Plans to bring the new Nissan Leaf to Australia were suspended “indefinitely”.
Almost exactly a year ago, Nissan said it would launch the third generation of the electric Leaf in 2026 – after unveiling the new model, which has evolved from a hatchback to an SUV – but the company now says it is changing course.
Outgoing Nissan Oceania chief executive Andrew Humberstone confirmed that the company is “considering an indefinite delay on Leaf”, but did not say whether plans to launch the electric vehicle (EV) have been scrapped entirely.
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“For us, the timing is not right at the moment – so it’s sort of postponing the launch of this product indefinitely – simply because it’s such a competitive market at the moment,” he said Daily Sparkz.
“And we are actually seeing that customers are finding favor in this e-power and hybrid area.”
While other automakers offer hybrid powertrains that can power the vehicle with either electric or gasoline power, Nissan’s own E-Power system uses the gasoline engine as a generator and feeds electric motors that drive the wheels.
After the popularity of its E-Power models and the slow spread of electric vehicles, Nissan now seems to be changing course.
With only 127 sales recorded from the launch of the electric Nissan Ariya in September 2025 to the end of the calendar year, Mr Humberstone suggested Nissan’s Australian division was exercising some caution in its full-throttle push into electric.
“I think the market is so fluid right now,” he explained.
“And we now have a pretty clear idea of where we think it’s going to go and where consumers are going.”
MORE: Explore the Nissan Leaf showroom
