Nissan to sell compact e-car Leaf in China in 2011

Japan's Nissan Motor Co will start selling its Leaf electric compact car in China early next year, a top executive said on Thursday, joining the race for green vehicles in the world's largest auto market.

Nissan, 44 percent held by Renault SA, may also roll out the hybrid version of its Infiniti model in China in two or three years, Tsunehiko Nakagawa, vice president of Nissan China Investment, told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference.

The number three Japanese automaker and Renault are by far the most aggressive proponents of electric vehicle technology among major automakers globally.

The alliance had in March teamed up with the local government in Wuhan to promote zero-emission vehicles in the central Chinese city following a similar initial pact with the municipal government of Guangzhou in the south in late 2009.

"We will target the Leaf at institutional bodies like local governments initially," Nakagawa said.

He did not provide a specific annual sales target for Leaf but said he hoped to sell "several hundred" models.

Nissan, which will begin building Leaf at its Sunderland plant in Britain from early 2013, however, does not have a time table for making the compact model in China where it runs a manufacturing venture with Dongfeng Motor Group Co.

"We want to make Leaf in China as soon as possible, but the key issue to the decision is the sales volume," Nakagawa said.

He declined to give a price tag for the Leaf, but said it would be expensive.