As global sales of Nissan’s electric vehicle hit 100,000, after three year, a celebration Leaf has acquired a special sparkle from 100,000 coins, to represent the cars running costs.
Nissan recently delivered the 100,000th example of the Nissan Leaf to a British buyer based in Hampshire. The car was a UK built Leaf Tekna in white.
“For such a car, to achieve this sales milestone in such a short space of time is a major achievement,” said Nissan Europe sales and marketing senior vice president Guillaume Cartier.
“Don’t forget that when Nissan launched the Leaf in 2010, the charging infrastructure was in its infancy. Today, meanwhile, many cities have growing networks of quick chargers and this is helping accelerate sales of the Leaf.”
Nissan has produced a unique version of the Leaf with 100,000 very special optional extras, representing each sale. The car is festooned in 50,000 two pence Sterling coins from the UK and 50,000 two cent Euro coins from Europe.
The choice of coins reflect how cost efficient Leaf is to run – just £0.02 per mile and less than €0.02 per kilometre.
Creating the coined covered Leaf took a specialist team of three people a full seven days to complete. Half the car is covered in Sterling and the other in Euros with the word ‘Leaf’ highlighted by the use of three layers of coins.
The coins are not likely to be offered as a regular option however: together they add a substantial 504kg to the overall weight of the car.
The coin covered Leaf has been on display at Martins of Winchester, the Nissan dealer which sold the actual 100,000th car to dentist Brett Garner, a self-confessed ‘technology freak’ whose practice is based in nearby Fareham on the South Coast of England.
Brett was prompted to consider the car by a Leaf-owning friend, who praised the car not just for its zero emissions and advanced technology, but also for its low running costs.
“He said he was saving a fortune. My wife wasn’t convinced initially but I ran through the finances with her – the low cost of maintenance, insurance, fuel and so on – and she softened a little.
“But when she used the car to make a 500-mile round trip, she was converted. The journey took a little longer than normal with a stop for a quick charge top-up on both legs… now she insists on using the Leaf a couple of days a week,” he says.
The Leaf is perfectly suited to Brett’s regular daily commute – a 50-mile round trip – and the Garner’s have had a Polar charging point installed at their home by British Gas.
