The second-gen Leaf entered production in late 2017 for the 2018 model year. To be discontinued in early 2025, the zero-emission hatchback is currently produced in Smyrna, Tennessee for North America and at the Oppama assembly plant in Japan.
NMUK in the United Kingdom ended Leaf production in March 2024. According to Autocar, the British plant is gearing up for third-gen Leaf production. A new battery installation station is currently being incorporated into the production line, which is expected to start churning out third-gen Leafs for Europe as early as March 2025.
The cited publication understands that production trials are scheduled to start in August 2024, with said trials to run for half a year. Given the aforementioned intel, there is a high possibility for the all-new Leaf to debut by the end of 2024.
Autocar's piece includes a plethora of quotes from senior vice prez of regional manufacturing and supply chain management Alan Johnson, engineering manager Guy Reid, as well as plant boss Adam Pennick. But alas, they refrained from telling Autocar when the all-new Leaf is due.
Be that as it may, Nissan did confirm a brand-new Leaf as part of the EV36Zero future product and investment plan. As part of EV36Zero, the Sunderland facility will be transformed into an EV hub. The next-generation Leaf was teased in July 2021, with the newcomer looking very similar to the Chill-Out concept.
Photo: Nissan
The zero-emission crossover in the teaser pic and the concept are very similar in terms of design, and there's no telling how different the series-production model is from said previews. In any case, Nissan did confirm that it's related to the Ariya by means of the CMF-EV.
Otherwise known as AmpR Medium, the CMF-EV platform was developed by Renault and Nissan for compact vehicles. In addition to the Ariya, the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric and Renault Scenic E-Tech use said architecture. Somewhat disappointing, CMF-EV is a 400-volt affair while Hyundai Motor Group makes 800-volt electric vehicles on the Korean automaker's E-GMP architecture.
The current-gen Leaf's assembly line in Sunderland is being converted for an electric version of the subcompact Juke, which is expected to drop in 2027. It should be noted that Nissan discontinued the first-gen Juke from the US and Canadian market in 2017 due to abysmally poor sales. The indirect successor to the Juke in this part of the world is the Kicks, which has been redesigned for MY25.
$21,340 is the starting price of the Kicks in the United States, making it the most affordable crossover from Nissan in this part of the world. The Leaf kicks off at $28,140 sans destination charge and other taxes for the base 40-kWh battery, whereas the 60-kWh Leaf SV Plus can be yours from $36,190. With a bit of luck, the 2025/2026 Nissan Leaf will switch from the outgoing model's twist beam-style rear suspension to a multi-link setup à la Ariya, Megane E-Tech, and Scenic E-Tech.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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