Nissan ready to turnover a Leaf or two with pre-order bonanza

BEIJING // Nissan has announced that it has already received 3,754 pre-orders for the Nissan Leaf, the car maker's planned compact electric car. Since April 1, Nissan has been taking orders for the Leaf and revealed that 64 per cent of the pre-orders came from individuals and 36 per cent came from fleet buyers. Nissan's CEO, Carlos Ghosn, said that the Leaf would most likely be made in China for that market if the Chinese government offers "substantial" purchase schemes for consumers. The plan is for the car to go on sale in China from next year. There is also a plan to build the Leaf for the European market at the Sunderland plant in north-east England, from 2013. Nissan is likely to benefit from a £20.7m (Dh117m) grant from the British government. The company has announced that the Leaf will go on sale in the UK in 2011 at an estimated price of £20,000 (Dh113,633). The car is likely to be eligible for a government subsidy of up to £5,000 that comes into effect in January. Time magazine named the car as one of the 50 best inventions of 2009.