Autoblog

2013 Nissan Leaf [w/video]

Sebastian Blanco — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Hatchback, Nissan, First Drives, Electric

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Look at the 2013 Nissan Leaf - even one parked next to a 2012 model - and you'll be hard-pressed to spot the differences. Changes and updates have been made, but you have to know the details to tell. It's sort of like listening to a hipster tell you why Interpol and The National have completely different sounds.

Nissan says it didn't reinvent the Leaf because what the company has created is working. Over 25,000 Leafs have been sold in the US - 62,000 around the world - since the car went on sale in late 2010. That may not sound like a lot, but it's heads and shoulders above any other all-electric car available anywhere. The car has its detractors - boy, does it ever - but Nissan knows it's hard to argue with real-world success.

We recently spent a few hours driving the new Leaf - an SL-trim version, optioned out to $36,910 - around the hills of central Tennessee after a visit to Nissan's new 475,000 square-foot battery plant. What we learned there provided a lot of hints about the company's electric future. Nissan may be leading today, but company head Carlos Ghosn has made huge, multi-billion-dollar bets on zero-emission technology and the rest of the world has been very slow to prove him right.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan Leaf [w/video]

2013 Nissan Leaf [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 May 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan Leaf Nismo headed for production, spec-race series canned?

Michael Harley — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Japan, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

Remember the Nismo Leaf Nismo Concept show at the Tokyo Motor Show more than a year ago? To refresh your memory, it was a Nissan Leaf gussied up with an aerodynamic body kit, new wheels and a few cosmetic enhancements inside the cabin - the motor and powertrain remain unchanged. In any case, it appears that the green vehicle has received the green light for limited production.

Nismo chief Shoichi Miyatani has reportedly confirmed to Autocar that the zippier-looking electric Nissan will head down the assembly line in Japan this summer. But instead of a world-wide launch, the five-door will be sold only in the automaker's domestic market until consumer reaction is gauged. Even then, such low volumes will hardly justify expanding to other markets, Miyatani added.

In other news, it appears that the Leaf RC race car program - hinted as a one-make race series - is probably not going to happen.

Nissan Leaf Nismo headed for production, spec-race series canned? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan Leaf becomes least expensive 5-seat EV with massive price drop

Chris Tutor — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:11:00 EST

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Technology, Nissan, Electric

In a roundtable interview today at the North American International Auto Show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced a $6,400 price drop for the base-model 2013 Nissan Leaf. Last year's base model was $35,200, while the new base-level 2013 Leaf S starts at $28,800. Ghosn says the new prices make the Leaf the least expensive five-seater electric for sale in the US.

Some of the lower cost is due to a difference in content from last year's low-end model to this year's. But a sizable portion can be chalked up to the Leaf's production moving from Japan to Tennessee. The 2013 Leaf is not only assembled in the US now, but its lithium-ion batteries and the car's electric motors are manufactured in the same southern state.

The Leaf SV will be priced from $31,820 for 2013 compared to $35,200 last year. The high-end Leaf SL now starts at $34,840, down from the 2012 model's $37,250. These models also have differences in content. One big one is a new 6.6-kWh charger that reduces charging times pretty dramatically.

All 2013 prices will have an $850 destination fee added, but the cars will still qualify for a $7,500 federal income tax credit in addition to various state and local incentives.

Continue reading Nissan Leaf becomes least expensive 5-seat EV with massive price drop

Nissan Leaf becomes least expensive 5-seat EV with massive price drop originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Nissan Leaf will go 25% further, could cost a lot less

Sebastian Blanco — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:16:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

Months ago, we heard that the U.S. version of the 2013 Nissan Leaf would go farther per charge in cold weather thanks to a better heater. This was about the Leaf that will be made in Smyrna, Tennessee starting later this year. A new report on Inside EVs (based on the Japanese language Sankei Biz site) says that the new Leaf, at least the version destined for sale in Japan, will have its range extended to over 250 kilometers (155 miles) in any weather.

Of course, since that is on the lenient Japanese test cycle, it doesn't mean that U.S. drivers will get double their range (the Leaf is rated at 73 miles by the EPA). Instead, the new Leaf should get a range improvement of around 25 percent, which would translate to around 91 miles of EPA range, thanks to more efficient motors and better batteries.

More interesting - since we expect incremental improvements with each generation of vehicles, especially when EVs are concerned - is that Nissan is also considering an entry-level Leaf for release by the end of the year. If Sankei Biz is correct, this model would start at 2.5 million yen ($31,500 USD at today's exchange rates) compared to the current version's starting price of 3.7 million yen ($46,600). Inside EVs notes that, "A similar price reduction in North America would price this new base Nissan LEAF at $26,600." Sankei Biz says the updates are coming a year earlier than planned in order to boost sales. A before-incentive price of $26,600 would certainly do that, wouldn't it?

