Nissan LEAF to be built in Sunderland

22 March 2010

Nissan Motors further highlighted its commitment to go for zero CO2 emissions on Thursday by announcing that its plant in Sunderland will be the UK home of the Nissan LEAF.

Nissan Motors further highlighted its commitment to go for zero CO2 emissions on Thursday by announcing that its plant in Sunderland will be the UK home of the Nissan LEAF.

Nissan LEAF is the first model of Nissans upcoming electric vehicles (EVs). It is the first affordable, zero emission vehicle in the world that will be mass produced. The move embodies the multinational automakers commitment environmentally friendly road transport.

Nissan confirmed that its lithium-ion battery plant at Sunderland will start its construction next month. The facility has a production capacity of around 60,000 units per year. According to the carmaker, the plant will begin its operation in 2012.

This investment is a fantastic vote of confidence in the Sunderland plant and its excellent workforce, said Lord Mandelson, the UKs business secretary.

Nissan Motors senior vice president, Andy Palmer, who heads Nissans global EV strategy, said: The world is at the dawn of a new era in automotive transport. Nissan LEAF, which will go on sale later this year, is a five-seater hatchback that offers the same space, practicality and performance of a similar car in its class - minus the tailpipe emissions.

The Nissan LEAF production facility in Sunderland, which will commence operations in early 2013, makes the UK third in the world, next to Japan and the US, to manufacture the vehicle.

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