Production of the all-new Nissan Leaf (www.nissan-global.com) — the next generation of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle — is officially under way for European customers.

The first cars began rolling off the production line at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland last month, and the first customers will receive their vehicles in February.

The Leaf has been re-invented to offer greater range (235 miles on a single charge), dynamic design, advanced driver assistance technologies and enhanced connectivity.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Nissan Europe’s divisional vice-president for manufacturing, said: “Nissan led the way in introducing electric vehicles to Europe in 2011, and it’s been clear every year since then that more and more customers share our vision for the future of driving.”

The Leaf has been in production in the UK since 2013 for European markets, but more than 85,000 units have been sold since 2011, when the first deliveries were made from Nissan’s Oppama plant in Japan.

Following an initial investment of £420 million, the introduction of the new Leaf has been supported by a further £36 million investment in the Sunderland plant, supporting more than 2,000 jobs at Nissan and in the UK supply chain.