Nissan has closed the door on Leaf preorders today. But, don’t panic Nissan fans, the preorder is not an ill omen. The reason for the cessation of taking Nissan Leaf reservations is that they have already hit a cap of 20,000.

Nissan had been expecting to hit the 20,000 mark by early December. Those of you who got onboard early enough will still have the opportunity to buy or lease a new Leaf. For those of you who are interested but late, there will be a new phase of reservations early next year.

Al Castignetti, the division VP of Nissan, recently stated at the groundbreaking event in Tennessee that more than 50% of the 130,000 Nissan Leaf pre-orders came from people who currently own a Toyota Prius.

Castignetti went on to say that, “. It tells us that there is a segment of eco-friendly consumers who are interested in going to the next level. They own a hybrid vehicle. But if the next step is available, they want to take it.”

Castignetti described the enthusiasm that Nissan dealerships have been expressing about the Leaf and explained that in order for a Nissan dealership be allowed to sell the Leaf they must install a minimum of two electric car charging stations. All larger Nissan dealerships will be required to install four charging stations with one that is reserved for Nissan Leaf owners.

To those of you looking to pick up a Nissan Leaf in 2011 who had the foresight to put down a $99 reservation deposit, well done. You’re the only ones who will be owning a Nissan Leaf in 2011 on account of Nissan’s recent official statement that they are all sold out.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn just announced that order reservations for the Leaf electric car in the U.S. has met Nissan’s capacity for the year at 13,000.

Priced at $32,780, the little electric car is making great strides into the marketplace for a vehicle that has been almost completely untested by the media and public.

Since the $99 deposits are fully refundable though it still remains to be seen how many of those actually turn into full blown Leaf purchases.

Nissan is confident in the electric car market and will be continuing to invest in production in the U.S. and Europe over the course of the next few years.