Nissan Finally Sells The LEAF In Brazil: For US $52,400

According to Tesla’s website, you can buy a Tesla Model 3 Performance from US$ 54,990 in the US. Believe it or not, this is a little more than Nissan will charge for the Leaf in Brazil, where the EV has been finally presented this Thursday (July 18).

The second-generation Leaf has been put for sale for R$ 195,000. With current exchange rates, that is the equivalent to US$ 52,400. Really. And that is not even the worst about the price.

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For that much money, Brazilian customers will be able to drive the 40 kWh with leather seats, and Intelligent All-Around View Monitor, which makes us suppose it is equivalent to the Leaf SL trim, sold in the US for US$ 36,300. 

With the US$ 7,500 tax credit, the price falls to U$ 28,800. Or 55 percent of what you would pay for the same car if you were in Brazil.

It is worth to point out that the Brazilian government currently offers no incentive whatsoever for EVs besides slightly lower taxes. Brazilian clients are not really sure if they reflect on the prices they pay in the end.  

Some states offer tax exemptions and exclusion from the plate circulation restriction in some days of the week. And that’s all.

Just to have a little more context on what the R$ 195,000/US$ 52,400 price tag represents, the most expensive Leaf for sale in the US is the SL Plus with the 62 kWh battery pack. It costs US$ 42,550. 

Still able to apply for the full federal tax credit, US clients will pay US$ 35,050. Or 67 percent of what Brazilian will have to pay for a 40 kWh SL unit.

One explanation for that is that automakers and the Brazilian government do not see the electric car as a solution for the country. They would rather rely on renewable fuels, such as ethanol, which has a widespread presence in all Brazilian gas stations.

Toyota aims to present the new Corolla with a flex-fuel hybrid system until the end of 2019 in Brazil. Nissan, on the other hand, prepares the e-Power technology to run on ethanol. It will possibly be offered at the Kicks.

And we were thinking Brazilians had already got their “kicks” in the pockets – or close to them – with their Leaf price tag...