The Nissan LEAF is set to be discontinued in North America, how about PH?
One of the longest running electric vehicle nameplates in the global automotive industry is set to be discontinued soon, at least in North America.
Nissan has confirmed that it has plans to discontinue its first ever fully electric model which it first released in 2010, with the current second generation version coming out in 2017.
As for reasons why they will be discontinuing the LEAF, it’s possible that it is because of the presence of the Ariya EV crossover though Nissan says that it will not replace the LEAF. At the same time, the Japanese automaker said that they are planning a successor for the LEAF which will come out by 2026.
The current generation Nissan LEAF is admittedly a little bit left behind in terms of specifications and equipment. Its AC synchronous electric motor and 40 kWh battery can drive 311 kilometers on a full charge which is lower than most other EVs available on the market, even here in the Philippines.
Other equipment it has are also a bit dated or lower specced such as halogen headlights, fabric seats, and a rare and outdated ChaDeMo charging system which is incompatible with most public EV charges in the country. It does however have the full suite of Nissan Intelligent Mobility which gives it about the same amount of driver-assistance tech as the brand’s flagship Patrol SUV, as well as some of its rivals.
In the Philippines, the Nissan LEAF was launched in 2021, with a facelift released just a year later in 2022. Initially priced at Php 2.798-million, it was eventually reduced to Php 1.998-million thanks to new laws allowing for reduced taxes on importation of fully electric vehicles.
Nissan Philippines, Inc. has not yet released a statement on whether discontinuation of the LEAF is also on the horizon for the local market, and the same goes with Nissan in Japan where local units are sourced from.
Nevertheless, the Nissan LEAF is still surely a good buy with its more affordable price tag and decent equipment list.
