EXCLUSIVE: Nissan Aims to Double Sales of Leaf EV in Japan

May 27, 2018

Tokyo- Nissan Motor Co. aims to sell some 40,000 units of its Leaf electric vehicle in Japan in the year to March 2019, double the previous year's level, Jiji Press learned Friday.

The cumulative domestic sales of the Leaf, launched in 2010, stood at 100,000 units as of the end of April this year, with global sales topping 300,000 units.

The automaker hopes to expand the presence of the Leaf in the domestic market further on the back of an increase in charging stations.

Senior Vice President Asako Hoshino unveiled the new sales target for the Leaf in an interview.

"The Leaf is enjoying explosive growth in sales in Europe, so we're struggling to make enough amounts," she said.

Still, she said that Nissan will secure 40,000 units for the domestic market.

The Leaf is the best-selling electric vehicle in the global market. The fully remodeled version released in autumn last year can run up to 400 kilometer on a single battery charge.

Nissan plans to launch three additional electric vehicle models in Japan by fiscal 2022.

The company also aims to increase the share of vehicles powered by electric motors to 40 pct of its overall domestic vehicle sales in the year starting in April 2022. Jiji Press