- Nissan has once again confirmed that it will stop investing in future generations of petrol and diesel powertrains altogether, as its model range continues to be electrified.
- 19 new Nissan EVs are set to be launched globally, before 2030.
- The decision is in stark contrast to its Japanese rivals Mazda, Subuaru, and Toyota, who have teamed up to create future combustion engines designed specifically for hybrid applications.
Nissan continues its electric switch
Nissan has already been a pioneer in the EV world, bringing the first mass market EV to market, the Leaf, back in 2012, and this announcement further confirms the manufacturer’s long-term commitment to mass electrification. The scrapping of development was confirmed in an interview with Drive and Nissan’s Francois Bailly, who confirmed that Nissan’s future is EV, and that the company is “not investing in new powertrains for ICE, that’s for sure”. While the company’s EV lineup may seem relatively small at the moment, consisting of the Leaf and Ariya, it’s set to expand rapidly in the coming years. Globally, 19 new EVs will be launched by 2030, whilst every future model launched in Europe will be fully electric. That includes the future Micra, set to be unveiled this year.
Of course, this declaration from Nissan doesn’t mean that it’ll stop selling fossil fuel-powered cars overnight, but as current models reach the end of their production lives, that achievement will get closer, and Nissan has already announced that it’ll only sell fully-electric cars in Europe by 2030. Bailly refused to put a date on the end of ICE Nissans worldwide, noting that each market “will go at their own pace”. However, globally, Nissan wants all its operations and product life cycles to be carbon neutral by 2050, which can only feasibly be achieved with electric vehicles.
