Nissan to launch test production of the next-gen Leaf in August

According to Autocar, Nissan will launch trial production of the next-gen Leaf at its Sunderland plant in the UK for six months in August. If there are no hiccups, the carmaker aims to be ready to commence series production as early as March 2025, and it would be likely for Nissan to present the series version by the end of 2024.

Although Nissan has not officially confirmed this, it was reported at the end of 2023 that it intends to produce three electric models at its plant in Sunderland, England: The two BEV versions of the Qashqai and Juke as well as the next generation of the Leaf. Nissan is converting the former battery assembly line for the Leaf in its UK factory into a vehicle assembly line for the first-ever battery-electric Juke. A second battery factory is under construction in Sunderland, with an annual capacity of 12 GWh, which will be enough to power 100,000 EVs.

Owned by the Japanese automaker’s long-standing supplier AESC, the new battery plant will make batteries for the next-gen Leaf. AESC has said that these batteries will have 30 per cent more energy density for a higher range and improved efficiency. For reference, the current Leaf is available with a 39 kWh battery pack and a 59 kWh battery pack, and it delivers a WLTP range of 270 km with the former and 385 km with the latter.

The next-gen Nissan Leaf will likely sit on Ampere’s AmpR Medium platform, formerly known as CMF-EV and developed for C-segment (compact) EVs. Ampere is a new EV and software company owned by Nissan’s alliance partner Renault Group in Europe, and the Japanese automaker is a strategic investor.

The first-generation Leaf was a conventionally designed family hatchback, and the second-generation model continued with the tried-and-tested formula. The third-generation Leaf, however, will be a radically designed crossover. With a design inspired by the Nissan Chill-Out concept, it will have an exterior with offbeat front lights and a fast-sloping roofline to look futuristic and have low wind resistance, respectively. Nissan has listed e-4ORCE as one of the features of the Chill-Out concept, which indicates it may offer an all-wheel drive drivetrain layout option with a twin-motor powertrain in the next-gen Leaf.

The two additional electric models Qashqai and Juke, together with another battery factory and infrastructure projects, will lead to an investment of up to £2 billion (around €2.3 billion) in the UK, as Nissan explained in November. Autocar states that the new Leaf in March 2025 will be followed by the electric Juke in 2027. There are no launch details for the electric Qashqai yet.

As the world’s first mass-market electric car, the Leaf played a pivotal role in popularising zero-emission vehicles globally. By July 2023, Nissan was selling the Leaf in approximately 50 markets worldwide, with cumulative sales having crossed 650,000 units. Converting it into a crossover for the third generation should help the company round out its lineup.

Update 12 June 2024

Nissan has opened its sales books for the 2025 Nissan Leaf in the USA with a starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $28,140. The 2025 Nissan LEAF S runs on a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery with an EPA-estimated range of up to 149 miles. The larger SV PLUS variant has a 60-kWh battery and up to 212 miles of range and starts at $36,190.

autocar.co.uk, global.nissannews.com, aesc.co.uk, nissan-global.com, global.nissannews.com, nissannews.com (update)