Nissan: Quake in Japan will delay Leaf deliveries in U.S.

U.S. buyers awaiting delivery of their Nissan Leaf may have to wait a while longer. That's the word from Nissan, who contacted individuals with Leaf orders, notifying them that the status of their delivery is now "pending." On Saturday, the automaker fired out an email to Leaf buyers, stating that:

[As] a consequence of the earthquake and tsunami, a delay in the scheduled delivery date of your Nissan Leaf is unavoidable. We will refresh your 'my account' page with delivery updates as they become available.

This delay should have been expected. Even though most of Nissan's factories in Japan suffered only minor damage, the destruction from the quake and ensuing tsunami crippled the nation's infrastructure, leading to power shortages and plant shut downs across much of the country. Nissan did happen to ship out 600 Leafs prior to the disaster, but that's simply not enough to satisfy the demand for the electric hatch in the U.S.

If you'd like to donate directly to the Red Cross for disaster relief, you can do so here. Another option is to work with Nissan, which has aready given $500,000 to the Red Cross and will match donations, dollar for dollar, made through Nissan North America's Red Cross online donation site.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]