Nissan has announced the purchase process for its Leaf electric car in the United States. Prospective purchasers already can register on the automaker’s website, with 50,000 signed up to date, and they’ll get first priority when the “reservation process” begins in April, soon after the EV’s price is announced.
Prospective buyers will pay a refundable US$100 reservation fee and Nissan will begin taking firm orders in August, for deliveries when sales begin in the owner’s particular market. Sales begin in the selected initial markets from December 2010, with vehicles “available in all major launch markets quickly thereafter”, the automaker said.
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“The [Leaf] purchase process is effortless, transparent and accessible, offering value with a one-stop-shop approach for everything related to the car, including the assessment, permitting and installation of in-home battery charging units,” said Nissan Americas chairman Carlos Tavares.
Nissan has also started a global marketing campaign for the EV using the tagline ‘The New Car’.
A promotional tour covered 10,000 miles in the United States and Canada, providing the first opportunity for more than 100,000 people to see and learn about the EV.
“There was a groundswell of grassroots support from coast to coast,” said Tavares. “Everywhere we went, people recognised a new form of mobility – a turning point – and they wanted to be a part of it. The response was spontaneous and diverse. We were joined by mayors and government officials, CEOs, utility partners, car enthusiasts, students, dealers, media, environmentalists, Twitter users and lots of families.”
Stops included the Oregon state Museum of Science and Industry in Portland and a charging station equipped McDonald’s in Cary, North Carolina. The tour also also stopped at Nissan Americas HQ in Franklin, Tennessee and the Smyrna, Tennessee, factory which will build the Leaf for North America from 2012.
