostics. For example, when exotic cars are rented for TV and movie shoots, the fine print includes hefty surcharges if the cars are driven faster than the speed limit and so forth. The data is downloaded and checked when the car is returned.

A test vehicle supplied to journalists might have similar diagnostic capabilities turned on. Then again, perhaps every Leaf has this, it's hard to imagine building a modern electric car without including sophisticated computing, and logging data is part of what computers do.

I doubt it's malicious, but as cars get more sophisticated, the possibility of leaking privacy through your onboard diagnostics does become an issue.

Thanks for raising the question.