http://green.autoblog.com/2013/05/16...t-25000-in-us/

"We'll forgive Nissan for gloating a bit, now that the Japanese
automaker has surpassed the 25,000- sales threshold for the Leaf EV in
the US.

Coming off two of its best months domestically, the all-electric Leaf
has complemented its sales on the West Coast with more recent demand
increases in markets such as Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago. All told,
Nissan, which recently started producing US Leafs at its Tennessee
plant, has sold 62,000 Leafs globally.

With production moving stateside, Nissan was able to cut the price of
the 2013 Leaf by $6,400 to a base of $28,800, and that's before the
$7,500 federal tax credit kicks in. Through April, Nissan more than
doubled year-earlier Leaf sales to 5,476 units. And the model recently
received an additional boost when the US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) confirmed its new fuel economy rating for the Leaf at 115
miles per gallon equivalent, up from 99 MPGe."


http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...ales-jolt.html

"Nissan is getting a lot of mileage out of its decision to move
production of the 2013 Leaf to the U.S. from Japan — not just in terms
of fuel economy improvements but in sales figures as well. The EPA has
given the electric vehicle's 2013 version a 16-mpg bump in its mileage
ratings thanks to enhancements made following the move stateside.
Meanwhile, a price reduction helped propel the Leaf to its best sales
month ever in March, bringing total U.S. sales to 25,000 since the car
debuted.

The EPA now rates the Leaf at 129/102/115 MPGe city/highway/combined
compared with its previous rating of 106/92/99; that amounts to a
combined-mileage increase of 16 mpg. According to Left Lane News, a
more aerodynamic front fascia and a 129-pound weight savings thanks to
a new charging unit made the mileage boost possible.

The move from Japan also assisted in the sales increase by allowing
Nissan to lower the price. Kicking Tires reported earlier this year
that the automaker in part made the move to avoid currency
fluctuations that wreaked havoc on Leaf pricing for 2011 and 2012
models imported from Japan. Nissan subsequently introduced a new base
model, the Leaf S, and reduced the starting price by $6,400. The
result has been a more than 423% year-over-year sales increase, taking
the Leaf past the 25,000 milestone and reinforcing its position as the
best-selling EV in the world, according to Nissan.

"With more than 25,000 Leafs in the U.S. and 62,000 around the world,
we're seeing the adoption curve for EVs accelerate," Erik Gottfried,
Nissan director of EV marketing and sales, said in a statement. "And
there is tremendous interest not only on the West Coast but in a
number of new strongholds like Atlanta, Raleigh, Denver, Dallas,
Chicago, St. Louis and many more."