Nissan Says Leaf Electric Car Is Sold Out for This Year

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Washington DC - May 25, 2010: The AIADA newsletter reported that Nissan’s chief executive, Carlos Ghosn, said Tuesday that the company had already received 19,000 orders in the United States and Japan for the electric car that it would start selling at year-end.

The New York Times reports that more than six months before the car, the Nissan Leaf, arrives at dealerships, the preorders mean that the car is sold out for this year and that the company might stop taking reservations, Ghosn said during a visit to the Detroit Economic Club.

Nissan plans to break ground today in Smyrna, Tenn., for a plant to build batteries for the Leaf and eventually other models, part of its goal to sell at least 500,000 electric cars worldwide starting in 2013.

The first Leafs will be made in Japan, with assembly in Tennessee planned to start in 2012. Ghosn’s enthusiasm for electric vehicles contrasts with some recent studies and with comments from other automakers, including Honda, suggesting that pure electric vehicles have little short-term potential.

Nissan has given the Leaf a starting price of $32,780, minus a $7,500 federal tax credit. The Volt, whose price has not been disclosed, is expected to sell for close to $40,000 before the tax credit.

Click here to read more from the NYT about demand for the Nissan Leaf EV.