NEW YORK - Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday that its new electric car will cost just over $25,000 in the U.S., a move that could force rivals to lower prices on similar vehicles.
The Leaf, a four-door hatchback due in showrooms late this year, will have a base price of $32,780, but buyers can get a $7,500 electric-vehicle tax credit, Nissan said.
The price tag puts the Leaf, which can go up to 100 miles on a single charge from a home outlet, within reach of mainstream car buyers and will force competitors to respond when they introduce their cars.
General Motors Co., which also will begin selling its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car later this year, said it will look at Nissan's price before announcing the Volt's price, closer to its December sales date.
GM was looking to price the Volt, which can go 40 miles on full electricity before a small gas engine kicks in to provide power, for about $35,000. It would cost $27,500 with the tax credit.
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But GM executives have said they are trying to cut the price as they begin building models in Detroit.
Other competitors, such as Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, also plan to sell fully electric cars, but those will come out after the Volt and Leaf hit showrooms in December. The Volt and Leaf are the first two electric cars to go on sale that will appeal to the mass market.
Orders in the U.S. will start on April 20, and Nissan is aiming for 25,000 orders by December.
Nissan said the Leaf will cost 3.76 million yen ($40,000) in Japan. It will price the car lower in the U.S. because it wants to sell more of them in that market. The automaker said it is confident it still can make money at that price.
THE LOCAL ANGLE
Tucson will be a test market for the Leaf all-electric vehicle. Nissan plans to sell the Leaf in Tucson, Phoenix and other, mostly West Coast, markets starting in December.