Only 40% of Nissan LEAF reservations become actual purchases

2011 Nissan LEAF
2011 Nissan LEAF

Reservation figures previously reported by Nissan for its Leaf EV are a bit misleading. While Nissan did in fact receive 20,000 $99 non-refundable deposits for the car, the number of people actually showing up to purchase their reserved vehicle is far less. About 4 in 10 who reserved are actually purchasing, which puts the forecast at less than 10,000 vehicles moved for the first year.

Industry experts say that the 40% fulfillment rate that Nissan is seeing is about average. The first wave of sales was limited to a handful of states including California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Tennessee.

Click here for more news on the Nissan LEAF.

“It’s about what I expected,” said Ed Kim, director of industry analysis at global automotive market research firm AutoPacific. “We thought there would be a significant number of drop outs because they took the Volt instead.”

GM has had far less cancellations on the Chevy Volt, as they required interested parties to go through a dealer, which is much more of a committed process than the Nissan one, which simply required individuals to visit the Nissan website and plunk down $99 on their credit card.

Refresher: Power for the Nissan LEAF comes from a 107-hp electric-motor that runs on power supplied by lithium-ion cells. On a full-charge, the Nissan LEAF allows for a driving range of 100 miles with a top speed of 87 mph. A full charge takes up to 8 hours on a standard 200V outlet. Buyers can opt for the DC 50kW quick-charger, which recharges the battery up to 80 percent in under 30 minutes. Prices for the 2011 Nissan LEAF will start at $32,780 but with a federal tax-credit prices will come in as low as $25,280, or for a lease payment of $349 a month.

2011 Nissan LEAF:

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Auto Observer