Although was launched with reserved prognosis, Nissan Leaf is so wanted by that Americans and Japanese, that the officials say their model will make profit.

Nissan could make a hit on a market that until six months ago was still virgin in terms of profit recorded by automakers: the electric cars. According to the Japanese car builder, the electric Leaf could be the world’s first model of its kind that brings a profit, even if Nissan made big concessions related to the sale price of the model, profit per copy sold was lower than of a regular car.

The target that Nissan set in 2010 on the US market is to sell 25,000 Leaf copies, the Japanese recording so far no less than 8,000 firm orders from the US customers, seven months the model’s effective debut on the market.

“We are on our way to have 25,000 firm orders by December. We are making money at the price that we announced. We priced the car to be affordable. We priced it for mass adoption.” said Mark Perry, director of product of Nissan North America, quoted by Reuters.

The US Government’s help will be a major factor in Leaf’s success, as every American buyer of the new Nissan model will receive a discount.Thus, although the Japanese model has a price of $32,780 in US, the Government’s bonus of $7,500 dollars takes Nissan Leaf to a price just 10% higher than the Toyota Prius hybrid, the most successful model of the “green era” of the automobile world. Moreover, some U.S. states add to this bonus another hefty sum, so that Leaf could cost, in California, for example, just $20,000.

Leaf Nissan is the first electric model mass-produced by a global automaker. Nissan promises a range of 100 miles with a single battery charge, as the model will be launched in Japan, Europe and U.S. later this year. Leaf’s production will start soon in Japan, following that Nissan could use a method of limiting the production and number of copies sold by the time the Japanese model will begin to be produced in plants in Sunderland (UK – for Europe) and California (for USA).

Via: Reuters