Nissan’s plan to launch only electric cars and hybrids in Europe from 2023 lasted only a short time. From now on, the Japanese want to introduce only pure electric vehicles so that the last hybrid will be sold by 2030.

According to the new plan, Nissan wants to sell only fully electric cars in Europe from 2030 onwards, thus following the path of its alliance partner Renault, which already set this goal at the beginning of 2022.

“EV is the ultimate mobility solution. More than a million customers have joined our journey and experienced the fun of a Nissan electric vehicle. There is no turning back now,” said Makoto Uchida, President and CEO of Nissan.

“EVs powered by renewables are key to achieving carbon neutrality, central to our Ambition 2030 vision. Nissan will make the switch to full electric by 2030 in Europe – we believe it is the right thing to do for our business, our customers, and the planet,” the CEO added.

Accelerating EV plans

Previously, Nissan wanted to introduce only new passenger cars with partially or fully electric powertrains in Europe from 2023 and to have 100% of its European sales come from electric and hybrid vehicles by the end of the decade.

Globally, Nissan plans 27 new electrified models by 2030, including 19 all-electric. For 2028, Nissan reiterates its goal of launching electric vehicles powered by its solid-state batteries (ASSB).

Two new Nissan electric vehicles are already confirmed for Europe: The new electric crossover that Nissan will produce in Sunderland, England, and the all-electric successor to the Micra, which will share powertrain technology with the upcoming Renault 5 Electric.

Concept 20-23

The sporty urban electric study Concept 20-23, presented by Nissan on Tuesday in its Londen design studio, is a first glimpse of this electric Micra successor. The concept car looks like a racing car, so the spoilers, air intakes, and excessively flared wheel arches are unlikely to correspond to series production.

The design of the front bonnet and the suggested round headlights could be a preview of the upcoming small electric car. An essential aspect of Concept 20-23 is that it is not a study designed in Japan or by Nissan Global but a design by Nissan Design Europe (NDE) based in London. The 20-23 name refers to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Nissan Design Europe.

The Japanese are investing more than € 40 million to modernize the locations of NDE and the nearby Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE). So Nissan wants to continue offering specially designed and technically adapted vehicles in Europe – not just global models like the Ariya – even though Renault has taken over responsibility for technical development within the European alliance.