Order books for the Leaf are now officially open, according to the British division of Nissan. To acquire this all-electric vehicle, you may sign up online via the dedicated reservation website. A refundable GBP257 deposit is required.
Priced at GBP23,990 (including GBP5,000 government incentive), the Nissan Leaf will start delivery in March 2011. A test drive of the Leaf will be offered by the end of this year. At this point, the order has to be formally confirmed. Nissan has created a dedicated call centre to help customers with their inquiries.
In a release, Paul Willcox, Managing Director of Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd, said that the Nissan Leaf has received a lot of interest worldwide and that over 25,000 customers have made reservations in the US and Japan. Wilcox added that UK motorists realize the advantages of electric mobility and that potential retail and fleet sales may lead to the demand exceeding the initial supply. The vehicle is offered in five exterior colors and one high-specification trim level.
All of the models of the Leaf will feature air conditioning, satellite navigation and a parking camera as standard. Nissan also offers smartphone connectivity, which enables owners to check charging levels or set the temperature of the car remotely via their handset. Production of the Leaf will start at UK’s Sunderland plant in 2013. A battery production facility being constructed in Sunderland will begin making batteries by 2012. The British battery plant has a projected annual capacity of 60,000 units and is expected to create up to 350 jobs. However, initial global production will be done at Nissan’s Oppama facility in Japan.
