US publication calls pioneering Leaf EV ‘a sales dud’

US-based website, The Verge, says Nissans role in the mode shift to zero emissions vehicles is undeniable but notes the brand has only sold 170,000 Leaf models in the continent in the last decade.

It compares this to Tesla’s current year to date tally of 564,743 sales within the USA, remarking that these are the headwinds which are facing Nissan in the market.

Furthermore, The Verge says it believes that if Nissan did discontinue the Leaf in the US market it would be the latest small car to fall victim to the buyer appetite for large trucks and SUVs.

Nissan is planning to release the larger Ariya EV SUV in the US market later this year.

A Nissan spokesperson refused to speculate on the future of the Leaf to The Verge, but he noted it had seen renewed interest in the EV, and that it had delivered strong customer satisfaction and many new buyers to the brand since launching in the market.