100% Electric Nissan LEAF best selling car in Norway for October- Family electric car is fourth best selling car in Norway for 2013 to date
- Increase in demand outside of major cities pushes Nissan LEAF to new EV sales record
Rolle, Switzerland (4 November 2013) – The Nissan LEAF, the world’s best-selling 100% electric vehicle, has for the first time claimed the number one spot in Norway’s passenger car sales chart. In October, the zero emission family car outsold all of its internal combustion engine, hybrid and electric rivals, taking almost 6% of the total passenger vehicle market.
Nissan’s second generation LEAF, which was launched earlier in the year, continues to lead the way in zero emission mobility. The Nissan LEAF consistently performs outstandingly in the Norwegian market, the undisputed electric car capital of the world, taking fourth in the sales charts for 2013 to date with over 3% of the market.
Jean-Pierre Diernaz, Nissan Europe Director of Electric Vehicles, is delighted with the latest Norwegian success, commenting: “We have had incredibly strong sales this year in Norway and with the introduction of the new Nissan LEAF in the middle of 2013, we have seen that level not just maintained, but exceeded. To get the number one spot is an extraordinary sales performance, even for the world’s best selling electric car, but to be number four in the charts for 2013 so far is something we are incredibly proud of. We continue to be successful in the main Norwegian cities, but the majority of our growth is coming from rural areas, which shows the breadth of the Nissan LEAF’s appeal.”
Norway has been the centre of the electric vehicle market in Europe for some time, with a package of incentives including zero VAT and zero road tax for electric vehicles as part of efforts to improve air quality for all citizens.
Jacek Gorski, Nissan Nordic Europe Managing Director believes the success is because the car fits Norwegian customers’ needs, commenting: “It is no surprise that we are beating even our April record of second position with the new Nissan LEAF, we knew that the latest version was an even better fit to the Norwegian lifestyle. The increased boot capacity, five seats and standard quick charging make it a great family car. In addition, our engineers have designed a Nordic pack including battery heater, just for the Nordic region, to maintain customer satisfaction even in our very cold winters.”
October 2013 Sales in Norway
| Position | Model | Sales | Percentage |
| 1 | Nissan LEAF | 716 | 5.6 |
| 2 | Toyota Auris | 679 | 5.3 |
| 3 | Volkswagen Golf | 646 | 5.0 |
| 4 | Skoda Octavia | 540 | 4.2 |
| 5 | Toyota Yaris | 446 | 3.5 |
| 6 | Volvo V40 | 319 | 2.5 |
| 7 | Toyota RAV-4 | 300 | 2.3 |
| 8 | Mazda CX-5 | 299 | 2.3 |
| 9 | Volvo V70 | 291 | 2.3 |
| 10 | Suzuki SX4 | 277 | 2.1 |
2013 January to October Car Sales in Norway
| Position | Model | Sales | Percentage |
| 1 | Volkswagen Golf | 6239 | 5.3 |
| 2 | Toyota Auris | 3982 | 3.4 |
| 3 | Mazda CX-5 | 3950 | 3.3 |
| 4 | Nissan LEAF | 3755 | 3.2 |
| 5 | Toyota Yaris | 3656 | 3.1 |
About Nissan in the UK
- Nissan Sunderland Plant produces the Nissan Qashqai, Note and Juke and the 100% electric Nissan LEAF
- Production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles began last year, 2012
- Total plant volume since 1986 stands at more than seven million units with 80 per cent of production exported to 97 markets worldwide
- Total investment made and announced since then is over £3.5 billion
- 510,572 units were produced at Sunderland plant in 2012, a plant record
- Sunderland Plant currently employs more than 6,100 people
- Nissan’s European Design Centre is located in Paddington, London and employs around 65 people
- Nissan’s European Technical Centre is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire and employs around 1,000 people
About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 14,500 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 695,000 vehicles including mini-MPVs, award-winning crossovers, SUVs and commercial vehicles. Nissan now offers 24 diverse and innovative products for s