Nissan Leaf Sets New Annual Sales Record for 2nd Time

As kids across the US went door-to-door asking for candy this weekend, Nissan executives were busy celebrating yet another record achievement in October. Two record achievements, in fact; with October’s sales in, the Nissan Leaf EV easily broke a new annual sales record and marked an unprecedented monthly sales goal.

Here are the specifics:

Nissan ended 2013 with a total of 22,610 Leafs sold, which was a new annual record at the time. They ended last month with year-to-date sales at 24,411, shattering their previous record by nearly 2,000 units with two months of sales left to go. If you do the math, it’s looking like Nissan will end the year with nearly 30,000 Leaf sales, which represents a 36% average increase in sales throughout 2014 compared to last year.

Looking over to the monthly sales, Nissan sold 2,589 Leaf electric vehicles last month. That’s not the most they’ve ever sold (they moved 3,186 units in August 2014), but it does mark another record achievement… The Nissan Leaf is the only EV that’s managed to go 20 months in a row with better sales than the same time last year. Compare that to the Chevy Volt, whose 2014 sales are down nearly 15% compared to 2013.

The next EV sales record on Nissan’s radar is for US lifetime sales. The Chevrolet has sold 70,531 Volts since its launch in 2010 compared to the 66,533 lifetime Leaf sales. But it’s only a matter of time… If the Leaf keeps outpacing the Volt by about 1,000 units per month (which it’s done for the past year), then Nissan should claim the lifetime US sales record by the end of Q1 2015.

2012 Nissan Leaf Auction Find

The Nissan Leaf EV has continued to perform above and beyond the competition because, put simply, it’s a better EV. To commemorate Nissan’s October sales achievements, we’ve picked out a pristine 2012 Nissan Leaf from our Integrity Exports Japanese car auction system.

You can see that this model has a well-kept metallic black exterior, and the auction sheet (bottom of post) shows only a few minor dings across the entire body.

Inside, we have a cozy, modern interior with plush seats and some really nice technology. You can see an advanced information display on the dash, with the digital speedometer sitting separately behind and above the steering wheel. You also have a built-in navigation system with flexible entertainment options, along with keyless entry, A/C, power windows, power steering, and anti-lock brakes.

The 2011/2012 model years both ran on Nissan’s original electric powertrain, which boasted and EPA-rated 117 km (73 mile) driving range. However, drivers reported between 62 miles and 138 miles depending on driving conditions.

All in all, we think this is a great Japanese car auction find. Keep reading below for a full translation of the auction sheet:

“Interior A, G model, ZAA emissions code, FAT, AAC, service book, original alloy wheels, power steering, power windows, original TV, original navigation system, airbag, reversing rearview camera, LED lights, first registered November 2012, first time in auction, side and curtain airbags, charging cable, no SRS, minor interior grime, exterior paintwork has light scratches, light scratches on left front door, light scratches underneath rear bumper, other marks as per map.”