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Nissan is ending production of the current Leaf at its Sunderland plant this week, according to reports, as it gears up to build three new electric cars at the factory.
The Leaf’s replacement is an electric crossover, expected to be revealed later this year ahead of a 2026 production start date. The other two will be the electric replacements for the Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Juke.
Nissan began production of the first Leaf at Sunderland in 2013, three years after it was launched. The current, second-generation Leaf arrived in 2017.
A Nissan spokesperson told The Sunderland Echo: “The current generation of Nissan Leaf, the world’s first mass-market 100% electric vehicle, is approaching the end of its life cycle in Europe.
“Depending on the market’s inventory, European customers will be able to place their orders until vehicle stocks run out.
“Nissan has already announced a new line-up of 100% electric vehicles for the European market to be produced in Sunderland plant as part of our commitment to sustainability and electrification.”
Leaf production for other markets is expected to continue at the firm’s US and Japanese plants. European stock, built at Sunderland, will likely be sold until the end of the year, suggest reports.
When the third-generation Leaf (rendered by Autocar above) arrives in 2026, Nissan predicts it will build around 100,000 units a year at its Sunderland plant. This ambition will be supported by on-site battery partner Envision AESC which is primed to open its new battery factory later this year with a capacity of 11GWh, and could eventually ramp up to 30GWh.
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