Production begins of the new Nissan Leaf in Europe
With the first new LEAFs now rolling off the line at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, UK, the countdown has now started to the first customers receiving their vehicles in February.
Embodying Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility vision and already winning international awards for innovation and technology, this new model has been reinvented to offer greater range, dynamic design, advanced driver assistance technologies and enhanced connectivity.
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.
“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.
Cutting-edge technology in the new Nissan LEAF includes:
- The new e-Pedal which allows drivers to start, accelerate, decelerate and stop the car by simply increasing or decreasing the pressure applied to the accelerator, providing more control and taking the stress out of driving. E-pedal can hold the stop even downhill, and is made accessible as standard from entry grade.
- ProPILOT advanced driving assistance automatically controls the distance to the vehicle in front and steers the vehicle to help the driver keep LEAF centered in the lane. These functions can significantly improve driving experience when driving on the highway in both heavy and flowing traffic.
- ProPILOT Park is the technology that parks the new LEAF with the touch of a button. This full auto-parking feature combines advanced image processing technology using four high-resolution cameras and information from 12 ultrasonic sensors around the car to guide the vehicle into a space.
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 £420m, the introduction of the new Nissan LEAF has been supported by a further £36m investment in Nissan Sunderland Plant, supporting more than 2,000 jobs at Nissan and in the UK supply chain.
The start of production follows the new Nissan LEAF’s first major international awards last month, at the CES (Consumer Electronics Show) annual CES Unveiled ceremony in New York, presented by the Consumer Technology Association. LEAF was awarded:
- CES Best of Innovation award winner for Vehicle Intelligence and Self-Driving Technology, and
- CES honoree for Tech for a Better World
In addition to the new LEAF, Nissan Sunderland Plant also manufactures the market-leading 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.
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*NEDC: Subject to final homologation process
About Nissan in the UK
- Nissan Sunderland Plant produces the Nissan Qashqai, Note and Juke and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF
- Production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles began in 2012
- Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than seven million units with 80 per cent of production exported to 100 markets worldwide
- Total investment made and announced since then is over £3.5 billion
- 500,237 units were produced at Sunderland plant in 2014
- In 2014, one in three cars built in the UK was a Nissan
- Sunderland Plant currently employs more than 6,700 people
- Nissan’s European Design Centre is located in Paddington, London and employs around 65 people
- Nissan’s European Technical Centre is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire and employs around 1,000 people
- Nissan’s sales and marketing headquarters in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire employs around 190 people
