NEW YORK — Nissan's new electric car will cost just over $25,000 when it goes on sale in the U.S. in December, aiming to bring gasoline-free technology within reach of mainstream drivers.

The Leaf, a four-door hatchback, will have a base price of $32,780, but it's eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. That will make it cheaper to buy than electric vehicles coming from rivals and may force competitors to cut prices. But the Leaf's limited range of just 100 miles per charge for its lithium-ion battery could be a deal-breaker for some motorists.

"We want to make sure the car is affordable, ready for the mass market and has mass appeal," Mark Perry, director of product planning and advanced technology at Nissan North America Inc., said in an interview.

Customers can start reserving a Leaf in the U.S. on April 20 and Nissan is aiming for 25,000 orders by December. It hopes to build and sell 50,000 of the cars around the world during the first model year. Production is starting at an existing factory in Oppama, Japan, south of Tokyo, and will expand to Nissan's factory in Smyrna, Tenn., in 2012.

Christopher Richter, an auto analyst at CLSA Asia Pacific Markets in Tokyo, predicted the car will prove popular among "people who want to be green, people who love technology and people who are status-conscious."

Sales during the first year will be limited to about 20 large cities in the U.S., including New York, Seattle and Atlanta, Perry said. He said Nissan hopes to expand Leaf sales nationwide by the end of 2011.

The Leaf's relatively low starting price — as well as an option to lease the vehicle for $349 a month — could touch off a price war among rivals. A spokesman for General Motors Co., which will begin selling its Chevrolet Volt electric car later this year, said it will look at Nissan's pricing before announcing its own closer to its December sales date.