Report: Nissan Leaf sales hit 7,550, quake-related delays loom

Hideaki Watanabe, Nissan's vice-president of zero-emissions vehicles, said yesterday that worldwide sales of the Leaf have topped 7,550 units. That impressive number includes Leafs sold in the U.S., Japan, Hong Kong and a handful of European countries.

Moving on, Watanabe, while speaking at the Nissan Research and Development Center in suburban Detroit, told reporters that the devastating quake in Japan has put the automaker in a "very difficult situation." As Watanabe stated:

After March 11, all the resources of the company were devoted to helping with the recovery. It put us in a very difficult situation. We're trying to shorten the [Leaf delivery] delay but I wouldn't want to make any predictions.

Apparently, Nissan is running slightly behind schedule and, as such, won't be able to hit its 2011 production target of 50,000 Leafs. That's expected considering that the quake disrupted Leaf production for some time. Fortunately, Watanabe says that, "In 2012, we hope to be in a more normal situation." Hat tip to David!

[Source: PhysOrg]