Nissan cuts price of US LEAF by 18 per cent

The revised US-market Nissan LEAF revealed at the Detroit motor show, is now 18 per cent cheaper.

Nissan says the latest generation LEAF, which will be built in the US in Tennessee, will be sold with a warranty covering battery capacity loss for the first five years of ownership, or 60,000 miles. 2013 models will also have a larger on-board 6.6kW charger, which reduces total charging time by nearly half, to around four hours.

Nissan will also become the first manufacturer to offer a limited warranty on battery capacity loss, when it implements an updated New Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty in the spring.

Announced via the MyNissanLeaf.com forums, the warranty is designed to protect against battery capacity loss in the first five years or 60,000 miles, for U.S. customers.

Should the battery capacity gauge fall below nine bars (from twelve) in that period, Nissan will repair or replace the battery under warranty with a new or remanufactured unit, “to restore capacity at or above a minimum of nine bars.”

A revised European version of the Nissan LEAF, to be built in the UK, is due to be revealed later this year. Although Nissan has said the car will be cheaper, it is not clear if its price will drop as significantly as in America.