Nissan remains committed to an electric-only line-up in Europe by 2030 despite the slowdown in EV sales growth – but the firm’s Europe sales chief says it will need flexibility in the coming years.
The Japanese firm last year committed to phasing out its combustion and hybrid models in Europe by the start of the next decade and said all new models launched in the region will be EVs.
Nissan is currently working on EV successors to the Qashqai, Juke and Leaf – all of which will be built in Sunderland – along with an electric Micra. Its existing EV line-up consists of the Ariya SUV and the Leaf.
A recent slowdown in the growth of electric car sales has prompted some car manufacturers – such as Audi, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche – to scale back their EV ambitions.
But Mayra González, Nissan’s Europe sales chief, said: “Our business plan is very clear: we want to achieve 100% electric [sales] by 2030 in Europe.
“The key is, from now until 2027, we need to think how to best balance the portfolio between EV, combustion and hybrid.
“We see in Europe a lot of inconsistency [among countries] in the way electrification is progressing and we need to provide vehicles that are aligned with that progression.”She added: “A balanced [model] portfolio will be key. But our strategy on electrification is clear.”
However, González did admit that the uncertainty has created challenges for Nissan. “We need to understand that electrification is not only about technology: it’s about incentives, government, timing,” she said.
“There are many things behind that could accelerate or could stop it. So we need to see how this evolves.”
Nissan has yet to disclose launch dates for its next-generation EVs, but it is currently expanding and upgrading its Sunderland production facility in readiness.
Although it is not yet known if there is the potential for both combustion and electric modelsto be built on the same production line, François Bailly, Nissan’s Europe planning chief, hinted that existing combustion and hybrid (badged e-Power) models could still have a long life.
“You have seen the new Qashqai,” he said, referring to the recently facelifted version. “This is the third-generation Qashqai and we have never invested so much in the Qashqai. So investing in e-Power? Yes. Continuing? Yes. For how long? We’ll see.”
