Nissan has celebrated the production of its 50,000th Leaf EV at its Sunderland Plant.

Three years after Nissan introduced electric vehicle and battery manufacturing to Europe with its site in the North East, the 50,000th European-built Nissan LEAF has rolled off the production line.

The silver, Tekna-grade Nissan Leaf rolled off the production line last week and is destined for a customer in France.

Paul Willcox, chairman, Nissan Europe, said: “What Nissan is doing today with electric vehicle technology is more advanced than any other car manufacturer.

“This milestone is another first for Nissan and for our team in Sunderland.

“No other brand has Nissan’s experience or expertise in both battery and vehicle production, and I’m thrilled that over 50,000 customers in Europe share our vision for a zero-emission future.” 

European-built Nissan Leafs are currently exported to 23 global markets covering Western Europe and other destinations as diverse as Argentina, Iceland, Israel and Taiwan.

Five years ago, the Nissan Leaf was the first mass-market electric vehicle to go on sale and it remains the best-selling EV of all time with almost 220,000 vehicles sold worldwide.

Nissan Leaf and battery manufacturing supports over 2,000 jobs at Nissan and in its UK suppliers.

Production of the extended-range, 250km, Leaf is now taking place at the Sunderland plant and the announcement that Nissan’s future generation batteries will also be produced there has prompted a further £26.5m investment in the site.