Reservations close for first wave of electric vehicles Nissan LEAF in Canada

Over the weekend, Nissan Canada opened the reservation process for the Nissan LEAF, with all Model Year 11 inventory reserved by Canadian consumers within two hours. At noon on Saturday, August 27th, those registered at www.nissan.ca/leaf and living within the vicinity of one of the 27 Nissan LEAF certified dealers, were invited to reserve a Nissan LEAF, bringing them one step closer to having the all-electric car plugged into their home garage.

"Response from Canadians since we first revealed the Nissan LEAF in 2009 has been astounding so we’re not surprised that our first inventory of 40 model year ’11 cars were snapped up so quickly," said Judy Wheeler, Director of Marketing, Nissan Canada, Inc. "We expect this momentum to continue when we reopen reservations for model year ’12 cars in the coming month, so keep your eyes open for more and more Nissan LEAFs driving around Canadians cities soon."

Delivery to the first wave of consumers will begin in September and continue into the fall. Nissan is carefully managing the purchase process from the first step, when consumers sign up on www.nissan.ca/leaf, until the customer drives the Nissan LEAF home and plugs it into a personal charging dock. Through Model Year 12, Nissan expects to release around 600 Nissan Leaf on the Canadian market through several waves of reservations into next year.

Reservations for Model Year 12 Nissan LEAFs will open in the coming months and be:

•Open to those registered at www.nissan.ca/leaf and living within the vicinity of a Nissan LEAF certified dealer. All details, including exact timing for the opening of reservations, will be distributed via email in advance.
•A $99 reservation fee (fully refundable) is required to secure a reservation.
•After booking a home-charging assessment, customers will receive an invitation to order a Nissan LEAF.
•Customers request a quote from a local Nissan LEAF-certified dealer and will continue through the sales process until they drive away in their own Nissan LEAF.

One of the industry’s most-discussed vehicles for good reason, Nissan LEAF™ is the world’s first mass-marketed all-electric car made for the real-world driving needs of consumers and was recently named the 2011 World Car of the Year.

Nissan LEAF is a medium-size hatchback with ample cargo space and seating for five adults comfortably. With a range of 160 kilometres (EPA LA4 cycle) on one full charge, Nissan LEAF provides 90% of Canadians with the range needed for daily commutes. With a 240 volt home charging dock full charge is achieved in seven hours, and with a Level 3 Quick Charger, 80% charge can be achieved in just 26 minutes.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery, Nissan LEAF generates 107 horsepower, 207 lb-ft of torque providing a highly responsive, fun-to-drive experience. Because there’s no traditional engine, Nissan LEAF is ultra-quiet and for safety reasons a sound had to be added so pedestrians could hear the car coming. In April, Nissan LEAF was awarded a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The instrument panel provides the driver with regular updates on range and driving efficiency, and using a telematics system called CARWINGS, the driver can communicate with the car via a smart phone with the ability to turn on the air conditioning or heat remotely, and manage and monitor charging.

Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI) is the Canadian sales, marketing and distribution subsidiary of Nissan Motor Limited and Nissan North America, Inc. With offices in Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC), NCI directly employs 250 full-time staff. There are 171 independent Nissan dealerships and 29 Infiniti retailers across Canada. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4 million vehicles in 2010. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards.

www.nissan.ca