SALES of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, the 100 percent electric Nissan LEAF, recorded its best year yet, selling 25 percent more units in 2013 than the next best seller in Europe.
Now commanding 33 percent of the EV passenger car market in Europe, the Nissan LEAF sold more than 5,600 more units in 2013 versus 2012, cementing its position as the world’s best-selling 100 percent electric vehicle.
The success of the Nissan LEAF in Europe has been propelled by consistently strong sales in Norway where the Nissan LEAF the third-most sold passenger car last year, became the country’s best-selling car at the end of January 2014 with 650 units.
In 2013, the Nissan LEAF was the EV market leader in many other countries including Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, and the UK.
Huge strides are being made in the UK with sales of the British-built Nissan LEAF increasing by more than 1000 percent in January versus the prior year.
Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Director of Electric Vehicles at Nissan Europe, said: “January has been a fantastic start to 2014, a year when we will launch our second 100 percent electric model in Europe – the Nissan e-NV200 light commercial vehicle.
“Our most recent survey following the launch of the improved European-built Nissan LEAF shows that 97 percent of owners would recommend a Nissan LEAF to a friend. We are moving from the early adopters to the early majority.”