We've asked Nissan for any sort of confirmation or denial of these reports and will update once we hear something.

2013 Nissan Leaf will go 25% further, could cost a lot less originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan Leaf gets badged for police duty in Portugal

Sebastian Blanco — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 12:02:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

Plug-in vehicles perform police duties for Scotland Yard (Vauxhall Ampera) and the NYPD (Chevrolet Volt) and we've all seen the little EV parking-enforcement vehicles, so today's announcement that the Nissan Leaf will be used as a police vehicle in Portugal isn't surprising. What's interesting is that the eight patrol EVs are touted as a way for the fuzz to "arrive at the scene of a crime in near silence."

Portugal's PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública) will use the all-electric hatchbacks mostly for the Safe School Program, Nissan said in a statement, but they are decked out and ready "to perform other police duties at any time" should the need arise. We'd assume chases won't be part of the mission, but other than that, we don't see any reason the eight electric Nissans will be treated much differently than the other 5,000 cars in the PSP fleet, especially since Portugal has been implementing a network of EV chargers, Level 2 and quick chargers among them.

Continue reading Nissan Leaf gets badged for police duty in Portugal

Nissan Leaf gets badged for police duty in Portugal originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 Jul 2012 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan expects Leaf sales to double when TN plant comes online

Chris Shunk — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

The Nissan Leaf isn't exactly flying off dealer shelves these days, but the slow-selling EV could receive a sales boost when some production is moved to Tennessee. Bloomberg reports that Nissan is ambitiously expecting to double Leaf sales once the plant comes online in December. The sales boost would then give Nissan a chance at hitting 20,000 sales for the fiscal year that ends on March 31, 2013.

It isn't out of the question that the Leaf could gain momentum with the help of local manufacturing, but first Nissan will need to get EV buyers in the showroom. Leaf sales have ebbed the past two months, falling behind the Chevrolet Volt in sales by more than a three-to-one margin. And speaking of margins, moving production to Tennessee from Japan should help Nissan's quest to make money on the Leaf thanks to lower labor and parts costs.

The Smyrna, Tennessee plant will be ramped up for Leaf production by December. The facility will be able to build up to 200,000 Leaf models and 150,000 battery packs per year.

Nissan expects Leaf sales to double when TN plant comes online originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Nissan Leaf update will add new heater, up to 25 miles of range in the cold

Sebastian Blanco — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

From what we know today, pretty much everything about the all-electric Nissan Leaf is getting bigger and/or better in 2012. From availability in Europe to 50-state availability and production in the States, it's clear Nissan is planning big things for its EV this year. Now, Nissan's Mark Perry has told the The Detroit News that the 2013 Leaf will get serious improvements when it launches later this year, including a better heater, a darker interior color choice and leather seats. The new Leaf will be made in Smyrna, TN.

The Leaf's new heater is going to help with range, even if it wasn't designed to beat the government's mileage test, as it were. Perry tells the Detroit newspaper, "You may not see much change on the EPA rating, but in cold-weather conditions you may see 20 to 25 miles of improvements."

This brings us to the big question: will Leaf sales also increase in 2012? Thus far, the trend hasn't been great, dropping to 676 sales in January and then 478 in February. In some months of 2011, Nissan sold over 1,000 Leafs. There are annual variations in sales patterns, and Perry tells The Detroit News that he expects Leaf sales to cross 2,000 a month in the U.S. some time this summer, a prediction that sounds reasonable given that the model will now be available in all 50 states.

2013 Nissan Leaf update will add new heater, up to 25 miles of range in the cold originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan Leaf production to start in Smyrna by late 2012

Autoblog Staff — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:31:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

Bill Krueger, head of Nissan's manufacturing and supply chain management, tells Automotive News that the March 11 quake in Japan disrupted construction of the automaker's Nissan Leaf production complex in Smyrna, TN, but says there's no need to worry because his team is working 'round the clock to stick to the automaker's open-by-late-2012 timetable.

Says Krueger:

We're still targeting to launch on time. It's too early to give up on meeting our original timing. We have just shy of a year and a half to make it up. We had people over there training when the lights went out. Production didn't happen for a month. That drove the training curve back. We're looking at work-arounds to try to accelerate the schedule now.

This means that, if Nissan can get back on track, the first U.S.-built Leafs will roll down the assembly line in Smyrna, TN in late 2012. Nissan says up to 150,000 Leafs will be built at Smyrna annually.

Nissan Leaf production to start in Smyrna by late 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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