Nissan is celebrating the dawn of a bold new era in European car manufacturing with the official start of production of the new and improved, 100% electric Nissan LEAF.
This new Nissan LEAF, incorporating more than 100 updates, is now rolling off the line at the company’s record-breaking Sunderland Plant,using advanced lithium-ion batteries manufactured in Nissan’s new UK Battery Plant.
Nissan. Together the Battery Plant and Nissan LEAF production are supporting jobs for more than 2,000 people in the UK car industry, including more than 500 directly at Nissan.
The new LEAF for 2013 has more than 100 updates aimed at making Nissan’s zero-emissions technology accessible to even more European drivers, includingan increased driving range of 199km (124 miles) and the ability to recharge in half the time of the first-generation LEAF.
This historic launch event comes as Nissan Sunderland Plant celebrates making more than seven million units since its opening in 1986. Last year it produced 510,572 vehicles and so became the first UK car factory ever to make more than half a million cars in one year.
With more than 55,000 Nissan LEAFs on the world’s roads today, and with two years of real-world zero emissions experience behind it, today’s announcement marks the start of an exciting chapter for Nissan. The Nissan LEAF is now built in three locations worldwide: Sunderland, UK; Smyrna, Tennessee, USA; and Oppama, Japan.
The launch of three new grades, new interior trim, the addition of Nissan’s Around View Monitor technology and new suspension settings specifically tailored for European roads build on the LEAF’s unique driving experience. This new package givescustomers in Europe a second generation zero-emissions car, before most companies have even launched their first electric vehicle.
Integrated on the same line as the best-selling Nissan Qashqai, the new LEAF is a major milestone in Nissan’s global zero-emission leadership. In just 12 months, Nissan has increased the number of dealers selling the LEAF from 200 to 1,400 and the number of charging points in Europe has grown from 12,000 to more than 20,000, proving that electric vehicles are becoming increasingly attractive.
The new Nissan LEAF soon will be joined by all-electric versions of the award-winning NV200, to be called e-NV200, in both light commercial van and five-seat combi versions. Development of a dedicated EV taxi based on the e-NV200 is also underway. An Infiniti EV is expected in 2015.
