Autoblog

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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2012 Nissan Leaf gets higher price tag, more standard equipment

Autoblog Staff — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:32:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hatchback, Nissan, Electric

For 2012, the Nissan Leaf mid-size electric will receive some minor upgrades and a healthy bump in price.

Moving into its second model year, Nissan's groundbreaking hatchback will not receive any significant modifications to its exterior or powertrain. However, the decision to make standard the cold weather package - consisting of a battery heater, heated outside mirrors, heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats and an HVAC duct to the rear seating area - and the addition of a quick-charge port as standard equipment (previously offered as a $700 option) on the uplevel SL model, means that pricing for the 2012 Leaf has increased.

Nissan has set the MSRP of the base 2012 Leaf SV at $35,200 (plus an $820 destination charge) and the uplevel SL at $37,250. That's a healthy step up from the $32,780 price tag on the 2011 Leaf SV and the $33,720 MSRP of the SL version. Of course, the $7,500 federal tax credit still applies for 2012 model year Leafs, meaning the base SV model's after-credit cost is $27,700. Nissan says a three-year lease on a 2012 Leaf rings in at a "highly competitive" $379 a month, a modest $30 bump over the lease rate for a 2011 model.

Here's an in-depth explanation of the complex rollout process for the 2012 Leaf: Beginning on July 25, Nissan will open up the 2012 Leaf ordering process to consumers with existing reservations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Then, on August 4, Nissan will reopen the reservation process to the general public in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and all of the aforementioned states listed above. Later this fall, Nissan will begin accepting orders for the 2012 Leaf from residents of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Sometime after that, Nissan will open up the process for buyers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada and Ohio. Nissan says deliveries of the first batch of 2012 Leafs will begin this fall.

Continue reading 2012 Nissan Leaf gets higher price tag, more standard equipment

2012 Nissan Leaf gets higher price tag, more standard equipment originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Score a 2011 Nissan Leaf for just $12,280? It's possible

Autoblog Staff — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:31:00 EST

2011 Nissan Leaf - Click above for high-res image gallery

How sweet can incentives make the 2011 Nissan Leaf? If you're really lucky and bunch together several rebates and credits, you can drive home this battery powered machine for a mere $12,280. Yep, you read that right. For less than $13,000 you could own one of the world's first mass-produced electric vehicles - provided you meet some very select criteria. Interested in finding out how? Read on.

Disclaimer: there are a bunch of "ifs" and "buts" included in the quest to receive this bargain price, but the important thing is that it's actually possible (as Green Car Reports discovered). Here's how it could go down: Starting with the $32,780 list price of a Leaf base model, slash $7,500 off courtesy of the federal tax credit and get down to $25,280. Now, provided that you live in California, you can also lop another $5,000 off the top under the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. Simply submit your paperwork to the Center for Sustainable Energy and the Leaf's cost almost magically drops to $20,280. But how do we get from here to $12,280?

From here on out, the incentives get much more specific and will begin to seriously reduce the number of people who can get the EV deal of a lifetime. If you reside in one of the eight counties in the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and portions of Kern), then you are eligible to apply for a $3,000 rebate (PDF warning) for purchasing a zero-emissions ride. Okay, so that's $17,280. Here comes the kicker. For this final incentive, you need to work for Sony Pictures Entertainment, which has apparently agreed to offer a $5,000 allowance for purchasing a battery-powered vehicle if you meet certain eligibility requirements.

And there it is - the $12,280 Nissan Leaf, as rare as hen's teeth. Now... who wants to be the first to give it a try?

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Leaf: First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2010 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

[Source: Green Car Reports]

Score a 2011 Nissan Leaf for just $12,280? It's possible originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Nissan Leaf priced at U.S. $38,500+ in Japan

Sebastian Blanco — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Japan, Nissan, Electric

Nissan Leaf - Click above for high-res image gallery

Interest in, and "pre-orders" for, the Nissan Leaf remains high, but a report from the Japanese newspaper the Mainichi Shimbun might put a damper on things. Apparently, the price for the all-electric car in Japan will be somewhere between 3.5 million and 4 million yen, which is about $38,667 to $44,191 U.S. at today's exchange rates. Granted, even if these prices are accurate, they certainly don't automatically equal the MSRP for the U.S. market, but they are higher than what we've been expecting - i.e., under $30,000 after the $7,500 federal tax credit. We went and looked at the prices for a couple of other cars in Japan, to see how the Leaf's 3.5 million compares. The Toyota Prius runs between 2.0 and 3.27 million yen ($22k-36k USD). The Honda Insight? From 1.89 to 2.2 million ($21k-24.4k USD).

We suspect that Nissan's going to have to do better than this to beat the Chevrolet Volt. Yes, yes, we know the powertrains are quite different, but a lot of people are going to learn about these cars at the same time (late this year), and we believe that the pure electric will need to be quite a bit cheaper than the plug-in hybrid to hold its own.

Of course, all of these numbers should be taken with several grains of salt. We reached out to Nissan, and they reminded us that "the article out of Japan is speculative, and we have no comment. As you know, we have yet to disclose Nissan Leaf pricing in the U.S. or in any global market." Thanks to Scott W. for the tip!

Gallery: Quick Spin: Nissan Leaf Test Mule

[Source: The Wall Street Journal]

Report: Nissan Leaf priced at U.S. $38,500+ in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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