Nissan may pull plug from Leaf

With the first generation Leaf presented in 2009, Nissan had a true electric pioneer in their hands. Together with the electric triplets Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Citroën C-Zero and Peugeot iOn, the Leaf was one of the first electric cars on the European market, although the Leaf with its hatchback shape was a lot more versatile than that compact trio. The Leaf also appeared on the Dutch market in 2011 and was succeeded in 2017 by the current second generation Leaf after various update rounds, including a large one in 2015. Electric cars are now becoming increasingly commonplace and EVs are available in various types and sizes. An electric hatchback is no longer a rarity in car land, with the result that Nissan will probably fill in the Leaf future differently.

Automotive News reports based on three undisclosed sources that the current generation Leaf will retire in the middle of this decade, i.e. around 2025. The Leaf would be replaced by a model that is “better suited to the needs of the modern EV buyer.” Whether Nissan then hangs the model name Leaf on the willows is unclear.

Nissan Chill Out Concept

It is likely that Nissan will not completely abandon the concept of an electric hatchback in the compact middle class. With the ID3 and Born, Volkswagen and Cupra have an electric compact mid-range car in their range and MG also comes with such a model in the form of the 4 Electric. Nissan reported in November 2021 that it would invest a staggering €15.6 billion in further electrification of its portfolio in the coming years. Until 2030, the brand will introduce 15 fully electric models worldwide. There is therefore a good chance that an electric hatchback will be included, although we expect that electric crossovers – with or without a flattened roofline – will cover the majority of the electric Nissan range. In 2021 Nissan already showed four previews of future EVs. It is not inconceivable that a final production version of one of those cars – think of the Chill-Out Concept – will be put forward as a Leaf successor.

Nissan Leaf in the Netherlands

Since the Dutch market introduction of the Leaf in 2011, 13,874 Leafs have been sold in our country, spread over two generations. Striking: that is about 800 pieces more than the Juke. The Leaf had its peak year in the Netherlands in 2019, when 3,817 units left the showroom. Last year, Nissan sold 1,214 Leafs in the Netherlands. Measured over the first six months of this year, the sales counter of the Nissan leaf stands at 449 copies. More than 577,000 have been sold worldwide.