No need for the leaf blower just yet, but Leaf sales are growing stateside

By Amir Iliaifar May 16, 2013

Leaf-Sales-Milestone — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it comes to electric vehicles, it’s all a numbers game. How much range does it have, how many hours does it take to charge, and “it costs how much again?!”

Nevertheless, while those numbers are important, Nissan is proudly screaming from the rafters some numbers of its own. The Japanese automaker recently announced the Leaf EV has surpassed the 25,000 sales mark in the U.S.

Unsurprisingly, the Leaf has experienced the bulk of its success on the West Coast, however, Nissan reports that demand in other key markets, including Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago is growing, too.

And Nissan appears ready to meet that growing demand. The automaker recently shifted Leaf production stateside to its Smyrna, Tennessee plant, a move that allowed Nissan to trim Leaf prices by $6,400, bringing the EV to a much more reasonable $28,000 before local and federal incentives.

With global sales sitting around the 62,000 mark, the Leaf’s recent U.S. milestone is indeed something to celebrate, especially for a dedicated EV that debuted at the tail end of 2010.

Still, for some sobering context, the Toyota Prius, the Leaf’s most popular “green” rival, sold roughly 2.3 million units worldwide in 2012. While it will likely be some time before the Leaf reaches similar numbers, eco-conscious drivers will no doubt be encouraged to see more and more consumers hopping aboard the EV express.

Indeed, we were rather impressed with the 2012 Nissan Leaf when we reviewed it last year. At the time, the Leaf topped out around $37,000, however, and at its new $28,000 price point it’s a much more compelling package.

As sales continue to chug along, EVs like the Leaf begin showcasing prices closer to gasoline-powered cars, and charging infrastructures flesh out, we see no reason why the Leaf can’t reach the levels of success Toyota has with the Prius.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Associate Automotive Section Editor for Digital Trends, Amir Iliaifar covers the ever increasing cross-section between tech…

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