Nissan to Facelift Leaf for U.S. Production, Add a Budget Version in Early 2013 to Boost Poor Sales

That the Leaf hasn't been the success Nissan hoped for, is not a secret. This year through September, the Japanese carmaker delivered only 5,212 Leaf EVs in the United States, down 27.6 percent from the first nine months of 2011 when it sold 7,199 units.

Both these numbers are a far cry from the 20,000 Leafs Nissan wanted to sell in the car's first fiscal year on the market.

However, Nissan isn't sitting with its arms crossed waiting for a miracle to happen, as the company plans to add a lower-cost variant to the range as part of a 2013 model facelift, Autonews reported today.

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To Charge or Not to Charge? Nissan Faces Class Action Lawsuit on Leaf's Battery Range

Nissan claims to be at the forefront of all-electric vehicles with the Leaf. Yet the Japanese company and its U.S. division are currently been accused in the U.S. that it has misled buyers about its EV's battery life and true driving range.

Humberto Klee and David Wallak say that Nissan advertises a range of 100 miles (160 km) or less, depending on a number of variables like the road conditions and the weather.

The plaintiffs claim is that the carmaker does not say that the Leaf can attain this range only if its battery is fully charged.

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Toyota Says Prius Plug-in Hybrid U.S. Sales Top 6,000 Units, Beats Volt and Leaf...or Did it?

A Toyota press release bragging about the achievements of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid variant since it went arrived in U.S. showrooms at the end of February states that the EPA-rated 95 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) Japanese hatchback has delivered 6,061 units in its first six months (March through August) on sale.

However, that's not what caught our attention; this is what did and we quote Toyota's press statement:

"This sales figure represents sales momentum that has propelled the Prius Plug-in to a stronger first full six-months sales pace (6,061 units) than Chevrolet Volt Plug-in (2,745 units) and the all-electric Nissan Leaf (3,875 units)."

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Portuguese Police Force to Go Green and Silent with New Nissan LEAF…Interceptors

Members of the local police force in Portugal will soon have to charge their cars (pun intended) with electricity as the country's PSP (Polícia de Segurança Pública) division has taken delivery of a fleet of Nissan Leaf EVs, complete with flashing blue lights, a wind up, sirens and ‘Polícia' markings.

A total of eight Leaf police cars will be at the disposal of PSP, which is the security force responsible for policing the large urban areas of the southern European country.

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