Member Article

Nissan sells its first Leaf

The revolutionary electric car being manufactured by Nissan’s Sunderland plant from 2013 has sold its first car in the UK.

Customers in the North East have also been amongst the first to have the chance to buy the Leaf, which will be built on Wearside.

Richard Todd, an electronics engineer from St Albans, was reportedly the first customer to place an order for the new Nissan Leaf when the order books opened last September.

He said: “As an engineer I have always wanted an electric car - I’ve just had to wait for the battery technology to arrive. Hybrids are good, but the driving experience of an all-electric vehicle is way beyond this.

“The Leaf is ideal for us as a family with the range and size being more than adequate for most of our driving needs.”

The Nissan Leaf is currently built in Japan, but will be manufactured at the Nissan plant in Sunderland from 2013.

Batteries for the car will be produced at the factory from 2012.

Nissan has more than 500 pre-orders for the car already with 10 more expected next week.

Quick charging sites will continue to be set up throughout the region and the UK.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .