Nissan is experiencing challenging times in the United States, as the company's vehicle sales decreased in 2022 by almost 26 percent to 682,731. At least during the fourth quarter, the decline was smaller, by 3.6 percent year-over-year to 177,439.

The all-electric Nissan Leaf is not an exception and also noted a quite significant drop in Q4 - by almost 25 percent year-over-year to 3,127.

On the positive side, the Japanese manufacturer finally started customer deliveries of the all-new Nissan Ariya model. In Q4, 201 units were sold.

Nissan EV sales results in Q4 2022:

  • Nissan Ariya: 201 (new)
  • Nissan Leaf: 3,127 (down 25% year-over-year)
  • Total BEVs: 3,328 (down 20% year-over-year) and 1.9% of the total volume

Nissan LEAF sales in the US - Q4 2022

In 2022, Nissan Leaf sales slightly exceeded 12,000, which is 16 percent less than in 2021 and about 1.8 percent of Nissan's total volume.

That's a pretty average result for Nissan, as the company is not able to return to its best form, which was noted in 2013-2014.

Nissan EV sales results in 2022:

  • Nissan Ariya: 201 (new)
  • Nissan Leaf: 12,025 (down 16% year-over-year)
  • Total BEVs: 12,226 (down 14% year-over-year) and 1.8% of the total volume

Cumulatively, Nissan sold over 177,000 Leafs in the US (since December 2010).

Only time will tell what will the future holds for the Nissan Leaf in the US. It's produced locally, so with the eligibility for a $7,500 federal tax credit, it still might be an interesting proposition for an entry-level electric compact hatchback. There were also reports that it might be phased out at some point later this decade.

The new Nissan Ariya is a solid crossover/SUV, but because of it being imported from Japan, most likely it will not be eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit.

Because of that, Nissan is in a difficult position in 2023. We guess that the company will have to decide to produce new BEVs locally to truly rebound, but that requires multi-billion investments.

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