40,000 Volts Is Quite A Shock. So's One Volt For $40,000

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That's the price General Motors has arrived at for its 2011 electric Chevrolet Volt, according to Automotive News (free subscription required).

The announcement comes tomorrow, and the blow will be softened somewhat by a $7,500 tax credit...but, still...$40,000? A chunk above now-retired GM product guy Bob Lutz' prediction of "the upper 20s"...and significantly higher than the Nissan Leaf's $32.780 before tax credits.

Would you? And if not you, then who?

Post Title → 40,000 Volts Is Quite A Shock. So's One Volt For $40,000

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Nissan Goes DIY For EV Leaf; Building Battery Plant Next Door To Assembly Line

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One day after Nissan's announcement that the 2011 Nissan Leaf electric vehicle is sold out, the carmaker broke ground on its own battery plant next door to the Leaf assembly line in Smyrna, Tennessee.

Opening day isn't until 2012, but when the plant does debut, it will be able to build 200,000 lithium-ion battery packs a year...meaning CEO Carlos Ghosn's plan to build 150,000 Leafs a year won't be done in by outside supplier issues.

All told, batteries and cars, Nissan's investing $1.7 billion in Leaf production ($1.4 million billion of that comes from a U.S. government loan), which, if production hits the levels Ghosn predicts, will create 1,300  new jobs.

The TireKicker take? Good for Ghosn. Critical ventures are all too often undone or kept from realizing their potential by weak links in the chain. Outsourcing production of components has also made some manufacturers feel less responsible about the final product., giving them a convenient third party to whom to point the finger of blame. Let's hope this starts a trend toward more auto manufacturers putting their names on and their resources behind more of their product.

Post Title → Nissan Goes DIY For EV Leaf; Building Battery Plant Next Door To Assembly Line

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Nissan Leaf Electric Car Reservations Start Tomorrow

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Want the new Nissan Leaf? You need to register like...oh, now. And then stand by for a priority reservation tomorrow. Oh, and have money ($99) ready.

Full details in the Nissan press release.

Post Title → Nissan Leaf Electric Car Reservations Start Tomorrow

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Nissan Leaf Orders Begin April 20; Price $25,280 With Tax Credit

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Nissan says it will begin taking North American orders for its electric vehicle, the Leaf, on April 20.

The New York Times reports the sticker will be $32,780, but a federal tax credit gets it down to $25,280...which pretty well puts it head-to-head with the Toyota Prius.

There's also a $2,000 charger, but a federal tax credit will reimburse half of that cost.

Post Title → Nissan Leaf Orders Begin April 20; Price $25,280 With Tax Credit

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