Remember the new Nissan Micra-like futuristic electric vehicle aka Leaf which we featured not very long ago. At that time, it was only available to those in the US, but it appears that the Japanese automaker has now been given the go to commence its manufacture here in the UK.

The investment is backed by a £20.7m government grant and up to £220m from the European Investment Bank. Part of this sum is shared amongst other companies such as Ford but this is still great news for petrolheads amongst you who plan on becoming abit more eco-friendly and fuel efficient. The Leaf is a zero-emissions electric vehicle which in fact boasts quite a lot of geeky but sophisticated technology aimed at optimising your driving experience. In Sunderland, about 50,000 Nissan Leaf hatchbacks, which run entirely on lithium-ion batteries, will roll off the production line a year. Though its pricing is yet to be confirmed,we suspect Nissan won’t be pricing these new vehicles too heavily as this would only create a negative consumer response.

Read more about the Nissan Leaf…

[via BBC]