NEW YORK — Nissan said Tuesday its new electric car will cost just more than $25,000 in the U.S., a move that could force rivals to lower prices on similar vehicles.
The Leaf, a four-door hatchback due in showrooms late this year, will have a base price of $32,780, but buyers can get a $7,500 electric-vehicle tax credit, Nissan said.
The price tag puts the Leaf, which can go up to 100 miles on a charge from a home outlet, within reach of mainstream car buyers. It also will force competitors to respond when they introduce their cars.
General Motors, which will begin selling its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car later this year, said it will look at Nissan’s pricing before announcing the Volt’s price closer to its December sales date.
“I think it’s fair to say their pricing, it won’t overwhelm, but it will have some influence on our pricing decision,” GM spokesman Rob Peterson said.
GM was looking to price the Volt, which can go 40 miles on full electricity before a small gas engine kicks in to provide power, at about $35,000. It would cost $27,500 with the tax credit.
But GM executives have said they are trying to lower the price as they begin building models at a Detroit factory.
Other competitors, such as Ford and Chrysler, also plan to sell fully electric cars, but those will come out after the Volt and Leaf hit showrooms in December. The Volt and Leaf are the first two electric cars to go on sale that will appeal to the mass market.
Although the Volt can travel farther, GM still has to compete with the Leaf on price, especially among drivers who don’t drive that far or have a second car for long-distance travel, Merkle said.
“They’re going to find themselves going up against the Leaf, and being compared to that probably quite a bit,” he said.
But Aaron Bragman, an auto industry analyst with IHS Global Insight in Troy, Mich., said the Leaf and Volt will compete for different customers.
Turning a new Leaf
Price: $32,780, but tax credits take it down to just over $25,000
Range: 100 miles on a charge from a home outlet
Top speed: 90 mph
Expected operating cost: $1,800 over five years, versus $6,000 for an average gas-powered car
Competition: Chevrolet Volt also goes on sale late this year, with a 40-mile range before a gas engine kicks in.
Impact: GM expected to sell the Volt for around $35,000, not including the tax credit, but says the Volt is worth more because it has a gas engine to extend its range.
The Associated Press, Los Angeles Times
