Report: 2013 Nissan Leaf EV readying cheaper

That the 2013 Nissan Leaf EV hasn't been the success Nissan Motor Co hoped for, but Japanese auto makers isn't sitting with its arms crossed waiting for a miracle to happen.

To help spur sales of the 2013 Nissan Leaf EV, the company plans to offer a budget variant of the car next year. The move will likely result in a lower price point than the existing $36,050 starting price in the States, not including a $7,500 federal tax credit.

The 2013 Nissan Leaf EV is slated to begin production in Smyrna, it is expected to hit US showrooms before March. Nissan sold a total of 5,212 units of the LEAF EV in the United States, down from 7,199 in the first nine months of the year before.