A Nissan Leaf recharges on Bayview Avenue in Toronto on Oct. 25, 2011. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. plans to boost its sales of the electric vehicle in 2012.Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. expects to double sales of its Leaf electric car to full capacity of 40,000 next year, according to a senior executive.
The Japanese car maker's bullish forecast comes despite slow initial sales of electric vehicles, which have been hit by Japan's supply-chain problems, and some consumers' doubts about their price and driving range.
Nissan sold more than 20,000 Leafs, mostly in Japan and the U.S., since the car's debut last December.
The vehicle's launch was delayed by a month in the U.S. because of distribution bottlenecks. Japan's earthquake and tsunami in March disrupted supplies of some of the electronic components used in the Leaf, and the plant south of Yokohama that makes the car closed for about three weeks.
Andy Palmer, Nissan's head of business strategy and corporate planning, told the Financial Times the car's 2011 sales performance was "slightly behind our expectations."
However, he added, orders for the car were such that Nissan could double sales to 40,000 next year, when it plans to begin selling the car in more European countries and American states. "That's our aim: to double that volume, which is basically buffering up against our capacity," Mr. Palmer said.
Nissan also plans to produce the car at its plants in Tennessee and England from 2013.
Carlos Ghosn, Nissan's chief executive, will unveil another electric model at next month's Detroit motor show. Nissan has in spoken of adding to its electric fleet a city car, a commercial vehicle, and a saloon made by its premium Infiniti brand.
The car maker and its French partner Renault SA are promoting electric vehicles in part as "halo" items meant to lift their brand image and draw customers to their much better selling gasoline and diesel cars.
Initial sales of EVs have been slow, despite the generous subsidies governments around the world are offering early adopters.
General Motors Co. has said it will not meet its sales target of 10,000 units this year for the Chevrolet Volt extended-range EV, recently hit by a safety probe relating to battery fires after severe crashes. GM sold 6,142 units of the car before the end of November. It aims to produce 60,000 Volts next year.