Seventy-six percent of millennials say switching to an eco-friendly car is the best solution for a sustainable future

  • Results from study exclusively revealed by Nissan at FutureFest in London
  • 76 percent of millennials say driving an eco-friendly car is the primary action they'd take to make their lives greener
  • Over 50 percent have considered purchasing an electric vehicle or already own one
  • Majority would commit to big lifestyle changes over small actions

LONDON – More than three quarters of millennials* (76 percent) consider driving an eco-friendly car as the best choice to make their lives more environmentally friendly, according to a Nissan European study investigating millennials' attitudes towards electric and hybrid vehicles.

Revealed exclusively by Gareth Dunsmore, Nissan's director of Electric Vehicles at FutureFest in London, the study probed the views of 2,500 European millennials (aged 18 to 34) across the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

The study found that as a generation, millennials are willing to try new things, challenge processes and think differently about the future. As such, the report showed that the environmental concerns of millennials aren't smaller scale issues like recycling (24 percent) or overflowing landfills (14 percent) but global issues such as climate change (53 percent) and air pollution (42 percent). To help solve these issues, they are willing to make bold changes such as switching to an energy provider dedicated to eco-friendly solutions (62 percent), or supporting brands that are committed to being more environmentally friendly (53 percent).


Click image to enlarge

"The millennial demographic surveyed here has the potential to be hugely influential in determining the future of transport and sustainability," said Sarwant Singh, senior partner, Frost & Sullivan and member of Nissan's Intelligent Motoring Advisory Board**. "We have consistently found in our own research that they are early adopters of new technology, much more environmentally friendly than previous generations and generally willing to make sacrifices and lifestyle changes in line with their personal values and beliefs."

As the official Innovation Partner of FutureFest 2016, an event run by innovation foundation Nesta, Nissan's Dunsmore delivered a speech exploring the future of the automotive sector. During his speech – titled "When is a car, not a car?" – Dunsmore examined the evolution of the car and how consumers will soon be able to use their vehicles more intelligently, before looking ahead to the future of mobility and how Nissan is playing a key role in shaping this.

"We've always known that millennials are the challenger generation, but our European study has also revealed that they're the future 'change-makers' – willing to make drastic lifestyle choices to make a meaningful difference to the world they live in," said Dunsmore. "It gives me immeasurable hope to see that millennials believe electric vehicles, such as the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 that are already on the road today, are part of the solution for a more sustainable future. As an industry we must work harder to engage the interests and needs of this group."

With a focus on Intelligent Mobility solutions that have an ultimate goal of zero emissions and zero fatalities, Nissan has been pioneering the pure electric vehicle market since the introduction of the 100 percent electric, zero emission Nissan LEAF in 2010. There are now more than 230,000 Nissan LEAFs on the road worldwide, securing it as the world's best-selling EV. Nissan recently introduced the third generation model that delivers 26 percent more range versus the previous model, and up to 250km*** of driving range on a single charge.

Perhaps surprisingly, the majority of millennials surveyed owned a car (77 percent). Although they might not be driving electric vehicles now, they are in the market for future driving technology with nearly two out of three likely to buy a hybrid car in the next 10 years, and over half saying they would buy an electric car in that time span.

As proof of its ongoing commitment to a safer and more sustainable future, Nissan Motor Company has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Asia/Pacific since 2009, and was recently also added to the World Index, which tracks the leading sustainability-driven companies worldwide.

Get more information on FutureFest, which was held from September 17 to 18, at FutureFest.org.

About the Study
Nissan Europe commissioned a survey in 2016 looking into millennial's attitudes to the future of mobility and electric vehicles in the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. In total, 2500 millennials aged 18 to 34 were polled across these five countries, with 500 respondents per market.

About Nissan in Europe
Nissan has one of the most comprehensive European presences of any overseas manufacturer, employing more than 17,000 staff across locally-based design, research & development, manufacturing, logistics and sales & marketing operations. Last year Nissan plants in the UK, Spain and Russia produced more than 635,000 vehicles including award-winning crossovers, commercial vehicles and the Nissan LEAF, the world's most popular electric vehicle. Pursuing a goal of zero emissions and zero fatalities on the road, Nissan recently announced its Intelligent Mobility vision. Designed to guide Nissan's product and technology pipeline, this 360 degree approach to the future of mobility will anchor critical company decisions around how cars are powered, how cars are driven, and how cars integrate into society. Nissan is positioned to become the most desirable Asian brand in Europe.

Newsroom.Nissan-Europe.com

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2014, the company sold more than 5.3 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.3 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in six regions: ASEAN & Oceana; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999.

About FutureFest (FutureFest.org)
FutureFest is a weekend festival of immersive experiences, compelling performances and radical speakers to excite and challenge perceptions of the future. Taking place every 18 months, FutureFest is hosted by Nesta, the innovation foundation, in London, UK.

Nesta is an independent charity and our work is enabled by an endowment from the National Lottery. Nesta is a registered charity in England and Wales 1144091 and Scotland SC042833. Nesta.org.uk.

 

# # #

Contact

Kayleigh Edwards
Nissan Europe
kayleigh.edwards@ntc-europe.com
Tel: +44 1234 755860

For further information on Nesta and FutureFest, contact:
Kasia Murphy, Nesta press office:
kasia.murphy@nesta.org.uk
T: +44 2074382543

 

 

*A Millennial is the name given to the generation born between 1982 and 2004. The Millennial generation follows Generation X in order of demographic cohorts. This generation is often associated with technology and social media. Also known as Generation Y.

** Nissan launched its expert Intelligent Motoring Advisory Board in April 2016. Led by the Head of Electric Vehicles for Nissan in Europe, Gareth Dunsmore, the Board is focused on furthering the Intelligent Mobility debate beyond the automotive community in Europe. Its twelve members represent a range of companies and organisations including the European Climate Foundation, Frost & Sullivan and Ecotricity.

*** NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) value