DETROIT -- Nissan has received more than 14,000 reservations for its Leaf electric sedan, about 90 percent of which are from current owners of non-Nissan vehicles, said Brian Carolin, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Nissan North America Inc.
In placing those reservations, consumers had to pay a $99 fee, which is refundable if they end up not buying the car or being rejected for any reason, including not being able to have a home charging station installed for the Leaf.
Nissan plans to begin full-scale advertising of the Leaf in September. Beginning in October and continuing through December, Nissan will take the Leaf on the road, offering test drives in various cities across the United States, Carolin said on the sidelines of the Automotive News Green Car Conference/Exhibition. The promotion will entail "tens of thousands" of test drives, he said.
The Leaf goes on sale in select markets in December. It will be on sale nationwide by 2012.
Carolin said Leaf advertising will emphasize the car's zero emissions.
He said: "That visual of no tailpipe is going to be a central part of our marketing communications."
