- Nissan released full details on pricing and equipment options for its 2011 Leaf.
- With a pre-tax credit MSRP of $32,780, the Leaf will be available for purchase or lease.
- Leasing a Leaf will require a $1,999 down payment, and cost $349 per month.
FRANKLIN, Tennessee — Nissan released full details today on pricing and equipment options for its 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car. Available as a traditional purchase or three-year lease, the Leaf will be priced at $32,780 without delivery fees, which have not yet been announced.
But the Leaf's starting MSRP is before the federal tax credit, which could bring the price down $7,500, to $25,280. Plus, certain states are eligible for additional credits. Of course, buyers will need to consider the cost of installing a home charging dock, which Nissan estimates will cost $2,200 before a 50-percent tax credit.
Leasing a 2011 Leaf will require a $1,999 down payment, plus $349 per month, prior to the cost of the charging dock. As the lessor and therefore actual owner of the Leaf, Nissan receives the applicable tax credits, factoring the savings into the customer's monthly payments.
Available in two trim levels, standard SV and uplevel SL, all Leaf SVs will come with navigation, remote start and remote charging operated through a smart phone app or laptop computer, LED headlamps, Bluetooth, Intelligent Key, vehicle dynamic control, traction control, six airbags, XM Satellite Radio and 3 years roadside assistance.
For an additional $940, the SL trim adds a rearview camera, solar panel spoiler which provides a trickle charge, cargo cover, auto headlamps and foglights.
Nissan says more than 80,000 "hand-raisers" have already registered on the Leaf's dedicated Web site to show interest in the electric car. On April 20, all registrees will have three weeks to make a purchase reservation for a refundable $99 fee. On May 15, Nissan will open up the purchase reservation process to the general public.
Confirmed buyers will eventually be able to place official orders through the Nissan dealer of their choice, provided the dealer has already completed the mandatory Leaf certification process, which is open to the entire Nissan dealer network.
Leafs are expected to begin arriving in dealerships in December. Nissan says it currently has a global capacity to build 50,000 units for the first two years, with plans to increase production substantially in 2013.
Inside Line says: Buy or lease: Nissan plots out a Leaf purchase program to appeal to the masses, even if the idea of an electric car may not. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor
Add A Comment »
ec2011 says:
08:33 AM, 04/28/2010
I'll buy one. BUT, Wait for Tesla & Fisker. For $10k more, you'll get power and style. $40k to $50k 4DR Tesla 2011.
Chinese EC are much less.
aidano says:
05:42 PM, 04/05/2010
I like the design.
tbone85 says:
05:57 AM, 04/01/2010
blueguy, I gotta agree with most of what you're saying. It'll cost some money to convert (which also equals economic stimulus), but natural gas and nuclear are much cleaner than coal and are better interim solutions until we can get the wind, solar, tidal and renewable technology completely implemented. I think our model should also place more generation in homes via solar to reduce growing requirements on the grid. If we manage this well, we can get much cleaner energy, improved balance of trade, reduced political risk from foreign fuel suppliers, and increase employment opportunities in this country.
stevenhu says:
05:00 PM, 03/31/2010
If you don't have enough money for an electric car like Nissan Leaf, an used car is always the best alternative. They are cheap, reliable, and if you want to save time and money, check out Carsala because people there will go through the whole car-buying process for you and guarantee you the lowest killer price.
blueguydotcom says:
08:28 PM, 03/30/2010
While not a fan of electric cars, that's mostly for 3 reasons:
1. We're not spending enough R&D on solar, wind, tidal and hydrogen power
2. Coal burning to power the car doesn't help anyone
3. Battery technology still sucks
I do have high hopes that one day 1 and 3 will solved. Just wish the government took a more active interest in ending our reliance on normal gas and coal.
mungmibear says:
05:44 PM, 03/30/2010
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?????
slcmitch says:
04:39 PM, 03/30/2010
I'm surprised by how much negativity is rolling around the comment section. Now, is this from dislike of Nissan? Or a dislike of electric cars.... or both? Can't figure.
tbone85 says:
03:32 PM, 03/30/2010
"I wonder how the power grid will handle more electricity usage? Will we build more coal or nuclear power plants keep up with electricity demand for charging stations for cars like the Leaf and the Volt? I don't see how these cars are better for the enviroment when there will be a huge demand for more electricity to power these cars. What you would spend at gas stations will be applied to your electric bill at the end of the month. Why are we not expending research into alternate fuels such as hydrogen, which emitts water, or fuel based from vegatable oils/grease which emitts the smell of french fries."
The grid will be less impacted than you might think because most charging will occur in the early evenings and overnight when the peak load from cooling falls off. Natural gas is a huge and growing component of electrical power generation with lower environmental impact. Nuclear is also relatively low impact (certainly more so than burning petro fuels). It appears that the cost to fuel the electric vehicles at this point will be about half that of their gasoline counter-parts. Hydrogen production currently requires a large amount of electrical usage, so it's also no panacea.
We could massively offset grid requirements by a strong push to add solar shingles or panels to homes in the U.S. We would see huge economies of scale driven cost savings and innovation if we made in home solar a focus. Most homes could produce 50-75% of their electrical requirements if so equiped--to say nothing of the environmental advantages, employment opportunities, disengagement from foreign polititcal risk, and an improvement in balance of trade.
tenta20 says:
03:22 PM, 03/30/2010
Looks nice. I think the London Olympic committee should have let Nissan be the official automotive sponsor of the Games. Maybe the Leaf would be not only more accepted, but Nissan would maybe come out with improvements and advancements to the Leaf more quickly. Oh well, can't wait to hear about how it drives.
phoenixc says:
02:25 PM, 03/30/2010
It's great to add more variety to the e-car world, i just want to know WTF is up with the design? I get that quirky sells in the e-car market, but when a new car comes out in 201 it should look a bit more advanced than this. After all we've got Tesla making attractive cars, then there the Fisker sedans and the soon-to-arrive Tesla sedan. Why did Nissan go to the effort to make this techno-wonder and then put it in some old 1980's hatchback package. Jeez! They could have done boring and refined with style like a Golf but instead they bagged out and gave us a car so ugly you'll have to make excuses and call it 'cute'! Effin lame, even if the tech is alright - the style is simply a lazy POS. (Areodynamics are not the excuse either - remember the edgy Subaru Xt6 - if not look it up - with tons of sharp edges, it still has one of the lowest Cd's in history.)
Better luck next time Nissan!