For the new model year, Nissan is applying lessons learned from two years of selling the Leaf electric vehicle – and seeing what the competition is doing – to offer a lower-price trim line as well as faster charging and new, upper-level options.
The 2013 Nissan Leaf line grows from two trim lines – the SV and SL – to include the new, lower-cost S grade. Precisely what that lower price is, has not yet been revealed, but we think that information might come out at the Detroit Auto Show next week. What we do know is that the reduced price is due, in part, to domestic production. Instead of shipping every Leaf from Japan, Nissan has started making the EV and its batteries in Smyrna, TN, as you can see in the video below.
To keep up with faster-charging competitors like the Ford Focus Electric, the Leaf is finally getting a 6.6-kW onboard charger. This has been expected for a long while, and it's most welcome because it will cut the time it takes to charge the Leaf in half, down to four hours from empty to 80 percent full. This will be standard on the SL and SV trims. The Leaf S will use a 3.6-kW charger unless you spring for the 6.6-kW option. These updates and others mean expected increases to the vehicle's range, but that number will have to wait until closer to when the 2013 Leaf goes on sale later this year.
Nissan also says the 2013 Leaf has better regenerative brakes and some refined touches like "leather-appointed seating" and new exterior colors. There is also a new "B" drive mode for harsher regen braking and an "available hybrid heater system" for better heat in cold weather. You can read more about it below.
Source: Autoblog Green
Source: Autoblog Green
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