It's not exactly the most exciting vehicle to talk about or drive, but the Nissan Leaf is very impressive in other ways. It's the car that brought electric mobility to the masses long before we ever heard of the Tesla Model 3, a car that has since eclipsed the little Japanese eco-warrior as the best-selling EV in the world. As popular as the Tesla offering is, it's still got a long way to go before it has a chance at eclipsing the Leaf's latest milestone. The electric Nissan has now been on sale for ten years, and in that time, over half-a-million units have been sold.

Of the 500,000 plus that have been sold, a large number have rolled off dealer floors here in the US, with more than 148,000 being sold here. It's been pretty popular elsewhere too, as Nissan is reporting sales of the Leaf in 59 markets around the world.

"In marking these milestones, we firstly want to express our appreciation to all the customers who have come on this electrifying journey with us," said Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Makoto Uchida. "By switching to electric mobility, customers around the world have brought us all closer to a more sustainable and resilient society."

Production of the car during its decade-long time on sale has taken place at domestic plants as well as manufacturing facilities in Japan and the United Kingdom. Nissan isn't stopping with the Leaf though, just as Toyota didn't stop with the Prius hybrid. A new all-electric vehicle called the Note was recently launched in Japan, and Nissan's Ariya crossover is set to take the fight to the Tesla Model Y very soon too. If it were not for vehicles like the Leaf, such an offering would be impossible. It's a humble car but one that has paved the way to a cleaner future for Nissan. Long live the Leaf.