Oct. 24--A rolling version of the all-electric Nissan Leaf, the plug-in car that will be test- marketed in Tucson, Phoenix and several other North American cities in 2011, is coming to Tucson on a promotional tour in late November and early December.

There's no word yet on exactly which days it will be here or where it will be on display, said Nissan spokeswoman Katherine Zachary.

The 11-state, 22-city Nissan Leaf Zero Emission Tour, which was just announced, will showcase the car, its battery technology and Nissan's goals for the program.

The Leaf is projected to have a 100-mile range under normal driving conditions.

No price has been announced for the cars.

A private company has been lined up to build a network of public quick-charge stations in Tucson, Phoenix and along Interstate 10 between the cities.

Zachary said the Leaf on the tour will be a display-only vehicle, a show version of the car created by the Renault-Nissan alliance and sold in the U.S. as a Nissan Leaf. She said the Leaf's all-electric drivetrain will be demonstrated during the tour in a Nissan Versa body.

But we are getting our first look at the Nissan Leaf as it will appear when it goes into production.

The latest photos of the Leaf, shown here, are of a right-hand-drive version, built for the Japanese market, but otherwise identical to what will be sold in the United States, Zachary said.

Contact reporter Dan Sorenson at 573-4185 or dsorenson@azstarnet.com

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