We’ve gotten used to electronic goodies declining in price while improving in performance, so wouldn’t it be nice if car prices kept going down as new technologies gain traction.
Fans of electric cars have been hoping the price of the Nissan Leaf would follow this path but sadly the opposite has happened as the 2012 Nissan Leaf price is rising by almost 10 percent.
The 2012 Nissan Leaf SV starts at $35,200 (plus $850 delivery) compared to $32,780 for the 2011 Leaf. The SL will be $37,250, compared to $34,570 for this year’s model. The monthly leasing rate starts at $369.
To be fair, the 2012 Leaf SL will have more standard equipment. According to Nissan, the vast majority of Leaf buyers have opted for the ($700) DC fast charge port, which allows the vehicle to be charged at 480V – reducing charging time to under 30 minutes for charging the vehicle to 80 percent from a fully depleted state. As DC fast charge stations proliferate across the country, Nissan expects this feature to become even more popular.
As the Nissan Leaf rolls out to U.S. markets with colder climates, cold weather features will be standard equipment on all trim levels of the Nissan LEAF. These include a battery warmer, heated steering wheel, and heated seats in both the front and rear.
The Nissan Leaf has been in short supply partly due to constraints caused by the March earthquake in Japan. Nissan says supply lines have now been restored and availability will improve as it becomes available in additional states. On July 25 Nissan will open up the ordering process to consumers with existing reservations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Until now it has only been on sale in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.
Starting in 2013 Nissan will be building the Leaf, including the electric motors and batteries, at its assembly facilities in Tennessee. It will then be able to produce up to 150,000 Leafs each year, compared to just 20,000 at present. Here’s hoping that economies of scale will help lower the price in the future, or at least keep it from rising any more.
Related posts:
- Pricing Update: 2012 Nissan Versa Lowest Priced Car in U.S.
- Nissan Leaf Electric Drive Tour Continues as Sales Exceed 4,000
- Nissan Leaf Earns 5-Star Safety Rating
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