Nissan Leaf Global Sales Break 50,000 Units

There has been a lot of talk about the lack of enthusiasm for EV sales around the world, and critics have a fair number of arguments on their side. But let’s try to keep things in perspective too; in 2009, the number of pure electric cars sold around the world was entirely negligible  But Nissan reports that global sales of the Nissan Leaf have surpassed 50,000 units since late 2010.

So in just two years, Nissan alone managed to sell 50,000 pure electric vehicles worldwide, which means there are at least 50,000 fewer combustion engine cars on the road. Collectively, these vehicles have traveled 162 million miles, which even in fuel-efficient vehicles would result in a lot of burned oil.

That said, Nissan is still well behind its own sales goals, selling just about half the number vehicles as anticipated. In America, Leaf sales were stagnant in 2012, and in Europe just 7,000 Leaf models have been sold since 2010, though it’s the most popular EV in Norway. Sales in Japan also haven’t been as strong as hoped, but 50,000 is still a fairly impressive number.

With the Nissan Leaf price being slashed by $6,400 in America though, Leaf sales could soon surge. Then again, the competition among automakers for a limited pool of interested EV buyers could see those sales spread out among many different vehicles. Can the Leaf rise above the rest going forward? Or is the EV market already tapped out?

Source: Nissan