A new Nissan LEAF will be released in December, and with it will come impressive upgrades, including such luxurious features as a darker interior, leather seats, and a better heating system. The LEAF is currently the best-selling all-electric vehicle in the U.S., beating out the Chevy Volt by quite a large amount of units.

The LEAF's upgrades are really due to what consumers are asking for. As Mark Perry, Director of Product and Advanced Planning for Nissan America explains, even though LEAF owners like the vehicle's recycled interior materials, "People want a dark interior, so we're to give them a dark interior, too."¹ For many drivers, this means adding leather as an option. And, with more consumers dreading the continual rise in gasoline prices, the 2013 Nissan LEAF could be an even better seller. As Perry notes, "After you pay that $80 to fill up your tank, you get ticked off and you say, 'I want to look at an electric.'"² The LEAF's new, more efficient heater should draw consumers in even more, as its cold-weather range will be expanded- up to 20-25 mile improvements.

The Nissan LEAF is produced in Smyrna, Tennessee. Nissan will fund its upgrades with $1.4 billion in Energy Department loans received in 2010 to build batteries and up to 150-thousand EVs every year in the U.S. It has an EPA estimated range of 73 miles, but Nissan says it can go up to 100 miles on a single charge, depending on the weather and driving conditions.

Stay tuned here with Nissan of Manhattan, conveniently located at 662 Eleventh Ave. New York, NY, for more updates about the 2013 Nissan LEAF as they become available. If you're interested in seeing this year's model, it's available here!

Source: ^1,2http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120320/AUTO01/203200342/Nissan-debut-improved-Leaf-December?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s