2012 Nissan LEAF info
Nissan just announced changes for the upcoming 2012 LEAF. As expected, there will be no major changes. The onboard charger will remain 3.3 kilowatt as opposed to the 6.6 kilowatt capacity that some had been hoping for. Also, no change to the battery pack. Our own guess is that neither of these will change until LEAF 2.0 comes out as a 2015 or 2016 model year vehicle. So what changes will we see? Standard on all LEAFs will be inclusion of the cold weather package – heated battery pack, front and rear seats, heated outside mirrors and steering wheel. Rear heating ducts will also be included. The upgraded SL model will include the CHAdeMO quick charge port, which is currently a $700 option on the SL trim level. Look for the 2012 LEAF in the fall of 2012.
US LEAF production may be delayed
Hideaki Watanabe, Nissan vice president for zero-emission vehicles announced that LEAF production in the United States may be facing a delay regarding its scheduled start of production next year, according to Reuters. Plans called for LEAF to start production in Smyrna, TN in late 2012 with ultimate plant capacity to reach 150,000 units annually. Global production capacity is currently 50,000 when Oppama is in full swing once again. With the March earthquake/tsunami “All the resources were put in place to restore Japan.” Mr. Watanabe did not give a projection as to how significant any delay might be.