EV countdown: Nissan’s European playbook

Nissan was an early mover on electrification, and its Leaf holds the title of the first mass-market, zero-emission electric vehicle (EV). The car was the world’s best-selling plug-in EV for a decade until the Tesla Model 3 overtook it in 2020, but by then it had already secured Nissan’s reputation as an EV pioneer. As of today, more than a million customers have purchased a Nissan EV, with one-third of them in Europe.

The automaker is currently positioning for an all-electric line-up in Europe by 2030, which would make it compliant with the looming restrictions on new internal combustion engines (ICE) well ahead of the 2035 deadline. By 2026, the automaker expects more than 40% of its sales mix in Europe to be 100% electric and 75% electrified (including hybrids and plug-in hybrids). However, EV momentum has started to slow. New EV sales across the EU, EFTA, and the UK inched up just 1% over the first half of 2024, according to research house Rho Motion. That compares to 30% growth in China and 10% in the US, making Europe the slowest region of growth globally for EV sales so far this year.

Despite the current sluggishness, Nissan is sticking to its targets. “Europe is volatile at the moment, but the long term is clear: it’s EV. The business plan is clear: 100% electrification for Europe by 2030,” François Bailly, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan’s AMIEO region (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe including Russia, and Oceania) tells Automotive World.