autoevolution
 

Nissan Leaf Sales Reach 450,000 Units, Tesla Model 3 Will Soon Surpass It

Although it has its faults, the Leaf can’t be downplayed in the greater picture of the electric revolution. We’ve talked about its importance in the 2010s, and how the Leaf helped the EV morph from automotive oddity to the mainstream.
Nissan Leaf Gen 1 22 photos
Photo: Nissan
Nissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RCNissan Leaf NISMO RC
On sale since 2010 in pretty much every corner of the globe, the electric hatchback from Nissan has achieved a sales milestone of 450,000 units. This makes it the most popular EV on the planet, but the Leaf has a little bit of trouble on its hands.

You see, the Tesla Model 3 is outselling the Leaf month by month. By the end of 2019, nearly 449,000 examples of the breed were delivered to customers. Knowing these numbers, it’s a matter of months until the Model 3 surpasses the pioneering but outdated Leaf as the world’s best-selling electric vehicle.

Tesla is certain to take the crown following the completion of the Shanghai factory in China, and not long now, another plant will be constructed in Germany. While Nissan may be the bigger of the two automakers, there are plenty of reasons the Leaf doesn’t stand a chance against the Model 3 in terms of sales figures.

Ever since the original started rolling off the assembly line, all Leafs (or is it Leaves?) featured and continue to utilize air-cooled batteries. As opposed to fluid-based thermal management, air doesn’t cool as efficiently. This ultimately leads to accelerated battery degradation, translating to gradually less driving range.

The Leaf doesn’t feature a dual-motor option either, nor does Nissan have anything to take on the Autopilot system of the Model 3. Worse still, the Japanese automaker had to compromise the rear suspension to a twist-beam axle for the second generation of the Leaf as well, all in the name of saving a few bucks.

Carlos Ghosn added to Nissan’s problems, costing the company billions of dollars in market capitalization. Add to that the automaker’s inherent financial troubles, and you can understand why Nissan is known to cheap out on things such as the suspension system or the continuously variable transmission manufactured by JATCO that often fails before the engine or car starts falling apart.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
press release
About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories