ELKHART —
The Tom Naquin family of auto dealerships has added a second electric vehicle to its sales offerings.
A Nissan Leaf demonstration model arrived at the Tom Naquin Nissan dealership recently and customers can take it for a quiet test drive.
Last fall Tom Naquin Chevrolet added the Chevrolet Volt model. That car is a hybrid, which can recharge the car’s battery through a small gasoline motor. The Leaf is all electric and can be charged through 440, 220 or 110 volt charging systems.
“This is an exciting car. I think it is a game changer,” said sales manager Chip Snider.
Art Brown is one of the Nissan salesman and he believes rising gasoline prices will make the car attractive to people who want to control their fuel costs.
“The biggest thing is, as gas prices go up people are looking at alternatives,” he said.
The Leaf comes in three models, the S, SV and SL. The demonstrator is an SL, which is the top of the line version.
The car’s estimated annual electric cost is $600, Brown said. The car’s range is 100 miles between recharges and the retail cost ranges from $32,500 to $38,500, depending on the model. Owners will also need to install a charging dock at their home, Snider said, and that cost will run about $2,200.
Brown had fun Friday pointing out the electric motor under the hood, the main recharging docks in the nose of the car and the trickler charger dock in the trunk. The lithium batteries, all 48 of them, are under the floor in the center of the car, Brown said.
Snider said Nissan is still manufacturing Leafs in Japan but will build them at a new factory in Tennessee in the future.
“That is how much Nissan believes in this product,” Snider said.
Tom Naquin’s lead technicians and Snider had to go through Leaf education classes and become certified to sell and service the vehicle. He said not all Nissan dealers are so certified.
Nissan began selling the Leaf last year in select markets and has now entered its second phase of expanding sales territories, according to Snider.
The car will carry the standard Nissan three-year bumper to bumper warranty and five years on the drivetrain, Snider said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Art Brown, salesman at Tom Naquin Nissan in Elkhart, stands near the new Nissan Leaf electric vehicle that is being used as a demonstration vehicle at the dealership. Roger Schneider
Electric Nissan Leaf has dealership charged up
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