Nissan puts price on electric car
Financial news reports said Tuesday that Nissan’s electric car, the Leaf, will come at a price tag of about $25,000.
Nissan announced the $32,780 price Tuesday, and with a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles, U.S. headlines soared over its reasonable price.
According to CNNmoney, it will be a cheaper option to the Chevrolet Volt which is expected to cost about $40,000. The reporter was quick to point out, however, that the two models don’t compete directly with each other because the Leaf is completely electric and runs for 100 miles, and the Volt goes 40 miles but also has a gasoline engine.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the car will cost $32,000 in Japan once the incentive is applied, and European pricing will be released in the following weeks.
The article revealed that Nissan had proposed during early discussions to lease the Leaf’s battery to consumers in order to cut costs, but abandoned that model due of government complications in Japan. Instead they reduced the cost of making the parts.
The CNNmoney article focused on Nissans efforts to keep the price low and the companies confidence in its success, even saying they will be coming out with more models (including a luxury Infiniti version) in coming years.
The auto industry and jobs were a theme in the Wall Street Journal article, saying that the idea of an affordable, mass-produced electric car has brought a lot of attention to carmakers. Also mentioning that in the coming years production of the battery and the vehicle will be added to the U.S. plant in Tenn.
Along with the car, consumers will have to install a charging dock in their homes. That item comes with a $2,200 price tag, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Leaf will hit the streets in December, one month after Chevy’s Volt.
