Nissan plans next-gen Leaf and two new electric models, including Qashqai

Japanese car giant Nissan – one of the pioneers of mass-produced EVs with the launch of the Leaf more than a decade ago – has revealed plans for a next-generation Leaf and two new electric vehicle models as part of a multi-billion investment in the UK.

The two new fully electric offerings include the a mid-sized electric SUV, an  all-electric Nissan Qashqai and a slightly smaller model, the electric Nissan Juke.

Nissan plans to invest £3 billion ($A5.7 billion) in the creation of three new factories at its EV36Zero hub in Sunderland where it will produce the new models, as well as batteries and respective infrastructure.

It is one of the largest EV investment initiatives to date in the country. The Sunderland hub is powered by a renewables micro-grid based around locally produced wind and solar, including a new 20MW solar plant.

The Qashqai SUV was the UK’s best-selling car in 2022 and makes up one in every five cars built in the country. The smaller Juke has also sold in large numbers with over one million cars making it onto the road. Both of these of course are the ICE models which will be electrified as part of this investment.

All three electric initiatives will be based around concept models, two of which were recently unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show.

This included the Hyper Urban Concept, a crossover EV that will form the basis of the electric Qashqai, the Hyper Punk Concept, that will form the basis of the Juke, a compact crossover, and the Chill-Out Concept, which was first unveiled in 2021 and will form the basis of the renewed Leaf.

Further information about the three models, including names, specifications and launch dates, will be released at a later time.

The announcement, made late Friday in the UK, follows Nissan’s confirmation that all its new cars in Europe from now will be fully electric, and that it expects its passenger car line-up in Europe to be 100% electric by 2030.

“Exciting, electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality,” Nissan president and CEO Makoto Uchida said. “With electric versions of our core European models on the way, we are accelerating towards a new era for Nissan, for industry and for our customers.”

UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry.

“This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.”