Ford Focus Electric just became $6,000 cheaper

Ford brings the starting price of the EV into Nissan Leaf territory

    The Ford Focus Electric has received a $6,000 price cut, Automotive News reports. That goes for 2014 and 2015 models, taking effect on October 13, bringing the starting price down from $35,995 to $29,995 before the application of state and federal tax credits. With a $7,500 federal tax credit, the starting price of the Focus Electric would drop to $22,495.

    This is actually the second time in as many years that Ford has slashed the price of its pure-electric Focus, which has been on sale since 2011 and debuted as a 2012 model. In July of 2013, Ford slashed the price of the EV by $4,000.

    "What we’ve been saying is the Focus Electric provides the design and engineering of world’s best-selling nameplate," Ford spokesperson Aaron Miller told Automotive News. "We hope by cutting the price we give consumers another reason to consider it."

    The slow pace of sales is pegged as the reason for the price cut, which finally brought the Focus Electric into Nissan Leaf territory. Ford has managed to sell just 1,534 examples of the Focus Electric so far this year, according to Automotive News, compared to 21,822 Leafs sold by Nissan for the first nine months of this year.

    The Focus Electric has a range of 76 miles on a full charge compared to 84 miles for the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf itself received a $6,000 price cut in 2013, and starts at $29,860 for the 2015 model year. Ford's move brings the price of the Focus to the exact level of the Leaf, though it's Nissan's pure-electric offering which has the momentum and the visibility right now.