Nissan’s drive towards carbon neutrality is keeping at pace after the 100% electric LEAF overtook Bluebird production at the automaker’s plant in Sunderland.
The production of Bluebird was at 187,178 units from 1986 to 1990. When production increased it took more than 22 hours for each Bluebird to be built. Now, 35 years later, the improvement in manufacturing technology has decreased the production time to 10 hours for the Nissan LEAF and 195,380 units have been produced.
Alan Johnson, Vice President Manufacturing, at Nissan Sunderland Plant, said: “Bluebird was an iconic model for the plant and evokes fond memories among all Nissan enthusiasts.”
“LEAF volumes overtaking Bluebird shows how dramatically our manufacturing innovation, skills, and processes have evolved as we drive towards electrification. LEAF overtaking Bluebird is a landmark – but there are many more to come for our team at the plant as our electrified lineup grows,” he added.
Switching from wheel nuts and carburetors to electrical architecture and cybersecurity, Nissan’s commitment to quality has been on spot. The number of staff employed at the Sunderland plant has increased from 430 in 1986 to 6,000, with 19 staff who started in ‘86 still working today on Nissan LEAF.
The first car off the line, Bluebird Job 1, is the centerpiece of a local museum display commemorating the importance of that first vehicle. Nissan LEAF has already written its name into the history books with the 500,000th LEAF which was recently produced in Sunderland.
During the last decade, the car has won awards across the world including Car of the Year 2011 in Europe, World Car of the Year 2011, and Car of the Year Japan in 2011 and 2012. There is now more than half a million LEAF on the road around the world.
The automaker has set itself the goal to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the automaker’s operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050. As part of this effort, by the early 2030s every all-new Nissan vehicle offering in major markets will be electrified, together with introducing innovations in electrification and manufacturing technology.
The company recently announced strategies for a major expansion to renewable energy generation at its record-breaking plant in Sunderland with a proposed 20MW solar farm extension.
If authorized, the 37,000-panel extension would result in 20% of the plant’s energy coming from all onsite renewables, enough for building every single zero-emission Nissan LEAF sold in Europe.
