Nissan thinks electrics have a big future.
USATODAY - May 26, 2010
Is Nissan right? How many of you are ready to leave gasoline behind for most of your driving? --Ed.
Nissan breaks ground today on a big new battery plant in Tennessee as CEO Carlos Ghosn predicts that Nissan's all-electric Leaf is going to be a hit, the Detroit Free Press reports.
The Smyrna plant will produce battery packs for the Leaf, the first modern-day fully-electric car from a major automaker. It debuts in December, when General Motors is also expected to start selling its extended-range electric (that means it has a backup gas motor on board), the Chevrolet Volt.
"We think the Leaf is going to be a big hit," Ghosn said after speaking to the Detroit Economic Club at the Cobo Center this week.
The orders are piling up. Nissan has received 13,000 reservations for the $32,780 Leaf since last month, when it started to take $99 refundable deposits from customers to reserve a vehicle. In Japan, Nissan has about half as many reservations.
With a federal tax credit, the price of the Leaf falls to about $25,000. In California, where there's...
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