YOKOHAMA, Japan -

As the automaker ramped up availability of its electric vehicle in the U.S., Nissan chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn punctuated what the OEM contends was a dramatic performance in light of natural disasters that struck Japan in March.

While visiting an important port that kept its parts and vehicles moving during the crisis, Ghosn said Honmoku’s response to the crisis showed how essential it is to Nissan.

In the wake of the twin calamities, staff from overseas plants converged at the global logistic nerve center near Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters to help sort out parts allocation and share existing supplies.

“Nissan was one of the companies which has responded the fastest and in the most efficient way to what happened after the earthquake,” Ghosn declared.

“This is obviously due to you, due to many people inside the company who are engaged in the company and reacted very quickly and in a way that is very cross-functional and cross-regional in order to limit the damage of this natural disaster,” he told a plant gathering recently.

Officials highlighted that moving vehicles and parts has been Honmoku’s hallmark since opening in 1967, with exports running the gamut from early Datsuns to the latest Infinitis and Patrols now.

They went on to point out the Honmoku wharf sees 300 containers and 1,000 trucks daily. The site also is critical to the company’s supply bases and export chain in Kyushu, Aichi and Fuji.

The CEO emphasized such exports and parts shipments are a major element of what will make Nissan’s POWER 88 growth plan successful.

“We are the benchmark here. I’ve seen on many key indicators with other companies that we are at the top level in terms of productivity, in terms of cost, in terms of speed,” Ghosn insisted.

“We are at the top level, and I would like to congratulate you for this, and I would like to encourage you to continue to be at the top level,” he added.

Officials also mentioned Ghosn’s visit came as Nissan and other automakers try to cut back energy consumption by 15 percent, a new challenge for staff at Honmoku and other Japanese centers as global demand ramps up further.

Nissan to Launch LEAF as Upgraded 2012 Model in New U.S. Markets

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe, Nissan North America announced Tuesday the company is expanding availability of the all-electric LEAF to U.S. consumers for the 2012 model year.

The unit is expected to include upgrades based on feedback from the thousands of owners who already have driven several millions of miles in what Nissan insists is the first 100-percent electric vehicle for the mass market.

The LEAF — what Nissan indicated now is enriched with additional standard equipment including quick charging and cold-weather features for the 2012 model year — will be available for order in the southeastern United States and Illinois.

Starting Monday, Nissan will open up the ordering process to consumers with existing reservations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

After the prioritized ordering phase for existing reservations in these markets, Nissan stated that on Aug. 4 it will open new reservations and orders to the general public, both in these new markets, as well as places where the LEAF already has been on sale (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington).

Officials noted that expected delivery of the first 2012 LEAFs will begin in the fall.

The 2012 model-year vehicle features product enhancements that incorporate feedback from early LEAF drivers, including standardizing the most popular options, officials said. These features include:

—DC Fast Charge capability standard on Nissan LEAF SL: The vast majority of 2011 model year consumers have opted for the DC fast charge port, which allows the vehicle to be charged at 480V — reducing charging time to under 30 minutes for charging the vehicle to 80 percent from a fully depleted state.

As DC fast charge stations proliferate across the country, Nissan expects this feature to become even more popular. For 2012, fast-charging capability will be standard on the SL trim level.

—Cold weather features standard on Nissan LEAF: As the Nissan LEAF rolls out to U.S. markets with colder climates, cold weather features become standard equipment on all trim levels of the Nissan LEAF. These include a battery warmer, heated steering wheel, and heated seats in both the front and rear.

MSRP of the 2012 LEAF is $35,200 for the SV trim level, and $37,250 for the SL trim level. The monthly lease price will begin at $369.

Furthermore, Nissan said it will expand into additional new markets as the year continues.

In the fall, orders from existing reservations and new reservations will begin in Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York.

By the end of the year, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island will be added as markets where the LEAF will be available for order.

The automaker determined more than 4,000 LEAFs have been delivered to U.S. customers, and the company acknowledges that it continues to learn as Nissan begins the next phase of the LEAF launch.

While 82 percent have never previously owned a Nissan, the OEM discovered a full 75 percent considered no other vehicle than the LEAF in their purchase decision.

On the whole, the manufacturer indicated these early adopters report they are using the LEAF as their primary vehicle and driving it far more than was originally anticipated.

Nissan went on to mention these consumers — most of whom are highly educated and have high income levels — are technologically savvy, environmentally conscious and consider themselves advocates for electric-vehicle technology.

“Many enthusiastic consumers have eagerly anticipated ordering a Nissan LEAF of their own, and now we can make zero-emissions mobility a reality in more markets,” stated Brian Carolin, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Nissan North America.

“In response to direct feedback from Nissan LEAF owners, the features that customers want most will come standard on the 2012 Nissan LEAF — including quick charging and cold-weather features,” Carolin added.