Price rise accompanies wider Nissan Leaf electric vehicle rollout in US

(Nissan)

Nissan has hiked the price of its all-electric Leaf in the US as it widens the vehicle's rollout.

The two versions, a standard SV trim level and slightly upgraded SL trim level, will retail for $35,200 and $37,250 respectively, a raise of $2,420 for the base model and $3,530 for the SL level.

The cars have also been upgraded for 2012, with new standard features including a cold-weather package with heated seats and steering wheel and a standard quick-charge port on the more expensive SL level.

In a statement released July 19, Nissan US said that the new features have been added as a result of direct feedback from drivers, of which there are now over 4,000.

However, it also confirmed that the number is likely to rise sharply, as it begins to roll out Leaf availability further across the US, allowing new orders to be placed in Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island by the end of this year.

Nissan has faced a rocky rollout for the the Leaf, with initial supply problems further compounded by the March earthquake in Japan.

However, sales figures for the year suggest that it is now outselling its closest rival, the Chevrolet Volt, which is priced at $40,280.

The Mitsubishi i, which is based on the iMiEV currently on sale on Japan, will arrive in the US in early 2012 and is expected to be priced from $27,990, although all of the models are currently eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit in the US.