Nissan Car Talk » Nissan Leaf

Nissan LEAF outsells 15 vehicles so far in 2011

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:15:27 +0000

You might think that a subcompact car that has tag price of under $20,000 and is known for fuel efficiency can easily leave behind a $35,000 vehicle that has only 100 mile range on the sales chart, you have guessed wrong. The Nissan LEAF outperformed the Kizashi by Suzuki in terms of sales by as much as 1754 units. It also went ahead of Chevy Volt and other heavy hitters in the car industry.

What do the sales figure suggest of consumers in the United States who usually commute more compared to those in Europe on a daily basis? There are other brands outclassed by the LEAF and the Volt in terms of sold units, and a lot of people are wondering how this occurred amid the current economic slump. Before going into that, you need to look into the sales of the two Nissan vehicles compared with that of the Smart ForTwo as they all have high price tags and limited function. Last year Nissan was able to sold 3,895 units of Volt and 7,199 units of LEAF while the Smart ForTwo delivered 3,757 units to consumers.

Some answers are easy to find. One obvious reason for the soaring number of sales for the LEAF is the US government tapping the vehicle for some initial electric vehicle programs. Fleet purchases are also responsible for the numbers like GE infusing funds to buy electric cars to replace their fleet of 30,000 thru 2015. The New York Police Department also bought 50 units of Nissan LEAF.

Although fleet purchases partly explain the success of the Leaf, you cannot deny the fact that it also outsold brands that are considered heavy hitters. The Nissan LEAF outclassed in terms of sales cars like the XC-70 by Volvo, A3 and A6 from Audi, 1-Series of the BMW, Veracruz of Hyundai, and the Miata by Mazda. You can also add to this list the Grand Vitara of Suzuki, Azera of Hyundai C30 of Volvo, and most of the models of Saab.

The plan of GE to upgrade their fleet of service vehicles will play a crucial role in determining the sales of Nissan Leaf. We are not yet sure how the government will affect the sales figures since this wil depend on the congress, the next administration, and the state of the economy.

2012 – 2013 Updates for Nissan Leaf confirmed

Randell — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:17:04 +0000

The first mass-produced battery-electric car is produced by economy car giant Nissan and is aptly called Leaf and the Japanese carmaker has sold over 4,000 Leaf models in the U.S. with a total of 3, 894 this June 2011. The automobile giant made announcements that it will keep up with its sales demands in the initial 7 sales areas where the Leaf was first introduced and will soon announce sales regions in the East Coast. Nissan gives us confirmed updates on the models for 2012 and 2013.

2012 Leaf Updates

The 2012 Leaf models will roll out in dealer sites before the end of November according to the topman for sales and marketing strategy, Brendan Jones. All 2012 models will get the so-called package for Cold Weather where the steering wheel, front seats, external rear- mirrors and battery packs are all heated plus a heater feature for the rear.

2013 Leaf Updates

From the standard 240-Volt Level 2 charger, the 2013 models will be equipped with the 6.6 kilowatts version. This will reduce the recharging time needed by the lithium-ion battery. According to product planning director, Mark Perry, upgrading of the charger would take a year or so. This was confirmed by corporate communication’s senior manager, Katherine Zachary, and indeed, the 2013 models will get an upgraded charger.

The 2013 Leaf models would also be released in showrooms in Smyrna in the state of Tennessee. While these are the only updates the car giant has released, it wouldn’t come as a surprise when the future Leaf models would get further equipment upgrades.

2011 Nissan Leaf will be offered for rent by Hertz in the United States

admin — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:55:13 +0000

The biggest car rental company in the globe, Hertz, has announced that it will be renting out Nissan Leaf models at selected points in Europe and the United States starting 2011.

The Leaf will be an ideal car for driving around the city with its 100-mile range. It will also be good for car pooling programs. It seems that Hertz has a very good idea of the range capabilities of each member of their fleet and it might implement a fast charge system to the Leaf so it will be 80% ready to go in just 30 minutes.

A 24 kilowatt hour battery pack for an electric vehicle usually takes 8 hours of being plugged into a 220-volt outlet to be fully charged. It will take longer if you will be using 110-volt outlets.

The hatchback electric Leaf will initially be rolled out by the Japanese car maker by the end of 2010 and expected to go on full swing by 2012. Buyers will be given a fast charge equipment and a 220-volt charger. Nissan is set to monitor the usage of the Leaf owners.

At present, Nissan is among the most aggressive leaders in producing pure electric vehicles and other environmentally-friendly cars. The Leaf is just one of the four electric vehicles on the drawing board of Nissan. Most car producers will be using gas engines to address the range anxiety factor of pure electric vehicles like how the 2011 Chevrolet is designed.

The 2011 Nissan Leaf has been going around potential markets that will see its early launch. Nissan is pushing hard on educating the potential buyers of the car of its features and benefits. The car company is hoping to get about 20,000 reservations before the end of 2010.

Hertz is great for renting “special” things. They have a great Corvette ZHZ too – check it out!