Nissan has announced it will stop production of its electric Leaf vehicle at its Sunderland plant after 13 years as the carmaker gets ready to welcome the next phase of vehicles.
The Leaf has sold more than 270,000 models since 2013 from its Sunderland plant but the end of production could now paves the way for the new gigafactory.
The existing Leaf makes way for the next generation of Juke and Qashqai vehicles which is expected to hit stores in 2026, thanks to £2billion of investment by Nissan.
Despite production halting, Nissan said the Leaf will remain on sale for the time being and is available to customers as normal.
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The existing Leaf makes way for the next generation of Juke and Qashqai vehicles
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A Nissan spokesperson said: “After 13 years of great success, the current generation of Nissan Leaf, the world’s first mass-market 100 per cent electric vehicle, is approaching the end of its life cycle in Europe.
“Depending on the market’s inventory, European customers will be able to place their orders until vehicle stocks run out.”
The next generation of Leaf, however, will continue to be produced at the Sunderland plant, having confirmed the news in November 2023.
Nissan has suggested that a new gigafactory battery plant could be expected to aid the production of these new electric vehicles.
In November Nissan revealed it was adding £2billion of new investment into Sunderland
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At the time, Nissan president and CEO Makoto Uchida said: “Electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality.
“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.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak added that the investment would no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.
The investment by Nissan helped push the UK to overtake France in becoming the eighth-biggest manufacturing nation in the world.
The Government estimated the manufacturing industries now contribute £205billion to the economy and are boosting employment in every region of the country, including over 300,000 jobs both in the North West and Yorkshire and The Humber.
The plant in Sunderland was the brand's second large investment in the area.
The region is also set to house a multi-billion pound electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility operated by global battery business, Agratas, which is owned by Tata Technologies.
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Nissan's Sunderland manufacturing plant was first opened in 1986
NISSAN
Tata owns Jaguar Land Rover and will use the facility to ramp up production of its electric vehicles.
The 40GWh factory will create up to 4,000 jobs and is set to be the biggest battery factory in the country, it is expected to open in 2026.