Europe: Nissan to launch new EVs only

Nissan is saying goodbye to the hybrid drive for new models in Europe and will, from now on, only launch pure EVs there. According to the new plan, Nissan wants to sell only fully electric cars in Europe from 2030 onwards, thus following down the path of its alliance partner Renault, which formulated this goal at the beginning of 2022.

“EV is the ultimate mobility solution. More than a million customers have already joined our journey and experienced the fun of a Nissan electric vehicle, and there is no turning back now,” says Makoto Uchida, President and CEO of Nissan. “EVs powered by renewables are key to us achieving carbon neutrality, which is central to our Ambition 2030 vision. Nissan will make the switch to full electric by 2030 in Europe – we believe it is the right thing to do for our business, our customers and for the planet.”

Previously, Nissan wanted to introduce only new passenger cars with partially or fully electric powertrains in Europe from 2023 and to have 100 per cent of its European sales come from electric and hybrid vehicles by the end of the decade. Globally, Nissan reportedly plans 27 new electrified models by 2030, including 19 all-electric. For 2028, Nissan reiterates its goal of launching electric vehicles powered by its solid-state batteries (ASSB).

Two new Nissan electric vehicles are already confirmed for Europe: The new electric crossover that Nissan will produce in Sunderland, England, and the all-electric successor to the Micra, which will reportedly share powertrain technology with the upcoming Renault 5 Electric.

The sporty urban electric study Concept 20-23 presented by Nissan is a first glimpse of the electric Micra successor. The concept car looks like a racing car, so the spoilers, air intakes and extremely flared wheel arches are unlikely to correspond to series production. However, the design of the front bonnet and the suggested round headlights could be a preview of the upcoming small electric car.

Another important aspect of the Concept 20-23 is that it is not a study designed in Japan or by Nissan Global, but a design by Nissan Design Europe (NDE) based in London. The Japanese are investing more than 40 million Euros (26 million Euros of which are earmarked for electrification) to modernise locations of the NDE, as well as the nearby Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE). So Nissan wants to continue offering specially designed and technically adapted vehicles in Europe – not just global models like the Ariya – even though Renault has taken over responsibility for technical development within the alliance in Europe.

nissannews.com, nissannews.com (Nissan Concept 20-23)