Pearl White 2011 Nissan Leaf up for Auction in Osaka

Nissan quietly surpassed an enormous milestone last month as, for the first time ever, they sold over 3,000 Nissan Leaf EVs in a single month. To be more specific, they sold 3,117 of their little electric vehicles during the month of May. By way of comparison, Nissan only sold 2,138 Leafs during May of 2013 which makes this a 45% increase over last year’s sales.

To commemorate this press-worthy achievement, we’ve decided to showcase a 2012 Nissan Leaf we found up for auction in Osaka, Japan using the Integrity Exports’ auction system. As you continue reading, you’ll see that Japanese car auctions aren’t just for people seeking ‘classic’ or otherwise outdated cars… This Leaf is an excellent example of the caliber of cars available for those willing to look.

But enough auction hype, let’s break down the details:

Since this is the 2011 model year, you’re looking at an original Nissan Leaf, totally unchanged since its launch that year.

You might not know it, but this model year was actually the catalyst for much debate between Nissan, the EPA and the FTC regarding how exactly electric vehicles’ fuel economy should be measured. Nissan originally launched the Leaf in 2011 with a claimed 100 mile driving radius. However, the EPA quoted a range of 73 miles while the FTC quoted a range of 96 miles to 110 miles. The differences between the ranges came down to how each agency carried out their test drives, as well as the specific conditions under which each test took place.

In the end, Nissan finally performed their own extensive testing to find that the 2012 Leaf had a worst-case scenario range of 47 miles and a best-case range of 138 miles. The difference between the two figures can be attributed to factors such as weather conditions, driving style and how many accessories you use while you drive.

Now that we’ve talked a bit about the history behind the Nissan Leaf’s 2012 model year, let’s go a bit more in depth about what you can expect from this particular auction find.

First, it really is in excellent condition with an overall 5.0 rating. Both the interior and the Pearl White exterior are in great shape with ‘B’ and ‘A’ grades respectively. As you can see in the pictures, the Nissan Leaf has a very distinct V-shaped front clip with bubbly LEDs reminiscent of a Nissan Juke. Nissan has admitted that they will try to move away from the “EV look” with future model years, but honestly we find this particular model and hue to be very pleasing. It might not be the most aggressive or sporty aesthetic you’ll ever see, but it’s functional with a drag coefficient of just 0.29 – to give you a reference, the newest Nissan GT-R has a drag coefficient of 0.26, so it’s actually not bad at all.

Beneath the hood, the Leaf’s electric powertrain features a 110 hp front-mounted electric motor powered by a 24 kW-hours lith-ion battery pack. Even though it doesn’t sound like much, the Nissan Leaf will have no problem hitting even the highest speed limits with a top speed of 93mph.

Obviously, there’s a lot more that could be said about such a technologically advanced vehicle, but hopefully we’ve given you a decent overview of what you can expect from this Nissan Leaf. If you’d like more info, feel free to continue reading our detailed auction sheet overview below:

Here is the translation of the inspector’s report. (This is exactly what you would get if you were a customer looking to bid on this car.)

“Grade 5, interior B, exterior condition A, first registered Feb 2011, ZAA emissions code, power steering, power windows, airbags, ABS, original navigation system, original TV, AC, LED headlights, solar module, recharging cable loaded inside car, door interior trim has minor scratches, minor interior grime, front windscreen stone scratches, 3/10 tread on all tires, marks as per map“