Nissan has vowed to deliver electric Leafs to all customers who preordered them by the end of September. The automaker has also ramped up production in Japan to meet demand.
“We’re going to make sure that customers get their cars well before the end of summer,” said Brian Carolin, Nissan’s senior vice president for sales and marketing for North America, “I’m confident during April, May you’re going to see a significant number of deliveries.”
According to Washington DC Nissan Dealers, electric propulsion appears to be catching on, as General Motors is also ramping up production for its plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt. GM also accelerated the Volt’s nationwide rollout, and it’s due to arrive in all 50 states by the end of 2011.
Unlike the Volt, the Nissan Leaf is a 100 percent electric vehicle and doesn’t have a traditional combustion engine. On a full charge, the Leaf has a range of 100 miles. This innovative vehicle has earned 20,000 preorders from drivers that put down $99 deposits to reserve a Leaf. Despite immense interest, Carolin has realistic expectations about how many Nissan Leafs will ultimately be sold this year.
“I think 20,000 will be too high,” he said. “You just have to make this launch absolutely perfect. It’s not a numbers game.”
