The Sunderland factory prepares for a new electric era with the unveiling of the UK’s most-built electric car: the new Nissan Leaf

Built-in the Northeast by a team of 6,000 workers, it is the first model to be launched under Nissan’s EV36Zero project for the future of electric vehicle production. Set to transform the Sunderland Plant into a flagship EV hub.

At Nissan’s NTCE in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, a UK research and development centre, LEAF has been engineered and fine-tuned to meet the demands of European customers. Next to the Nissan plant is AESC, Britain’s newest gigafactory, which will supply the batteries that will power it. 

And the plant isn’t finished with LEAF just yet. In the next few months, Nissan will release the e-POWER, the next-gen Qashqai. Then, in 2019, the company will unveil the Juke, an entirely electric SUV. 

Alan Johnson, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management at Nissan Motor Manufacturing, said: “It’s with immense pride that we unveil the third generation of our pioneering electric LEAF, twelve years after we brought EV and battery manufacturing to the UK.

“It’s a testament to the skill of our world-class team that we can bring into mass production a vehicle with such advanced technology and aerodynamic design. We can’t wait to see it on the roads.”

James Taylor, managing director of Nissan GB, said: “We’re really excited about the launch of the all-new LEAF later this year. It builds on the success of the previous two generations, which have found homes with more than 70,000 UK customers. LEAF is a pioneering electric vehicle that has encouraged thousands to make the switch to electric motoring – and best of all, it’s built here in Britain.”

Later this year, Nissan will release a new totally electric Micra that was designed in London. In 2026, the brand will also introduce a smaller city car, ensuring a comprehensive range of electric vehicles suitable for all customers.

Orders for the all-new LEAF, will open later this year.