Production of the new Nissan Leaf for European markets has started at the company’s Sunderland, UK, plant.
Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan Europe Divisional Vice President for Manufacturing, said: “Nissan led the way in introducing electric vehicles to Europe in 2011, and every year since then it’s been clear that more and more customers share our vision for the future of driving.
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“We’re excited to start production in Sunderland and to bring the new Nissan LEAF to European markets from February.”
The new Nissan LEAF offers an improved range of 235 miles on a single charge, allowing drivers to enjoy longer journeys, interconnected by the extended European CHAdeMO Quick Charging network.
The new Leaf comes with the ProPILOT advanced driving assistance system that automatically controls the distance to the vehicle in front and steers the vehicle to help the driver keep Leaf centred in the lane. These functions can significantly improve driving experience when driving on the highway in both heavy and flowing traffic, Nissan says.
The Nissan LEAF has been in production in the UK since 2013 for European markets, with more than 85,000 units sold in Europe since 2011, when the first deliveries began from Nissan’s Oppama plant in Japan. Following an initial investment of GBP420m, the introduction of the new Nissan Leaf has been supported by a further GBP36m investment in Nissan Sunderland Plant, supporting more than 2,000 jobs at Nissan and in the UK supply chain.
In addition to the new Leaf, Nissan Sunderland Plant also manufactures the crossovers Qashqai and Juke and the Infiniti brand’s Q30 and QX30 models. Last year the plant celebrated its 30th anniversary, and this year total volume surpassed 9m vehicles, cementing its position as ‘the biggest UK car plant of all time’, according to Nissan.
