IRVINE, Calif. -

As fuel rates have evened out this year, interest in alternative-fuel vehicles has waned, putting downward pressure on values for these cars. But, it seems the tides have turned for one particular unit.

Kelley Blue Book reported that the Nissan Leaf has experienced a bit of a “rebound” in the second half of the year.

Taking a look back, KBB’s October Blue Book Market Report indicated that through the first half of the year, values for the 2012 model-year Nissan Leaf dropped as much as $7,900, or a whopping 45 percent.

KBB senior analyst Alec Gutierrez said the sharp decline was due to a variety of factors, including the release of a new lower-priced model.

“The decline in values is due to downward pricing pressure on the 2012 model-year Leaf, including the new-for-2013 Leaf S, which is priced more aggressively at $29,650, compared to the SV and SL trims priced at $32,670 and $35,690, respectively,” said Gutierrez.

“Additionally, Nissan also implemented price cuts for 2013 model-year SV and SL trims,” he continued. “With a number of price reductions to the newer 2013 models, 2012 Leaf values fell faster than all vehicles within the hybrid and compact segments.”  

Interestingly, this significant price drop may have caught the eye of shoppers.

After dropping  in price to an average of nearly $16,500 in August, KBB said, values for the 2012 Leaf then turned around and rebounded $2,000 (or 12 percent) through October.

On top of increasing consumer interest, KBB said that increased demand overseas for electric vehicles have spurred interest from exporters at auction.

Though the 2012 Leaf is enjoying a bit of a rebound in Q4, KBB warned it may be short lived. As 2013 model-year values start to fall, KBB said this may put downward pressure back on 2012 vehicles.

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