Jumat, 3 Desember 2010 | 11:18 WIB
Reuters
Nissan Motors Chief Operating Officer Toshiyuki Shiga demonstrates how to recharge Nissans all-electric vehicle, the Leaf, during a news conference to announce the price tag for the worlds first mass produced electric car, at the companys global headquarters in Yokohama, south of Tokyo March 30, 2010. Over the past few years, Nissan executive Eiji Makino has met with leaders around the globe pursuing an unconventional strategy: lining up support for the Leaf before it was even on the road
TOKYO - Nissan on Friday said it will launch the Leaf, heralded as the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, in Japan on December 20 and in the United States by the end of the month. The Leaf — short for Leading Environmentally-friendly Affordable Family car — has enjoyed a crescendo of industry buzz and last month became the first electric vehicle to win European Car of the Year.
It will be launched in select European markets in early 2011. The fulcrum of Nissan’s green ambitions, the mid-sized five-seat hatchback is already a sell-out in Japan and the United States on pre-orders.
Nissan said prices would start at 3.76 million yen (45,000 dollars), but the actual price customers would pay would start at 2.98 million yen as the environmentally friendly car will be eligible for subsidies. The automaker has gambled that its electric car will take off globally and overcome consumer concerns such as “range-anxiety”, or the fear that their cars will run out of juice between charging points.
It said that on a full charge the car can reach a maximum speed of 145 kilometres (90 miles) per hour and its top driving range is 200 kilometres on a single eight-hour charge. For those in a hurry, it can be rapid-charged to 80 percent of capacity in 30 minutes at special charging stations.
The first US shipment has sold out, Nissan said, with the company having received 20,000 orders and separately at least 6,000 more in Japan. Emitting none of the exhaust pollutants that have covered skies over cities from Los Angeles to Mumbai in smog, the all-electric Leaf is touted as an evolutionary step from petrol-electric hybrids made by the likes of Toyota.
Nissan, controlled by French partner Renault, started mass production of the Leaf in October in Japan and plans to expand production in North America in 2012 and in Europe in 2013. The Leaf is not the first electric vehicle to hit Japanese streets, and will face challenges from rivals including Mitsubishi Motors’ “i-MiEV” minicar.
Toyota, which has for more than a decade sold petrol-electric hybrids such as the Prius, aims to launch its own electric car by 2012 but has put its immediate focus on new hybrid models. Honda’s hybrid Fit went on sale in Japan in October as the cheapest petrol-electric car available in the nation at 1.59 million yen.
source : kompas
