Nissan CEO says 2012 Leaf sales target won't be met

More than 100 Leafs a day flying out of US Nissan dealerships for the rest of the year? Not going to happen.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who in March forecast that the automaker would double Leaf sales in the US in 2012, is finally admitting that his goal won't be met, The Detroit News reports. Ghosn specifically said Nissan's target of about 20,000 units would "not be reached," the publication reported, citing an interview Ghosn conducted with Bloomberg Television.

Last year, Nissan sold 9,679 Leafs domestically, but sales lagged for much of 2012. Demand picked up more recently, as the Leaf boosted October sales by 76 percent from a year earlier to 1,579 units, the second-best Leaf sales month ever. Still, Nissan, which in October unveiled its first global ad campaign, has sold just 6,791 Leafs in the US so far this year. That's 16 percent down from 2011 figures.