It was during the summer of 2009 Nissan unveils Leaf in Yokohama, Japan. We are then in full crisis in the automotive sector, a barrel of oil peaked and almost all manufacturers engage in a long period of greenwahsing, ecological communication that make so-called green cars unconvincing .
In this concert ecological-car, The Nissan Leaf will save the polar bear if we are to believe the advertising campaign at the time. Carlos Ghosn and Renault-Nissan Alliance firmly believe electric vehicles (and subsidies at the time) and they try to convince us that the VE is the future of the automobile. The boss of the automotive group even throws an unstoppable: "There will be 500,000 Leaf put on the road each year by 2012" Ghosn might even add "At that time we shave free! "
January 2014 Nissan party reasonably but not without a certain pride 100.000 Leaf delivered. It is a model in white livery made in the British Sunderland plant and for a young English couple. Small series of photos, a way Leaf Art for covered 100,000 coins, a bit of com 'through the media and voila.
Rest with 100,000 copies sold, the Nissan Leaf is by far the best-selling electric car in the world. Marketed for 3 years, Nissan has finally made a pretty nice route especially in the USA (eg 22,000 sold in 2013) and Japan while revealing yet more reliable even if, like all EVs, it does not like cold periods. Leaf Some have even exceeded 150,000 to 160,000 km without incident. Now remains to consider the question battery aging and more importantly recycling.
With so many copies sold, we can no longer speak of epiphenomenon, purchase or even militant vehicle niche, the Leaf has finally become self as others. It is melted in the mass of the car park and there may be the best sign of its success. Even his physical not easy no longer shocks but still eagerly awaiting the Leaf Mk2 which offer a more pleasant design and increased autonomy.
What is the next goal of this model is facing, particularly in Europe, some competitors size as the Renault Zoe and the BMW i3? This is not easy to say but the milestone of 150,000 copies or more in the next month or next year does not seem out of reach.
Source : Nissan