Nissan targets one million electric vehicle sales a year by 2022

Nissan will launch eight new electric models in an attempt to sell one million electric vehicles per year by 2022, as outlined by its new 'Move to 2022' strategy.

The Japenese car maker, which is already the producer of the world’s best-selling EV, the Leaf, expects EVs to account for 40% of its total demand by 2022. Nissan intends to grow that figure to 50% by 2025 with a bolstered range of plug-in models.

The first expected car in the electric offensive will be a crossover version of the Leaf that's previewed by the IMx concept of 2017 and due in 2019. The concept offered a 380-mile range on a single charge with a dual-motor, four-wheel drive powertrain that produced 429bhp and 516lb ft of torque.

Nissan Europe design boss Mamoru Aoki described the production car it inspires as “a breakthrough model” that will crack the mainstream – a key achievement for the brand to reach its new targets.

Along with new models for the main brand, Nissan said it would fully electrify its Infiniti line-up from 2021. EVs are expected to account for half of the luxury division’s sales by 2025.

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Nissan is also plotting to sell one million ProPilot-equipped models per year by 2022. The brand’s autonomous technology is already progressing to enable multi-lane autonomous driving and Nissan said the first pilot tests of vehicles equipped with this new tech are due on Japanese roads “within one year”.

Additionally, the 'Move to 2022' strategy will also see the introduction of connected technology for all of Nissan's cars. Using the Alliance Connected Cloud that’s split across its alliance siblings, Renault and Mitsubishi, Nissan will link its vehicles to the internet to enable over-the-air updates and mobility services.

Nissan chief planning officer Philippe Klein said: “Our product and technology strategy is dedicated to positioning Nissan to lead the automotive, technology and business evolution.

“Our efforts are focused on delivering Nissan intelligent mobility, encompassing the three core elements of electrification, autonomous drive, connectivity and new mobility services.”

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