We know the specifications and details of the 2013 Nissan Leaf, which has now gone into production in Smyrna, Tennessee.
But the missing piece of information has always been: What will the battery electric car cost now that it's built in North America?
During an electric vehicle roundtable today at the Detroit Auto Show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn provided the answers.
The new base-level 2013 Nissan Leaf S will start at $28,800. That makes it, as Nissan says, the least expensive five-seat battery electric vehicle sold in the U.S.
The mid-level Leaf SV now carries a price starting at $31,820, and the high-end Leaf SL starts at $34,840.
All prices will also have a mandatory $850 destination fee added.
The 2013 Nissan Leaf qualifies for a $7,500 Federal income-tax credit, as well as a variety of other state, local, and corporate incentives. In California, the Leaf qualifies for a $2,500 purchase rebate, as well as single-occupancy access to carpool lanes.
Nissan will continue to offer incentivized lease deals on the 2013 Leaf as well, starting with a three-year lease at $199 a month. That sum includes destination charges and is reduced by all applicable incentives, including the Federal tax credit.
Last year's 2012 Leaf prices were $35,200 for the SV and $37,250 for the SL, although there are some equipment differences between the 2012 and new 2013 models.
2013 Nissan Leaf
Not only is the 2013 Leaf built in Tennessee, but the lithium-ion cells for its battery pack are fabricated in an adjacent plant.
The electric motors for U.S.-built Leafs are made in a different Tennessee parts plant.
The reductions represent roughly a 10-percent price cut in Leaf prices, but it's unclear whether they will be sufficient to boost sales of Leaf--which have been considerably lower than expected.
What do you think? Does the new 2013 Nissan Leaf pricing make enough of a difference to turn around the car's sales?
Leave us your thoughts in the Comments below.
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