Nissan International SA announced that the award-winning 100% electric Nissan LEAF will be priced at €30,990 in France, after incentives and including the batteries. The French government's incentive for electric vehicles amounts to 5,000 euros.
The announcement was made at the sixth edition of EVER Monaco, an annual automotive show dedicated to ecological vehicles and renewable energies in the Principality of Monaco, which Nissan is sponsoring this year.
In order to make electric motoring even more accessible to individual customers in France, the compact family hatchback, which has been named European Car of the Year 2011, will also be available through a private finance scheme.
Under this scheme, the customer can choose the offer period (from 37 to 49 months), as well as the amount of their first deposit and optional services such as maintenance or credit insurance. For example, with a deposit of €5,339.44 (after the government's incentive), the Nissan LEAF will be available for just 499€ per month for 37 months. After three years, the customer has the option of keeping the car, trading it in for a new one or handing it back to Nissan.
Order books for the five-seater, zero-emission Nissan LEAF in France will open on April 4. To make a reservation, French customers simply need to go to //www.nissan.fr/, configure their vehicle and place an order. The quick and easy process requires a fully-refundable deposit of €300.
The Nissan LEAF is powered by an in-house developed compact electric motor and inverter in the front of the car driving the front wheels. The AC motor develops 80 kW of power and 280 Nm of torque, enough for a maximum speed of 145 km/h (90 mph). The electric motor is powered by an advanced laminated lithium-ion battery with a power output of more than 90 kW.
The car has range between charges of up to 175 km, as tested over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), enough to satisfy the average daily driving requirements of 80% of European drivers, according to Nissan research.
The Nissan LEAF comes fully equipped with features such as air conditioning, Intelligent Key, Bluetooth connection, a parking camera and a quick charge socket.
Matching the advanced electric drive technology is the Nissan LEAF's advanced on-board IT and telematics systems called CARWINGS. The system provides continuous information to the driver via a 7'' color touch screen, including battery capacity and range, and provides the location of the nearest charging station. Navigation information is continuously updated giving drivers the latest accurate traffic conditions en route. Drivers can also use a PC or smartphone to pre-heat or pre-cool the car and check on battery status.
Nissan LEAF offers particularly low running costs: about €1.9 per 100 km in France compared with about €7 for a similarly-equipped diesel family car.
Deliveries of the car have already begun in Japan, the US, Portugal, the UK and the Netherlands.
This is the third year for Nissan to sponsor the EVER Monaco show. In 2009, the Principality signed a comprehensive partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance to deliver zero-emission mobility to Monaco.
Since then, Monaco's charging network has grown from 176 normal charging stations to more that 400 today. The Principality is also installing two quick charge stations capable of charging the Nissan LEAF from zero to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes. Additional measures, such as tax incentives, dedicated parking spaces, preferential access and special parking rates for electric car owners have also been introduced.
Visitors to the EVER Monaco expo, which is open to the public from March 31 to April 3, will have a chance to test drive the Nissan LEAF from the Grimaldi Forum where the show is taking place.