Nissan has officially confirmed that the production of its all-new Nissan LEAF 100% electric, zero-emission vehicle has started at the brand's Oppama facility in Japan. Scheduled to hit the dealerships in Japan and United States from December, the eco-friendly family-sized EV will go on sale in selected markets in Europe from early 2011.

Carlos Ghosn, Nissan President and CEO stated: "This is a significant milestone, not only for Nissan and the Renault-Nissan Alliance, but also for the entire automotive industry. Consumers are clear. They want sustainable and affordable mobility...and the Alliance is leading the way with cars that deliver exactly that, with the reliability, excitement and performance that consumers demand. The high-quality, innovative Nissan LEAF will radically transform what consumers expect from automobile manufacturers worldwide."

Along with the manufacturing of the pure EV, Oppama facility is also producing the popular gasoline models Nissan Juke and Nissan Cube.

The lithium-ion battery modules of the Nissan LEAF is manufactured at the Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC) operation in Zama, Japan, a joint-venture of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and NEC Corporation.

In the near future, the production of the Nissan EV will be further expanded to Smyrna, Tennessee, in the United States and Sunderland, England, in the UK.

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