Nissan Launches Leaf Output in U.K.

After four years of preparation, Nissan begins U.K. production of its next-generation all-electric Leaf, incorporating more than 100 updates.

The Leaf now being built at the Sunderland plant uses advanced lithium-ion batteries manufactured in Nissan’s new U.K. battery plant.

The auto maker says its £420 million ($635.4 million) investment in the battery operation and local Leaf production is supporting jobs for more than 2,000 people, including more than 500 employed directly by Nissan.

The updates extend the Leaf’s driving range to 124 miles (199 km) and allow the car to recharge in half the time of the first-generation EV, Nissan says.

The electric vehicle now is being built in three locations – Sunderland; Smyrna, TN, in the U.S.; and Oppama, Japan.

Executive Vice President Andy Palmer says the beginning of Leaf production in the U.K. reaffirms the auto maker’s unwavering commitment to zero-emissions motoring.

“The Nissan Leaf is our most technically advanced car yet, and the launch of this new model, built along with its batteries in Sunderland, is a huge boost not only for the plant but for British manufacturing,” Palmer says in a statement.

The U.K.-built Leaf will be offered in three new grades with new interior trim, the addition of Nissan’s Around View Monitor technology and suspension settings specifically tailored for European roads.

“This new package gives customers in Europe a second-generation zero-emissions car before most companies have even launched their first electric vehicle,” Palmer says.

Nissan has increased the number of dealers selling the Leaf in the past 12 months from 200 to 1,400, while the number of charging points in Europe has grown from 12,000 to more than 20,000.

Nissan says the Leaf soon will be joined by all-electric versions of the NV200, to be called e-NV200, in both light-commercial van and 5-seat combi versions.

Development of a dedicated EV taxi based on the e-NV200 also is under way, and an Infiniti EV is expected in 2015.