Pre-orders for Nissan’s Leaf electric vehicle have climbed to 19,000

It appears that Nissan hit the Jackpot with its Leaf electric vehicle as the pre-orders for the new car have climbed to 19,000 in the United States and Japan.

This means that the pre-orders are surpassing the planned global capacity for the car’s first year. According to Andy Palmer, head of Nissan’s EV division, about 13,000 would-be customers in the United States plunked down the $99 deposit in order to get in line for the zero-emissions vehicle. The Nissan Leaf will be produced at the firm’s Oppama plant south of Tokyo and production will begin this year. Nissan’s targeted production capacity of 10,000 cars for the current fiscal year,
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rxh8me9000 - 6/9/2010 1:36:27 PM

0 Boost

I really want to like this car,I really do,but why is it so damn ugly.Why are all these hybrids super round with headlights or tail lights shaped like UFO's. If anyone can look at the front end of that car and say its beautiful there is something wrong with you.On a side note the interior is nice,but that might be just because they show it in white.

Agent63 - 6/9/2010 1:52:41 PM

0 Boost

I think it's a pretty good number on Nissan-Renault's part. I'm sure this has caught Toyota's attention although it's no direct threat. It's surely a better looking car than the Honda Insight and is going to be more successful. I've said this before. It all comes down to your marketing team. Toyota has the best marketing strategists and they have propelled the Prius badge and Lexus brand to places Honda only dreams of. Nissan has created some hype with this car IMO and it's worked.

veyron1001 - 6/9/2010 4:21:35 PM

+4 Boost

Its called function over form.

speed123 - 6/9/2010 1:46:14 PM

+3 Boost

Pretty impressive figure, good job Nissan.

carguy68 - 6/9/2010 2:00:51 PM

0 Boost

They should put this technology on a good looking car! First the prius now this...it's funny how people put custom wheels on their prius to make them look better but it doesn't work.

Whelan - 6/9/2010 3:05:45 PM

+1 Boost

Thank God I don't live in a city where these things will be used the most. Can't wait to see them on the side of the road trying to get their extension cords to reach the next outlet.

g2ok - 6/9/2010 3:50:18 PM

+2 Boost

They got great advert from Steve Jobs on Monday.

222max - 6/9/2010 3:53:02 PM

+1 Boost

For what it is it doesn't look bad at all. I kinda like the rakish profile in a small practical size. I imagine the people who will be most interested in this car are city drivers who rarely do more than 10 miles a day (and who have a gasoline powered car for longer trips). If that's the case then you won't be seeing too many of them stranded with dead power levels.

thstone - 6/9/2010 4:15:01 PM

+4 Boost

Nissan ~19,000 vs Tesla ~1,900

Maybe a $100K+ electic car wasn't the best place to start after all...

Bmw8ter - 6/9/2010 9:06:41 PM

+2 Boost

Americans may be wasteful but, we're not idiots. If you give us something fresh and new, we'll give our firstborn to have it. But give us a product that's been warmed-over, even if it has a different engine. And charge us a boatload? We'll smell that bullsh** from a mile away.

nguyenvuminh - 6/10/2010 1:52:23 AM

0 Boost

"We'll (i.e. Americans will) smell that bullsh** from a mile away" - then why is the US mkt the biggest Lexus mkt (even more than Japan)? :-) I better duck, here comes the bullets from Lexus fans, huu and badgewhore :-)