The new Nissan Leaf will be built in the UK, at the company’s EV36Zero Hub in Sunderland.

The third generation of the Leaf, with the first generation released in 2010, has now sold close to 700,000 units worldwide, and is considered the world’s first mass-market EV. This version will be powered by batteries from Nissan's battery partner, AESC, at the nearby Wearside plant.

The new version is Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) compatible, such that in the future it will be able to send stored energy back to the power grid.

Earlier this year talks between Nissan and Honda about a merger were reported to have collapsed, however Nissan remains part of the complex Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, and there have been reports that Toyota may create a tie-up with Nissan. Like all manufacturers, there have been many collaborations and alliances as traditional players grapple with the transition to electric, competition from Chinese makers, tariffs (of late) and new entrants.

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