Nissan said Friday it will start selling its electric LEAF, the world’s first mass-produced electric car, from December 20th at Nissan dealers in Japan.
Nissan said it will launch the LEAF electric car in the United States by the end of the month and in select European markets in early 2011.
The Nissan LEAF is already sold out for this fiscal year in Japan at 6,000 orders and the U.S. at 20,000, reaching production limits.
Nissan said the electric LEAF was rated with a driving range of 200 km (124 miles) on a full charge under Japanese test standards, more than the 40 km (25 miles) under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reading.
Nissan will sell its electric LEAF starting at 3.76 million yen ($44,900) in Japan, counting on government subsidies to slash the cost to consumers for its mass-market bet on the electric car.
The Nissan LEAF will be eligible for a 770,000 yen government credit if current incentives continue through fiscal 2010.
