AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
NISSAN, one of the world leaders in the production of zero-emission vehicle, has reached a major milestone – the 500 000th electric car, the LEAF, has rolled off the production line.
The production of the 500 000th LEAF co-incided with the celebration of the World EV Day.
The milestone was achieved at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, England, almost a decade after the model first went on sale. The plant has built more than 175,000 LEAF cars since it began producing the model in 2013.
Nissan said its manufacturing facilities in Sunderland continue to craft the LEAF to the highest standards to ensure that every LEAF embodies innovation and excitement while striving to make advances in sustainable mobility.
The Nissan LEAF has won accolades around the world including Car of the Year 2011 in Europe, World Car of the Year 2011, and Car of the Year Japan in 2011 and 2012. More importantly, the car has earned the trust of hundreds of thousands of customers.
The 500,000th LEAF found its happy owner, Maria Jansen, in Norway.
“My husband and I chose to buy a Nissan LEAF back in 2018, and we loved it,” Jansen 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.”
Nissan said the LEAF offers customers advanced technologies to enhance safety, comfort and control on the road. These include the award-winning ProPILOT – a “hands-on, eyes-on” system that allows the car to stop, restart and stay centered in its lane – and e-Pedal technology for one-pedal driving.
The manufacturer said with more than 14.8 billion clean-air kilometers driven since 20101, LEAF owners around the world have helped prevent more than 2.4 billion kilograms 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.”
