Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan has delivered its 100,000th Leaf vehicle this June in Europe. It contributes to the global sales figure of over 320,000 units, making it the “most sold EV in the world,” according to the company.
The 100,000-mark in Europe comes just a few weeks after the same figure was achieved in Japan. With more than 37,000 new Leaf vehicles ordered in Europe in the past eight months, Nissan claims that there is one sold every 10 minutes on the continent, which is an indication of the change in the automotive market; customers are now looking to switch from conventional gasoline powered cars to zero-emission vehicles.
Gareth Dunsmore, electric vehicle director of Nissan Europe, stated, “For us, it’s no surprise that the Nissan Leaf is the world’s best-selling electric vehicle. We have been developing our electric vehicle mass-market offering for longer than any other brand and are proud to bring an affordable, visionary car to customers across Europe. In less than 10 years, we managed to make the electric vehicle a mass market reality. This milestone proves once again that our Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision is embraced by our customers who believe in a more confident, more exciting, and more connected future.”
The European specification Nissan Leaf makes 148 horsepower and 236 pound-foot of torque, capable of propelling it from 0 to 62 miles per hour in just 7.9 seconds. Top speed is a usable 90 mph. Using the CHAdeMO rapid charger, you can get up to 80 percent charge in as little as 40 minutes. You can also have it fully charged using the latest seven-kilowatt home chargers in 7.5 hours. The second generation Leaf is also the first Nissan vehicle in Europe to feature the company’s ProPilot and ProPilot Park technologies
Nissan claims that European Leaf customers have now clocked over 2 billion kilometers, saving over 300,000 tons of CO2 in the process. The EV is considered a favorite over other Nissan models, boasting a 92 percent customer satisfaction rate.