Motoryzacja

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said interest in its all-electric Nissan Leaf is strong and bodes well for what it is billing as the first affordable, mass-market all-electric vehicle to be sold in the U.S. "We think the Leaf is going to be a big hit," Ghosn said Tuesday after speaking to the Detroit Economic Club at Cobo Center.

Nissan North America broke ground Wednesday for a lithium-ion battery plant as part of a plan to build a five-passenger all-electric car, the Leaf, and create up to 1,300 jobs in Tennessee. The automaker's top executive said it was a no-risk venture. "This is going to be a money-maker," Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn said.

YOKOHAMA, Japan - Nissan's chief executive says the automaker has received over 13,000 orders in the U.S. and Japan for its new electric car, the Leaf, exceeding production capacity.

Nissan plans to price its Leaf electric car as low as $32,780, when the automaker releases the vehicle later this year.

Nissan broke ground today on a new plant in Smyrna, Tenn., to build batteries for its upcoming all-electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf.