Milestone as 500,000th Nissan Leaf is manufactured

Nissan is celebrating World EV Day – and the production of the 500,000th Leaf, the world’s first mass-market 100% electric car.

The milestone was achieved at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, almost a decade after the model first went on sale. The factory has built more than 175,000 Leaf cars since it began producing the model in 2013.

The 500,000th LEAF found its happy owner, Maria Jansen, in Norway. She said: “We’re very excited to become the proud owners of the 500,000th Nissan Leaf. This car really meets our needs with extended range and enhanced technologies.”

With more than 14.8 billion clean-air kilometres driven since 20101, LEAF owners around the world have helped prevent more than 2.4 billion kilos of CO2 emissions.

During recent lockdowns, air quality improved around the world due to a decrease in CO2-emitting activities. In Europe, studies show that 68% of people support measures to prevent a return to previous levels of air pollution.

“Consumers have seen what cleaner air and reduced noise pollution feel like during lockdowns,” said Helen Perry, head of electric passenger cars and infrastructure at Nissan Europe.

“Now more than ever, they’re looking to take positive steps towards a more sustainable future and the Nissan LEAF contributes to this efforts.”