We anticipate that the Nissan Leaf will be a hot product when it comes to the market soon. As of right now, the company has already reported 56,000 pre-orders, a number which continues to grow as the vehicle's release draws near. It will be produced in limited numbers this year, followed by a mass production release scheduled for 2012.
Renault- Nissan aims to be a front runner in the electric vehicle category and rightly express their beliefs about being ahead of the competition. The Renault-Nissan team predicts that it will have the capacity to produce 500,000 EVs per year by 2012. Certainly the goal is set high and the Leaf has been worked up tremendously.
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is straightforward when speaking of this view of the company's position in the electric vehicle market. Ghosn is quoted telling BusinessWeek, "Frankly, I mean so far there is no competition. Let's be serious. It's not because someone is coming with a prototype and one car that this is competition. The question is how much capacity are you building."
Clearly the words of Ghosn are big words, but in many ways, they are difficult to dispute. If Nissan can reach their target goals, there is likely no competitor capable of meeting the mark of Nissan.
As a note to illuminate the demand for the Leaf, the reservation list does not officially open until April, yet Nissan has no signed on 56,000 people with interest in the vehicle prior to opening the official reservation list. If consumer interest predicts eventual success, the Leaf is on the right track.
Source: BusinessWeek
