Major car brand confirms it will ditch petrol and diesel vehicles in years as electric takes over
Nissan is committed to only selling electric vehicles from 2030
NISSAN
A major car brand has reaffirmed its pledge to ditch the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the coming years as manufacturers move towards electric cars.
The Japanese brand remains committed to only selling electric vehicles from 2030, having pledged investment to upgrade its Sunderland production factory to deal with the EV switch.
Nissan currently has four vehicles that are 100 per cent electric on the market, including the Leaf, Ariya SUV, Townstar small van and the new Interstar large van.
It also has a wide range of hybrid models that are already incredibly popular among drivers, such as the Juke, Qashqai and X-trail.
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The Nissan Qashqai is one of the best-selling cars in the UK
NISSANAs manufacturers around the world deal with EV sales and the mission to expand operations to include electric cars, Nissan has outlined its stance on the future.
Mayra González, Nissan’s Europe sales chief, said: “Our business plan is very clear: We want to achieve 100 per cent electric [sales] by 2030 in Europe.
“The key is, from now until 2027, we need to think how to best balance the portfolio between EV, combustion and hybrid.
"We see in Europe a lot of inconsistency [among countries] in the way electrification is progressing and we need to provide vehicles that are aligned with that progression," Autocar responded.
She highlighted the need for a mixed portfolio of vehicles and how it was "key" to future successes, despite the electrification strategy being "clear".
In the year-to-date, Nissan has sold almost 63,000 vehicles in the UK, making up an impressive 5.45 per cent market share among manufacturers.
It also represents positive growth for the brand compared to the same period last year when 51,000 cars were sold by the end of July with a market share of just 4.7 per cent.
The Nissan Qashqai is the third best-selling car in the year-to-date with 26,514 new registrations, falling just behind the Ford Puma and Kia Sportage.
Data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) also shows that the Nissan Juke ranks as the fifth best-selling model this year, beating out the likes of the Audi A3, Hyundai Tucson and BMW 1 Series.
González said that while technology was important for the future of electric vehicles, investment and Government incentives to help motorists make the switch.
She added: "There are many things behind that could accelerate or could stop it. So we need to see how this evolves.”
Nissan tripled its investment into the Sunderland plant last November with up to £2billion to produce new electric vehicle models - the all-electric replacements for the Juke and Qashqai, as well as the all0electric Leaf replacement.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Rishi Sunak welcomed a £2billion funding boost to Nissan's EV plant in Sunderland last year
PAAt the time, the Government committed £15million in funding to a £30million collaborative project led by Nissan to strengthen research and development at the Nissan Technical Centre (NTCE) in Cranfield, Bedfordshire.
Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the investment was a "massive vote of confidence" given that the automotive industry contributes £71billion a year to the economy.