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Nissan sells 100 000 Leafs

YOKOHAMA, Japan  - Nissan has been the front-runner of mass-produced electric vehicles and the Leaf has just hit 100 000 global sales. The automaker is also ready to bring its next EV to market. The Nissan Leaf has found its 100 000th customer in the United Kingdom.

The Leaf, the world’s first mass-produced zero emissions vehicle, remains the best-selling electric vehicle with a 45% market share.

Since its launch in December 2010 Nissan has seen sales increase consistently with a record year in 2013. The EV is available in 35 countries on four continents.

PAVING THE WAY

According to reports, the Leaf topped sales charts in Norway, out-selling conventional gasoline- powered vehicles in October 2013.

The 100 000th Leaf has found its new home with Dr Brett Garner, the owner of a dental practice in Fareham in the UK. Garner said: “I have chosen the Leaf because I am very interested in its running costs. The cost of ownership such as maintenance, insurance and charging also convinced my wife.

“She had the experience of driving 800km in a borrowed Leaf and the low cost was remarkable. So she was converted and insisted that we had one.”

One of the first Leaf customers was Wasei Hirai, the Buddhist priest. Hirai said at his temple in Tokyo, Japan: “Natural beauty and history are very important for me, but I often drive a car because it is necessary for life.

“Surprisingly, the innovative aspect of the Leaf matches this old temple quite naturally so I believe that such a temple should take the initiative to propose messages about the environment and a way of living. I think the day will come that whenever people think of a car, it will be an electric car.”

Nissan is working with governments and corporations to further expand the infrastructure of charging stations to encourage the take-up of EVs.

2014 will see Nissan bring an all-electric light commercial vehicle to market in the form of the e-NV200 which will go on sale in Europe and Japan.

In June 2014, Nissan will participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Nissan Zeod RC and aims to set a record for the fastest all-electric, zero-emissions lap of the circuit.
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