Nissan plant builds 500,000th electric Leaf

Sunderland’s Nissan plant has seen the firm reach a halfa-million milestone.

The Wearside factory produced the 500,00th all-electric Nissan Leaf to be built worldwide. The milestone was achieved almost a decade after the model first went on sale.

The Sunderland factory has built more than 175,000 Leaf cars since it began producing the family car in 2013.

The 500,000th LEAF was destined for owner Maria Jansen in Norway.

“My husband and I chose to buy a Nissan Leaf back in 2018, and we loved it,” 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.”

The 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.

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 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 h ave s een what cleaner air and reduced noise pollution feel like during lockdowns,” said Helen Perry, head of electric passenger cars and infrastructure at Nissan Europe.

“N o w m o re t h a n e ve r, they’re looking to take positive steps towards a more sustainable future and the Nissan Leaf contributes to these efforts.”